The Daily Southern Cross.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XX, Issue 2305, 9 December 1864, Page 4

The Daily Southern Cross.

I.UOKO NON URO "If I hiwo been extinguished, jet tliero riso A thousand boncons from the »pirk I boro."

FEIDAY, DECEMBER 9. It is more than probable that at this juncture the people of Auckland may be charged with iuconsislency, in regard Lo their present movemenfc for separation, and a settled desire to free themselves from responsibility in native affairs ; but, in order that people at a distance may not be misled in this matter, we will briefly advert to the recorded sentiments of Auckland, at a time when this question came before the public in a Tory pointed way. Those who were in the colony during the first Taranaki war need not be told that the Governor assumed the offensive as the representative of the Crown, and to assert its prerogative nnd enforce the law. Those who have come to the colony sinc9 then may accept thus much asafact ou our authority That the first war in Taranaki was miserably mismanaged no one will deny ; and it is to be regretted that Governor Gore Browne, impeded in his action by the Exeter If all party in England, and the missionary party in the colony, made peace, or established a truce with the natives, when his object was on the point of being gained. This he did ou his own responsibility, for, although. Ministers advised his Excellency, he had stipulated that he should not in any way be bound by that advice in native affairs. The inhabitants of Auckland then, as now, supported the Governor. They did not altogether approve of the wisdom of the act, but beyond a mild degree of criticism, to which the acts of public men are at all times liable, there was no expression of opinion. The difilculty of his Excellency's position was known and acknowledged; and the community of Auckland, having faith in Colonel Brownes purity of motives and singleness of purpose, were ready to believe that porhaps> after all, the best thing had been done. There were far seeing men, however, who predicted what has since happened ; but it was felt that, inasmuch as the war was a purely Imperial concern, for which, the colony was not pecuuianly liable, it was hardly worth disputing with his Excellency as to that stage in the business when he felt himself justified in arresting the strife. During the continuance of this truce, and after the departure of Colonel Gore Browne, and the assumption of authority by Sir George Grey, the inhabitants of Auckland pursued the same uniform course. They accepted facts, but they did not influence in aiiy way the administration of those in whose hands the control of native affairs was placed. The settlers of this province did not abstain from criticising the public actions of the Governor and his advisers ; and wo would very much deprecate such a state of things as that which would render free discussion and impartial criticism impossible. We can imagine such a state of things; but we know it never did exist in Auckland, and we are quite certain tho inhabitants of this great city would not tolerate it for an hour. The position assumed by Auckland was this : Sir George Grey has been deputed by tho Imperial Government to suppress tho native rebellion ; he has been entrusted with larger discretionary powers than his predecessoni; in native matters he is absolute. We recognise that fact. We admit that wo Have nothing to do with the settloment of the native

question'; let tlio Governor have his full swing, and see what ho makes' of it. If ho settles the question amicably, so much the better ; if he goes to war, he does it upon the responsibility of tho Imperial Government, and the mother country must pay tho cost. We say, most emphatically, that that was the position taken up by tho people of Auckland. They had their own opinions as regarded the succeess of the new plan of native government introduced and partially carried out by Sir George Grey ; and as events happened ■which told decisively in one way or tho other, comments were made in the press upon them, but never on any occasion did a public meeting in Auckland j pronounce any hostile opinion in native affairs since Sir George Grey arrived here. "We do not sny, for a moment, that such an opinion would not have been expressed, if the issue had been placed before a public meeting; bnl no meeting was held, simply because it was felt that the affairs of the natives, so far as management was concerned, had been entirely withdrawn from colonial control. There was one occasion, however, on which a public meeting of the Auckland communitypaid a very high compliment to his Excellency the Governor, " for the efforts his Excellency "had made for the settlement of questions " which had for some time been threatening se- " rious consequences to the province." The occasion we allude to must be fresh in the recollection of many of our readers. It was fell to be due lo his Excellency to put on record the appreciation of tho inhabitants of this province for having in one week succeeded in opening Coromandel, and putting a stop to tho native hostilities in the Kaipara district. This meeting, be it remembered, was not called to consider the mode of conducting the general policy of the country ; but to recognise the performance of public acts by the Governor, which abundantly proved his zeal in the service of the Crown and the colony, altogether apart from his general native policy. Mr. Whitaker presided at that meeting ; and Mr. Firth likewise addressed it. The tone of the last-named gentleman's speech was this, that the colony must recognize the fact that the sole control in native affairs was in the hands of the Imperial representative ; and he warned our members of Assembly who were then on the point of departure for Wellington, that they ought to carefully guard the colony from any pecuniary liability in regard to the consequences of his Excellency's policy. Tho General Assembly in that session took the same view of tho matter; and passed resolutions declaring that they would not interfere in any way with the management of tho natives. The despatch of the Duke of Newcastle left the Assembly, in its next session, no choice but to accept the responsibility, because tho colony was told that it had no option in tho matter. Its duty was obedience. Well, it did obey; and the Ministry appointed under the new arrangement was that which has just gone out of office, at the head of which was Mr. Whitaker. Since then Mr. Cardwell sent out fresh instructions, which hampered tho Colonial Government, and demons tv.a ed in practice the absurdity of that system of administration in native affairs which lias latterly been called "double Government," for want of a better name. Tho action of the South hns left no course open to Auckland but to unite in an effort to obtain separation from the other provinces ; and in doiug so it is incumbent on her citizens to preserve their consistency, aad put on record their often-expressed opinion, that the mana s emcntof native affairs ought to be entrusted to the Imperial authorities ; and that theprovince,or colony that is to be, shall only be liable to that extent which all loyal and dutiful subjects of the Queen are liable, for the preservation of law and order, who may have the misfortune to reside in a district torn by rebellion. To that extent, and to that alone, do the inhabitants of Auckland consider themselves responsible ; and they mean to tell the Imperial authorities so. But in all this, the public of Auckland are perfectly consistent. To show the state of feeling at the public meeting on the 24th of June, 1862, ne will make a quotation from Mr. Firth's speech, which is equally applicable to the present day :—: — We say Mr. Fnth) wo have nothing to do with the gcueuil policy ; we say that Sn Geoige Gicy is the lepiesenlative of the Imperial Government, aud it is not necessary th.it we .should be governed by tins or th.it policy current in earlier or later times. His Excellency lias bi^eu sent out lieie .is the repieseatative of the Imperial authoiitics, who have lesoivcd the native question as out of oui contiol. We have received him as such * * I wi-h to unpiess upon our repiesentitives who are going South to inoiTmv that the native question is a. quos tion with which they have very little to do ; that it is a matter of Inipei lal concern , and I think we have had lecent instances whioh prove how much bettei able Sir George Giey, un.issi&te'l by sidvi^eis — responsible or irresponsible —has been to settle gicat ami threatening difficulties. * * If the linpeiial Parliament persist in that view (of holdiug the colony liable for the war expendituie because it enjoyed lcpieseut.itive institutions), and siddle us with the cost of war in any future settlement; if wo aieiequired to put our hand to any such Sin look bond as tint, which would make us liable to a debt of fiom two to thi ee millions stei ling, the weight of which neither we nor our children could bear, — if that is to be the penalty we aie to pay for representative institutions, you will concur I think with me iv saying that it will be paying too dear for our whistle. (Applause.)