(FROM THE LYTTELTON TIMES, NOV. 6.)

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXI, Issue 2600, 17 November 1865, Page 5

(FROM THE LYTTELTON TIMES, NOV. 6.)

A great point was made by Mr.^ FitzGerald at the close of his speech, the, other evening, when he replied to the suggestion that the Maoris might be left alone. " What!" he cried "leave the murderers of Volkner alone, leave the murderer* of Fulloon alone, leare the murderers of Broughton alon*'?" This, of course, ii mere clap-trap. ' Murder should'be punished ; but it does not follow that war should be made" against a nation. The war scheme of the late Government rests upon no such foundation as the desire to avenge a murder. It was fully prepared before th(i massacre at Opitiki. Mr. V»lkner has been amply avenged, but no one can lay whether the really guilty persons have been punished. If the latter was th» object, it may never be attained ; if the former, it has been attained already. But the war is not 1 at an end. Nor, is it ended at the East Cape. The appeal to vengeance the other night was misused'; and it; was a clap-trap appeal for another reason. Supposing a murder at the Bay of Plenty required a war to ,be carried on there by colonial troops, and that one at Wanganui required a war to be carried on there by Imperial troops, how wa» it that another at' Wang*nui required only a reward to be offered for the apprehension of the murderers ? A native, messenger, employed by the Government to carry the Peace Proclamations, was seized and maiaaored juit before Mr, Bronghton, and in the samo way. We have been told often enough,by Mr. FitzGerald that ft Maori's rights as a subject are equal to a European's. Besides, Kereli, as the native meisenger was called, was employed on peaceful Government service. But for this murder the Government only thought fit to offer a reward of £1000. Will Mr. FitzGerald explain why he must keep up a standing army to punish one murder at a coat of, say, £50,000, while £1000, without the army, is enough for another.