The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-26 00:00:00

LONDON, 7HURSDAY, MAY 26, 1870.

During the last few months public attention has
been directed to the Telegraph system, and the sub-
ject has acquired peculiar interest on account of the
important change that has taken place in its ar-
rangements. Proportionately with the satisfaction
experienced at its progress will be the indignation
felt at any wanton hindrance which may impede its
course. The letter which Mr. SCUDAMORE has ad-
dressed to us in conformity with the directions of the
Postmaster-General, is well calculated to cause sur-
prise and displeasure. It appears that the telegraphs
of the United Kingdom are subject to con-
tinual injury from the " wanton attacks
of idle and mischievous persons, who
amuse themselves by throwing stones at the in-
sulators on the telegraph posts." He addresses state-
ments in proof of this assertion, which show how
wide-spread is the evil complained of, and how pertina-
cious is the persecution that is carried on. An engi-
neer of the department near Newcastle reports that
five hundred insulators had been wantonly broken in
six weeks. Another witness, from a different part,
declares that it is "a Sunday morning's entertain-I
mt-nt for idle persons to throw stones at the insulators
on the lines outside towns and villages." From Eng-
land, Scotland, and W ales comes the same story
with varieties of incident but identity in result.
One records that " a large number of the
insulators bad been broken wilfully," another in the
neighbourhood of London, adds that " most of the
contacts, which, of course, cause interruptions of
communication, are brought about by the breakage
of insulators by stone throwers." Another engi-
neer reports that, whereas he had " entirely re-
insulated the line between Loughborough and Lei-
cester, within six weeks from the time of the reinsu-
lation no less than 150 insulators had been broken by
stone throwing." It is not surprising to hear that,
under these circumstances, the Postmaster-General
has taken steps to have the telegraph lines watched,
and to have persons detected in the act of causing
wilful injury prosecuted under the Malicious Injuries
Act. With the assistance of the Home Office he has
fortunately been able to obtain several convictions.
Lord HARTINGTON wisely thinks, however, that
much inconvenience and expense would be saved
if the public would co operate with him and act,
so far, as the guardians of their own property.
He truly says that " the telegraphs of the United
Kindom are now the property of the nation, and
every member of the community is interested in
their maintenance and preservation." It is allowable
to suppose that many of those who commit these
injuries to the telegraphs are ignorant of the mischief
they cause, or, at any rate, do not estimate its
extent and character. If the intelligent members of
the community set themselves to work in earnest;
for the protection of the national property, no doubt
most beneficial results would follow. They could
give timely warning to those whom they may chance
to find indulging in their mischievous propensities, and
if these preventive effortsfailed,theyrnight report the
offender to the proper authorities This duty must
be specially enjoined on all those who have the
charge of boys or youths, for this class figures the
most prominently in the list of offenders. The fears
of a prosecution at law may exercise a deterrent in-
fluence if admonitions are of no avail. In eorici,_
sion, Lord HARTINGTON intimates that the import-
ance of perfect telegraphic communication is so I