The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-01-11 00:00:00

REPRESENTATION OF TENANT FARMERS.
To the Editor.

SlR,—The tenant farmers of this country are shrewd, of
large business capacity, and fully conscious of their Ito.
portance in the body politic. They wield a tremendous
influence, their votes in the county constituencies over-
whelm every other, and yet with all this shrewdness, and
with all this power, and notwithstanding their appre-
ciation of the enormous stake they have in the country's
prosperity, they remain to this day virtually nnrepre-
sented in tne House of Commons. They have a legislature
composed almost entirely of their professed friends, and
yet have not a single voice in the council of the nation.
Their fealty and deference to their supposed superiors
have been carried to a chill-like extreme, and they find
that the paternal relationship which they have with such
simple confidence established between themselves and
their landlord has produced nothing but disappointment.
Instead of being the most independent clams, Ili they
might be, they are practically the roost subservient and
helpless. At every political gathering, at their agricul-
tural dinners, on all °cessions when farmers' questions are
discussed, the lord of many acres, and not the farmer, has
always been honoured with the conduct of the proceed-
ings. The president of their central associations is sure
to be some one of the class whose interests, though often
running parallel with theirs, becomes at a certain point
strongly divergent No class in the country has so faith-
fully served others, and so modestly pushed its own pre-
tensions: but just as often as the farmers have confided
In the class above them, have they been deceived. What
other class hag been so slow to learn the lesson of •elp
dependence
I abhor class representation, and yet, under existing
circumstances, for the farmers to be directly represented,
appears more Just and equitable.
Al a consequence of their mistaken policy we have now
class representation In Its most unmiUgated form, by
which the landlords have exclusively benefited. The
farmers have reason to feel aggrieved, and their only
redress lies in being directly represented in the Legisla-
ture.

--While the ignorant labourer has come to the fore, and
in some measure obtained his demands, what political
proves:l has the farmer made What question in which
he is interested has been satisfactorily settled ? The
history of polities, indeed, furnishes no such sad illustra-
tion of misplaced confidence and practical self-immolation
as the conduct of the farmer has exhibited.
Aberdeenshire haa gained • reputation throughout the
world for its farming. The industry, ability, and success
of the yeomen of that country have done much not only to
gain Scotland • name, but for all her sons who have
crossed her borders remunerative employment and respect.
Yet when an honoured representative of these intelligent
farmers comes forward as • Parliamentary candidate, in
the interests of those very questions which they have done
so much to promote, he is rejected almost as • matter of
course, and a man with nothing but a family name to
recommend him has been preferred. With the same
disregard to the interests of the farmers Mr. Read, who
was lately a member of the Ministry. which owes its
position to their efforts: finds himself unheeded, not toy
insulted, and is compelled hi resign.
Doreetshire has now a chance of saying whether they
approve thistlifiand of r
klagngdgglordopptroitlinlyan4 ingratitgut
just position in the political activity and representation of
the county; he would he false to the Interests of his class,
his di,mity as a man, and • craven slave in the service of
a traditional policy, if in order to support a landlord, he
fails to record his vote for Mr. Fowler.
A MILMBER Or BOARDS OF GUARDIANS FOR
• QUARTIR OF A CEETURY.