The Express.
London, England, 1866-02-10 00:00:00

LNOISLATION AND TER CATTLI PLAGE%

The Times sees in the arguments yesterday before Sir G.
Grey of the speakers representing forty counties of Great
Britain, an illustration of the strength and decision of the
opinions entertained. According to the view of the agri-
cultural clauses the prohibition of the traffic in live cattle
must be unqualified in its rigour, without one stogie
exception in favour of place or bout, and for this the
immediate action of government MI superseding that of
loos' authorities is requisite. Oar choice, it is now
plain, ban been but • choice of time from the
very first. The only method of staying the plague
was by isolation. That isolation would have been easy at
first, and euier even • month ago than now ; bat it will
be easier now than • month hence, and n-sthing but the
experiment stands between us and the total ruin of the
national stock. Better late than never is is much as we
can say ; but it is something to be still able to say that.

_ .
Seeing that Earl Russell and his colleagues have always
been two months behind the plague the Herald is not sur-
prised that Mr. Gladstone cannot see his way to any mea-
sure that will help the land from ita many difficulties, but
is full of fancy devices for effsstiog small elide. The Herald
goes on to sesame that if the government completely prohibits
the removal of cattle from district to district or from the
places of import to the markets, and makes the destruc-
tion of dimmed cattle imperative, it mast adopt some
scheme, such as that of national amurance, which will save
the agriculturists from ruin aad set aside the chalices of
eonoesemeat or avarice,.

The Telegraph does not oppose reimbursement of every
flaeoriptioo. The actual ravages of the disease must
be borne by the sufferers themselves ; but when-
ever the government steps in and sap, " You
dull not remove this beast for sale," or " You
yeast kill that one oat of the way," then the owner
may rightly answer, " Very well. but in return I lee you
for interfering with trade, or for inflicting upon me •
certain loss by taking away what chance there is of my
hoset'a recovery." Oa what system the scale of composes.
tics should be graduated, and from what source it should
some, are questioes that preseet great difficulty ; but still
they ere matters of detail, and would present no permanent
obstacle to • laridature quickened by themes of a calamity
which, already great, threatens to attain yet mightier
dimensions.

The Star is of opinion that the farmers by getting higher
prices for their cattle have recouped their losase by the
murrain. Those who ought moat to complain are the
people who are not engaged in the feeding of stock, but
who have to pay heavily for the shortcomings
mad want of energy of the farmers and country
magistrates. The government, bad it done more
than it has done, would have interfered mot as-
justifiably with local authority and with the trade of the
country. Its greatest opponents, so long es the danger did
not seem great, were the farmers themselves. Every pre.
stationary measure proposed had a de 4 pet made spinet
It. Now the tendency is all the other way. There are
some among those who uttered their complaints on This.
day and on Thursday who would fain stop the importation
of foreign cattle. It is earnestly to be hoped that their ad-
vies will not be listened to.