The Sun.
London, England, 1865-10-09 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1865.

Among the many great and pressing evils of the
day, there is one very serious grievance which, from
peculiar circumstances, is only too little thought of.
It does not affect the residents in towns and cities,
and these are the classes who mostly make them-
selves heard, while there is within the walls of Par-
liament and elsewhere a large and influential class
whose interest it is to overlook it altogether. The
game laws, while they press heavily on the farmer,
and are the means of much hardship and injustice
being inflicted on the labourer, protect so efficiently
the sports and pleasures of the landowners and
their friends that there is not even a talk about
reforming them. Under these circumstances a little
of Mr. BRIGHT'S outspoken language and uncom.:
promising hostility to the tyranny of wealth and
influence is not at all unwelcome, and the practical
advice which he gives to the farmers will, if taken,
make the game preservers regret that they did not
relax the stringency of their laws a little earlier.
Mr. BRIGHT boldly traces the evil to the excess of
our class representation and the limited number of
our voters ; and the means he recommends in order
to obtain at least a hearing in Parliament is the
selectiqn of a farmer's candidate at the next elec-
tion.. He does not care about the politician who is
nominated being a member of the class that sends
him to Parliament ; but he urges that he should be
of their views, and alike able and willing to advo-
cate their interests. There will be little or no ex-

pense attending such a course, since county canvas-
and polling are very different from those of a
borough; and a very small subscription, together
with a hearty co-operation on the part of the far-
mers, would make them independent of the influence
of landlords. This would be a practical way of
setting to work, though we fear the process would
be somewhat tedious, and would certainly be greatly ,
expedited by the passage of a new. Reform Bill 1
But the evils complained of press heavier and
heavier, while there is no -actire attempt made for
their removal. As Mr. BRIGHT observes, in place
of the burden of the game ldws having been
lightened of late years, they are only becoming
more strict; and a few years ago "an alteration,
which was, certainly, no improvement, was
carried into effect. The working of the laws is
left to the county magistrates, who ler the most
part are preservers of game themselves or friends
and associates of those who do. They are not
likely, therefore, to turn a willing ear to the
farmer's complaints or to temper justice with
mercy- in the case of the poacher. Punishments
severer than those inflicted for cruel and desperate
offences are often allotted to the man who has been
seen with an unlucky hare or rabbit or caught
• taking a midnight stroll under suspicious circum-
- stances. Close companionship with felons, the loss
of character, the sense of breaking the laws, all
drag the man downwards, and the poacher too
often ends his career as an actual offender of the
very worst description. The farmer's side of the
question, too, is an amazing and unprofitable one.
He may pay boys to scare away the birds from his
fruit, but he must not protect his crops from the
ravages of the pheasant, his turnips from the hare,
or his hen-roost from the fox. Mr. BRIGHT puts
the matter very plainly and sensibly. " The fun-
damental principle of the tenant farmers should be
this ; that they shall have absolute and undisputed