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Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 1, Issue 41, 3 July 1858, Page 3

Open Column.

To the Editor of tlte HawTcis Bay Herald.

Sir, — No doubt there are many like myself, •whose thoughts t7tis day are on the events of yesterday. And while, on the one hand, the old adage, "Nil sub sole novum," is true ; on the other hand we have, "many men many minds" to match it : and therefore (if you may have room) I now trouble you with a tithe of my cogitations.

To tell you the truth, I feel somewhat ashamed of the Napier poll ; and 1 wish you would publish the names of all who -voted there pro and con ; with those of Napier enrolled voters who, being present, held back. For, as Napier has beon making some little stir in. the cause of Eeform during the last year in the New Zealand world, it is but an act of common justice to let those Reformers living at a distance know, how the poll at Napier came to be as it is. Besides, it will the better inform Dr. Featherston (and his party), so that lie too may know, who and how many of the really free electors of Napier voted for him. As to those who chose not to vote, at such a critical period, it is but fair that their peculiarities should also be recorded, in order to be remembered.

I was the more impressed with painful feelings yesterday, when I saw enrolled voters refusing to exercise their privilege (although such voters were wholly opposed to the policy of the late government) ; while others, who valued their birthright, who had been more than a year residing among us, and who liad come several miles to vote, found, to their surprise and disgust, that, as the now roll would not be scrutinized Magisterially before the moiTow {this dag), they were not allowed to do so!

And then I could not help thinking, that (unless some grave and weighty reasons could be assigned, — reasons sufficient to convince the majority of a jury of reasonable men,) such persons so refusing to serve their country, and that, too, at such a juncture, woidd not be altogether unfairly dealt with, if not allowed to vote in future — seeing i-iiey had aoused a sacred trust.

And when I also saw well known bonajide and respectable settlers — men who had been some considerable time among vs — proprietors of houses and lands and stock — (and that, too, to no small amount,) and also, yourself, Mi*. Editor, the common Illuminator of us all — wlien, I say, I saw that you could not vote (owing to a " dodge, " or a legal quibble,) and saw, moreover, persons voting for Dr. Featherston, whose old registered qualifications, either as to residence or property, were wholly nil., and knew, besides, that such (barring intoxication) could neither read or write — I could not help thinking on Dr. Feathers ton's own words — " that although hei'etoibre all his predilections had run in favour of the people, as he must confess — still nevertheless he now wished to put the representation on some other basis than that of population." —

And when I further saw (and was much grieved in seeing) the unseemly activity at the doors of the Royal Hotel ot' some of the Subs, of the Land Office, (of whose conduct I shall say no more at present,) I could not help thinking, that, however un-English such, a Bill may appear, something like the "Grag-Bill" was ahsolutely necessary. And when I saw a gentleman, (whose arrival among us last summer, as a settler, I was one of the first to welcome,) when T saw him acting the part of a"touter" for Di\ Foatherston, and leading into the voting-room certain half-sober men who could neither read or write (and whose fitness and real qualificat ; on a3 electors were highly questionable), I could not help thinking, that he appeared much more advantageously and looked far more as a Briton when ho trod the quarterdeck of his ship. —

And when I also saw my neighbour — the late Secretary of the Ahuriri Settlers' Association — now undignifiecPy laboring as busy as a bee in getting votes for Dr. Featherston, in order to the undoing of all that he (my neighbour) had so long and ably been engaged in doing, I cou'd not help thinking — sic transit gloria liomitiis !

And when I Ivnxl ?nd saw the upper Tutaekuri rvnholders — and knew, too, what a long and rough and dangefous ride they had had, and considered their leaving their unlended flcc'<s ; — and, also, saw entsr the voting-room Mr. Alexander, another runholder and J. P., (and the oldest among us,) and knew, too, that lie had loft a sickroom to be present ; and further, that these had all come to vote for the PUBLIC good — I thought on Nelson's last Battle signal, and thankfully felt, that Ahuriri yet had men who both valued their country and knew how and when to do their duty. —

And when I yet saw the Napier Schoolmaster enter and give Irs vote for Dr. Featherston ; and considered, how he (the said Schoolmaster) hrd expressed himself relative to the Education Biil, and also concerning Dr. Featherston' s answers to his repeated applications respecting the Napier School, (endeavouring to view it as I believed he himself had viewed it,) I could not help exclaiming mentally, "Quid est homo .'" —

And when I, once more, looked round, and saw a vacancy — that one was not there, whom (if well and able) I could not-fcut think ought to have been there, viz,, the Chairrnah of the Ahrriri Settlers' Association — I -coxfid not help thinking many tb'ngs. —

And here, Mr. Editor, I must end ; not but that I had oilier thoughts. No doubt, in my thus plainly revealing what passed through my mmd, I shall vex some folks a little : I do not, however, wish to do so ; I woul 1 very much rather they would by-and-bye quietly review their c >nduct aElectors, and its probable consequences. Be this as it may : you know what I once publicly stated — "that I had ever opposed, and would ever oppose, all sham and cant and humbug" ; — and I venture to think, that, while I am pretty wellfcnown both faithfuly and fearlessly to sneak my m ; i)d, I am also known, not to ssy aught in malice. I am, Sir, Yours very s : ncerely, Wat. Colenso. "Waitangi, Juno 29, 1858.

To Hie Editor of the Hawke's Bay Herald.

Sir, — Through the medium of your " open column " I beg leave to ask the colonists of New Zealand what is to be done for the good of this finj land — our adopted country ?

First, as regards the military, where ought they to be located ? There are no military required in tho Middle or Stewart's Island, because these have been acquired by purchase from the few chiefs remaining. And, as there is plenty of employment fo" all the population — which is the grand preventative of crime — there is no fear of any riots as in the Mother Country, where many healthy, well inclined, people cannot earn bread either for themselves or their children, and the law of nature says they must not starve. Neither is a great m.litary force required in towns like Wellington, wh^re there is a dense European population, willing and able to protect themselves against any native aggression. Where they are required is somewhere in the centra of this Norths r.i Island, on its sea-bord — and a military road cut across tbe country from. Ahuriri to New Plymouth, by means of which they could be moved with facility when required. Besides, this would open out a vast extent of available country, hitherto unoccupied, or nearly so : and branch lines would be made north and south as population — which it must do — flows upon these shores.

Politics. "What is all this turmoil about ? A f a constitution granted us nearly five years ago, with its six p.fy despots to rule over us, for, as Mr. Jonas Woodward told us here, the superinteadents have sovereign power ! What is all these five years' law-making for ; as all that can be done is to go back to the laws of our moth r country. I say, give us British law in its entirety ; no sham legislation. Let the Imperial Parliament take thii ca3e in liand, — let them place the map of these fine islands before them, and with a common ruler, rule the map down from north to south, also across fi-cm east to wjst. In fact, divide New Zealand into counties ; and as we are at the Antipodes, call the South Cape John O'Groat's, and the North Cape the Land's End. And so on, naming the counties, as we have the acreage to do it, after the names of the counties of our Mother Country — a course which will fanvliaiise and keen up that loyalty that ought to reign in. every Briton's heart.

I am afraid I have trespassed too far on your space, and will therefore reserve further remarks for a subsequent communication.

I am, Yours tmly, Oli) Colonist.