On Monday the House of Lords gave another example of
the good sense and statesmanship with which their ultimate conduct has in the present generation always been governed. By a majority of 10 (55 to 45) they agreed to allow the conscience clause to stand part of the Vaccination Bill, as desired by the Commons. Lord Salisbury's speech showed how well he knows the nature of the assembly which he leads. He had no more menaced the Lords when he said that the Bill would be lost if they insisted on striking out Clause 2 than a weather forecast menaces one with rain. Some noble Lords seemed to think that the Government would be eager to introduce a new Vaccination Bill, but Governments were not anxious to touch measures which raised a conflict between the two Houses. The conscientious objector was not the important person. " What we really have to deal with is the action of local authorities, and it is now a matter of experience that a fourth, I think, of the local authorities of the country decline to pro- mote and work this law." But you have no power over the local authorities. You cannot say, "Let us vindicate the law and send them to prison." They are the masters in this matter. You can recast the whole system, and carry out vaccination by a decree from Whitehall ; but apart from all other difficulties, that means an entirely new Bill and a very formidable contest in Parliament. But if the conscientious objector is protected there is good reason to suppose that the local authorities will do their work far better than they do it now. That is also our hope, but no doubt the Government have taken a grave responsibility on their shoulders. If vaccination goes down instead of going up under the new Bill the country will be justly indignant.
