MR. WELD AND MR. WARD.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXI, Issue 2612, 1 December 1865, Page 5

MR. WELD AND MR. WARD.

TO TUB FDITOR OF TICK " I.YTTELTOX TIMES." Sir, — Mr. Weld, in the course of his speech on Friday evening, accuicd mo of having on ono occasion, in my place in tlio House, clamoured for blood and for war ; for tho blood of tbt Maori race generally, ami especially for the blood of men then on their trial*, and iv jeopardy of their lives, lie mad* these accusations in strong language, and. demanded my answer on the spot. I thought at the time, though I came forward, at his call without remonstrance, that Mr. Weld was treating me mast unfairly, by turning upon mo the indignation of a public meeltug, already highly excited in bit favour, and then nnd there demanding from me an explanation of language mod lomo two months ago. It was limply impouible, under the circumstances, to give a detailed auiwer to any tuch question ; and I had to b« content with offering a general justification of my conduct. But now that I can recall tho occasion referred to, I detire to give an explicit denial to Mr. Weld* accusation. Speaking under great provocation, which I belier* Mr. Weld did not witness, I did expre»» my disapproval of the so-called Peace Proclamation tn stronger language than lam accustomed to uit. Indeed, under ordinary circumstances, I should have allowed any on* of tho mauy member* of the Hout* who held the iam* views to express them for me. I protetted strongly against the proclamation ; but that is one thing, and to condemn peace, which was it« ostensible object, ii quite another. The proclamation was not calculated to produce peace, nor has it done so. It professed that the war was at an end ; lint w-vr i< mnri» wMe inroad nnv than it wia Idtiii. U bontluuial mu UaKinu lmiracio, iiliKu nail proroked the Taranaki war in 1563 ; it professed to pardon, among other*, Kewi Maniopoto, who had been the riugleadcr iv active rebellion iv Waikato, but whom— pardoned or unpardoned— tho Govern, ment have been unabls to touch; and it actually pardoned men guilty of the mott horrible social crimes, who deferred, if ever men did, that tbsir crimes should be punished by law. Mr. Weld s»ys ] that I " called for the blood of men awaiting trial." I did no sucli thing. There was a murder committed in tho province of Auckland by several Maoris, who rushed upon an old tettler named Hamlin, at h» was driving his cart along a road near his own home, and butchered him there in cold blood. These Maoris were caught, brought to trial, and, when I spoke, bid been found guilty and condemned to death, on the clearest •videnoe. But the pr«clam»tion _of indiscriminate amnesty had gone forth, and crimti Hkt this bad been pardoned. The result has been that th« ronrdtrers of Hamlin hava been let loose upon society. Am Ito be accused of "calling for blood" because I con. demn * proclamation which shields from all punrthmail vhatsotvtr atrocious criminals already condemned by a court of justice ?

imbecility.*- What U 'tiMfirMnti of Q^i^llSffiifiß peace, wbea there it no.?^Ts^Vher«^u|'»tt^«l./§f meney in pardoning rebel, riPgltM«rK?w!» arejao»i3y withio th« reach of 'puuUbmwtttMr%WiM f «poWf|l a* if I had urced.that an armr sbonld biT«l»rfoshif§ with to hunt down Kewi Maniopoto'and hH felW«."tit I urged do tuch thing." l'offttid^ofiujTieiPW TAV-M buttnU, tUt tin QoVernmtntiAottld h»TtlitXin#^ thoir povrtir to punUh b«for« off.rinr wrtaonl if they i;* «xp«cUd to Uk«,it jM :» boon.^libelU»»,th«t^ patitocQ w u effectir* a poiior m w»r/,kid k f«r raort^Jß eoonomicai Tli* law can wait. ' , Thi (word o( ju«. , tie* m»y long remain iutpendtJ.^ Ido nbtdemand '' that it ihttt fall at onca on ttubffentlfrtKeid; bnt '"' I protest »g»inst it being thrown Way.-^'ts ty f*i f ' ,'l'bo proclinution of |Waoo wa»; in itoink of fact, »' '::■ , provocation of war. ' TbotCwho, lik* mjrself. pro. ,f t<ited apunrt it art mor« than imtififdiiy; tn« itta*. > , j So entirely vrai iU effect tnitcalculaUd by iU author* that, in place of tnbmitting, tht rtbet natiyet in tht , , Wanganni dUtrict would not even rectir* it- Thty, ' ''' went further than merely^ dwp'uiDjj it ; ' they ahot' \ and tomahawked tho meMengtn who bont'it to them, even under a Hag of truce. , "Murder," «ai(l ' '■- tin Government, " muit ba pnoiihed." - But tht paniihment of nb*l* mean* war. And the country , it at vrar to enforce tht proclamation of peace. A:" ■' new campaign ha* been produced by ita altentfted - ' publication in th* Wanganui diitrict, and is now • going on, without any known remit, except expense and (osa of life. Irritated thongh I had been by lh» momtroni ,_ ■ aecuoation bmnght by Major Atkin on, th* Defenco '• , MiuUter, againtt tny otd fricud and eoll«»jue, ■:{ , Dillon Bell, I mod uo laogua^e on th« ocoMioa ro;. . '■. fcrred to, or on any other, iaconsiitent \rith ths viewa which I still hold, and have just e*pres«ed. „ Mr. Weld asserts that I " called'fcr Mood," while I I preached economy. I tell him that he mi tying , - the foundations of wir while announoiog peace. — t am, Ac, CItOSBIB Wa»D. Chriitchurch, Noreinber 13, ISCS. - -

(FXOM TM "CAXTMBORY. STANDARD.") Mr. Crosbie Word hns written a letter to the Lyttttton Timts, in orJcr to explain a highly dramatic incident of lh« meeting iv th« Town Hall on Friday «v«niug last Mr. Ward Hays that be ii of opinion Mr. Weld used him "most unfairly, by tarniof upon him the indignation of » jmblio meeting, nlreody highly excited in his (Mr. Weld'i) favour, and then and there demanding from him an expla. nation oflanguagt used torn* two months ago." We believe Mr. Crosbie Ward in in the enjoyment of a monopoly in this respect No on* who was prevent, and aho witnessed tho whole affair, except, perhaps Air. Crosbi* Ward hiinseU, ■will for 0110 moment inpiMwe that Mr. Weld wblutd to treat Mr, Ward " unfairly." Ou the oontrary, we believo tlmt it will bo universally conceded lhat Mr. Wetd'a only iWro \\a* to alford Mr. Ward an opportunity of clearing himself from a very itriout charge ia the presence uf tho largeat jiuuho meeting erer held ia Canterbury. It is no bult ol.Mr. WeM's it Mr. Cnwbie Ward doe» not appreciate nuch opportuuitics ot meeting his fellow-eoluuUU Kut Mr. Ward now •»yi, after h* has had time to " recall th« occasion n ■ ferrcd to" by Mr. Weld, that htdmrct ' to giv« an explicit denial to Mr. Weld'a nccuMtiou." In Addition to thii, Mr. Urosbi. Waid iu*inuaWa that Mr. \Vc!d was not present iuth* Houwuheu Major Atkinvon vied certain langunse to Mr. Dillon Beli— languago which, as Mr. Crosbi* Ward <apres»«d it on Friday iiiuht, was calculated to make th« coole»t man's :,./., '. > . 'i..' tvi >' "'." said at tho meetiug:— " Jf 1 had thought that Mr. Dillou Bell's personal character had been attacked, I should havo been tho first to dtftnd him, for I hay« knovvn Mr. Bell longer than Mr. Waul baa known him, and I can only vow iupjK»« tb.nt-th« Un£Uag* used on tho occasion I have referred to arose out of a rouiautic and chivalrous ininlak* on the part of tho hon. (jentltman." _ From thin, Uken in conjuuetwn with Mr. « ara < exprtssiou iv hu letter to-day, in which ht a»y» U»at ho believes Mr. Weld did not w«tnewth^jTOTOCA;_Jj so strongly as h» admit* h» did, it will b« aeen that an atttiiupt is mad* to show that Mr. Weld had no foundation whatever for lh« accusation ha brought against Mr. Ward. Tho accusation is first explicitly j denied, aud then \v« art t Id that Mr. Weld did not litar tho lauguaga which ctused Mr. Ward's blood to boil, although anyone who listened to Mr. Wtld, or who read his speech, would iuppo«t that ho had. In conclusion, it striken us that Mr. Weld did not dtmtmd an answer from Mr. Crosbi* Ward to tho accmationi ht brought against him. Mr. Wtld seeiccd to us to lx actuated solely by tho niaoly doNira of allowing an opponent th« chance of reply to what was, no doubt, * grave obargd. Ho invited Mr. Cronbit \\ ard to clear himself, aud vr« kavt it to the publio to say whether that gentleman, in his very elegantly commenced speech of Friday evening, or in hu letter to day, has succeeded in doing 10. Mr. Crosbi* Ward thinks, evidently, that Mr. Weld tried to do him an injury : must people, wo promote, will be of an entirety oppoute opinion.