The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-26 00:00:00

NECESSITY FOR THE BALLOT.

(From the Edinburgh, Daily Scotsman.)
Peter Pindar, with much more than his charac-
teristic politeness, remarks—

" When a lady's in the case,
All other things of course give place"—
excepting always, it is understood, those cases in
which a lady ought not to be. One of that excep-
tional class of cases, we submit, is slave-driving.
That employment is left to the gentlemen even in
Carolina, and we must, though with the least pos-
sib/e rudeness, protest against its being taken up
by ladies in Berwickshire. And we do so even as
much in the interest of the ladies themselves, as
under the impression that it is highly desirable to
maintain a clear moral or social distinction between
Carolinian negroes and Scotch farmers—between
New Orleans market and Ayton polling-booth.
Unfeignedly, it is with pain that we publish the
following extraordinary anachronism, which has
come to light in the form of a circular to all the
tenants on the estates of Paxton and Billie—the
same well-tended flock who were lately addressed
by Captain Charles St. Clair in language a good
dear stronger though not more intelligible than that
which now descends upon them from a lady of the
same zealous family :
" Inveresk, Musselburgh, April 15, 1859.
"DEAn. Six,-I have often regretted that I should
have been precluded by ill-health from forming a
personal acquaintance with the tenantry on my patri-
monial estates. At this moment I feel the deprivation
all the more on account of the political contest now going
on in Berwickshire—the issue of which contest may depend,
in no small degree, on the part you take in it.
"From your number, your intelligence, and your influ-
ence, you constitute a body of electors who, if you agree in
your views and act in unison, must necessarily produce a
considerable effect on the election.

"Though yon are aware of my husband's sentiments, I
flatter myself that some of you at least may desire to know
whether your landlady feels any interest in this contest. I
am induced, therefore, to make this communication, to
assure you that I do feel a deep interest, not only in the
contest, but, if possible, still more in the part which every
one connected with my estates may take in it.
" With regard to the two candidates who are soliciting
your suffrages, I have no hesitation in saying that I wish
all success to my friend Sir John Marjoribanks ; and it
pleases me very much to learn that the majority of your
number have promised him your support, and that several
of you are now canvassing in his behalf. ?here are, how-
ever, I understand, some who have not yet declared them-
selves, and some who have declared that they do not mean
to vote. If their reason for this be that they do not wish to
put themselves in opposition to the majority of their own
body, as well as to their landlord and landlady, I have
only to thank them for their good and kindly feeling ;
but if they are abstaining from mere indifference
or from any intimidation, I must express a hope
that, bearing in mind the importance of this contest,
they will come manfully forward with the rest of the
tenantry, and, in considering which side they will support,
that they will remember that it is more for the credit of
all parties connected with the estate that they should go
hand-in-hand than that they should be neutralising each
other with opposing votes.
"My husband and I wish and believe that no one on our
estates will vote against his convictions ; but if there should,
unfortunately, be any who cannot conscientiously agree to
join us and the rest of the tenantry, I fondly trust, and I
ask it as a favour, that they will abstain from taking any
active part in opposition.
" The idea of this communication to you has oririnated
with myself, and I need scarcely add that it has my hus-
band's cordial concurrence.—l remain, dear Sir, yours ♦ery
faithfully, "JEAN MILNE HOME."

It is a very great pity indeed that the yearnings
of Mrs. Milne Home's heart towards " a personal
acquaintance with the tenantry on her patrimonial
estates," after being so long suppressed, should
have quite overcome her just at this particular
moment—and for this particular purpose. What is
the purpose ? To ask a favour." What is the
favour? That certain of " the tenantry " shall, in
the discharge of a great public duty, at least refrain
from acting according to their convictions. And
what are the inducements or compulsions held out
for this dereliction of duty ? In the first place, the
fact that such is the wish and desire of " their land-
lord and landlady." Everybody knows what that
means. It means that the tenantry are requested
to vote in the way the landlord and landlady think,
and with the least possible regard to the way they
may happen to think themselves. Naturally there
does exist some, and practically there exists too
much, of this kind of influence—there is the in-
fluence inseparable from the kindly feeling which
should come from good offices in matters of busi-
ness and neighbourship ; and there is the influence
which comes from self-interest. But the landlord
and landlady of Paxton House will trust to neither,
nor yet to both, of these things. They learn that
some of their tenants, notwithstanding these in-
fluences, feel inclined to vote in a certain way, or
to refrain from voting in a certain other way ; and
both sexes of the family fall upon them with pla-
cards and circulars to the effect that they ought not
to " put themselves in opposition to their landlord
and landlady." The lady's letter has one very- odd
statement on this point—an assumption that the
tenantry may be declining submission to the land-
lord and landlady owing to " intimidation"—pro-
ceeding from what quarter no man nor even woman
can possibly conceive. There is, however, some
meaning or utility in this statement—it shows with
specification what is apparent on the face of the
whole letter—that Mrs. Home writes and acts in
the belief that the tenantry on those patrimonial
estates are persons capable of succumbing to " inti-
midation"—an accusation which we shan't believe
till we see them all coming up to the poll at this
written word of command for " my friend Sir John
Marjoribanks."
Another inducement held out by the lady to the
tenants to do as they arc desired, and not as they
are inclined, is that " it is more for the credit of all
parties connected with the estate that they should
go hand in hand than that they should be neutral-
ising each other with opposing votes !" Here we
have at a glance the Berwickshire Tories' theory of
the whole political duty of man—an easy guide for
the British Elector, Berwickshire variety. It is not
a matter of opinions, but of " estates"—not of
principles, but of properties—not of Liberal and
Tory, but of Landlord, or Landlady, and Tenant.
The tenantry on some patrimonial estates are not
regarded as beings who may supposably differ from
one another on questions on which free and think-
ing men do differ, but only as agricultural tenants,
and consequently political vassals, on the same
estate. Agricultural voters are to come up to the
poll, not man by man according to his opinions,
but " hand in hand." according to the "estates" to
which they, soul and body, belong—not as Con.
servative men or Tory men, but as Mr. Somebody's
tenants or Mrs. Somebody-else's tenants. Such
ideas we were aware still lingered in some imper-
vious minds in remote regions, and were in too
many places carried quietly into practice ; but it is
quite a surprise to find them coolly assumed,
openly avowed, A,nd written out in a fair hand.
This epistle to the Paxtonians is a thing fitted
to form a poisonous, though, we shall hope, not a
very powerful element in the contest into which it
is thrown. But is there no antidote ? There is—
and we evoke it. There is the self-respect which
the tenants against whom the ukase is issued must
be assumed to possess, and may be hoped to pre-
serve. They have been rendered a wonder, though
not yet a hissing, to all Scotland, by the position in
which they have been made to appear by those who
seek to lord and lady it over them—sworn at by " a
sea-captain," grimly admonished by the landlord,
and shrilly scolded by the landlady. There is but
one way in which they can now vindicate their
rights as men, and their worthiness as Scotsmen.
They will not, we feel sure, exhibit themselves
coming up to Ayton polling-booth " hand in hand,"
as men needs must when they are handcuffed, to
vote for " my friend Sir John Marjoribanks," under
manifest compulsion of the whip, wielded though it
may be by no masculine hand. That would be a
sight at which their neighbours would blush, and
at which even Aron Castle might turn redder yet.
It will not be. There are two things required for
slave-drivin6—the driver and the slaves. In this
case, supposing the ono to be provided, nothing
less than seeing will justify. belief in the existence
of the others ; and certainly on the polling day at