THE GOVERNMENT AND MR. M'LEAN'S RESOLUTIONS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 982, 29 September 1868, Page 3

THE GOVERNMENT AND MR. M'LEAN'S RESOLUTIONS.

On a former ocdasion we quoted from the organ of the Stafford Ministry, shewing that virulent abuse of Mr. M'Lean and misrepresentation of his course of conduct was the leading feature of the original matter in that journal. We have since, through the courtesy of the gentleman who received it, been put in possession of a still later number of the Advertiser — that of the 16th inst., nearly the whole contents of which are articles in which Mr. M'Lean and those with whom he is acting are held up to ridicule. Being, consequent on the detention of the Phoebe, somewhat short of matter, we reprint the articles in question, which will be found below. It is hardly necessary, we think, to caution our readers against giving implicit, if indeed any, credence to the statements therein contained, most of which are bolstered up in the most unscrupulous manner to serve the purposes of the Ministerial party. The following are the extracts referred to, all taken from the Advertiser of the 16 th inst. : — We should like if the Constitutional party would show either by their leader or through any other channel, say the honourable gentleman, Mr. Stevens, who appears to have assumed the position of general financial adviser to both the Opposition and the Government, what effect the proposals of Mr. Fox would have with respect to each province. There seems to be an amount of haziness and misunderstanding not easy to account for, except on the supposition that an intentional dust-throwing is being indulged in, in order to gain votes. Mr. Fox proposes three things, Ist, to reduce taxation next year ; 2nd, to give 30s. capitation grant to all provinces, subject only to deductions on account of interest and sinking fund on provincial loans, and other amounts which are at present charged provincially or otherwise met by the provinces ; 3rd, to appropriate as much as £100,000 per annum to the North Island for Maori purposes. We ask these gentlemen, who assume to be the leaders on. financial questions on the Opposition benches, to tell the country in what manner these proposals are to be reconciled with the existing scale of Customs duties? We are quite sure there can be no doubt that it will be impossible to carry out the first proposal, if the second and third are part in force, and made law by the Parliament of the Colony. We say that the money is not in the Treasury, and will not be either. The dilemma may be put as follows — Mr. Fox does not intend to pay over the 30s. capitation allowance, or he does not purpose to carry out his native scheme, he cannot do both without either an increase of taxation or borrowing more money. This alternative, doubtless, would be satisfactory to the Otago section of the Assembly, which will be, under the 30s. grant, very large gainers by the proposed insidious but clever thimble-rigging of the Constitutional financiers, as they would be able to have their little scheme of borrowing for immigration purposes slipped in with the larger operation of Mr. Fox. All the provinces will be more or less seriously affected by the shuffling operation. On paper, worked out fairly, some would largely gain, but we warn the representatives of such provinces that the expected result is only to be obtained by the borrowing of money, and that we believe the country will not submit to. As we have said before, the money is not there, and neither Mr. Yogel, Mr. Stevens, nor any one else can produce it. The whole thing is a sham and a snare, and we pity the Superintendents of bankrupt provinces who look to Messrs. Fox and Yogel as their saviours — they are like the poor bankrupts, who, when trouble overtakes them, fly to the usurious money-lender, who advertises "money to lend on personal security." We return to our request, why do not the leaders of the Opposition, instead of simply attacking the Government, show the superiority of Mr. Fox's scheme — the whole matter hinges on that. Mr. Fox chose his ground, and threw his policy on the floor of the House. We ask him to explain it, and make it clear to the public — Ist. That he can reduce taxation ; 2nd. That he can pay 30s. per head capitation grant to the Provinces ; and 3rd. That he can give £100,000 a year to Mr. D. McLean and the other three Northern Superintendents. We ask him how he is going to do it ? We challenge him to this. We also ask him how he will avoid an increase of taxation if he carry the two latter proposals out ? — — — — * We have from the first been of opinion that the assumption of the title of " Constitutionalists" by the ultra-Provincial party was, if we may be allowed the expression, a piece of impudence; and we are more than confirmed in our judgment as to the utter unsuitableness of such a title to Mr. Fox and his party by transactions of the last few days. It is, of course, now well known that the Government thought it necessary to strengthen our forces at Patea by a detachment of the Armed. Constabulary from Hawke's Bay ; the inhabitants of the town of Napier objected against this on the grounds that they would be left unprotected, and exposed to attack from hostile natives. The real fact, however, is that there is an amply sufficient force available in the Province to meet all possible contingencies of defence. Messrs. D. McLean and Ormond, being communicated with, at once, in the ardor of their recent conversion, took up the case as against the Ministry and formed part of a deputation to confer with them upon the subject. This move being, as must have been expected, unsuccessful, the Provincialists came into the field, endeavoring to excite indignation by the circulation of statements utterly inconsistent with truth. We should like to hear how many people were at the so-called great meeting at Napier, and how many of those present were storekeepers whom the Constabulary were valuable customers ! We are credibly informed that there is really no public excitement whatever upon the subject in the Province of Hawke's Bay, although the telegraph is used pretty freely in that behalf. But now comes the thoroughly " constitutional" behaviour of the leader of the party who have assumed that name. Foiled in their attempt to induce the Ministry to alter their determination to reinforce Colonel M'Donnell, they actually go direct to His Excellency the Governor, and almost demand that he shall act in direct opposition to his Executive Council. Well might he have pointed out to them that they must have strangely forgotten their relative positions, and have been ignorant of the very first principles of Representative Government. Well might he have sent them away " with a flea in their ear," as we believe he did, notwithstanding the flourish of trumpets of our contemporary. The farce of Messrs. M'Lean, Ormond, Fox, Williamson, Yogel, and Burns trying to make people believe that they "waited upon His Excellency as private colonists." That the movement was political is clearly prbyed by the hostile resolution as to the conduct of native affairs tabled yesterday by Mr. McLean, We admire fair fight-

ing in polities, and respect an honorable foe ; but we do most strongly deprecate a course which tends to give our calamities in the field political significance, to turn public feeling, excited at a terrible loss, against the unhappy Ministry -who hare striven eveiy nerve to avert and avenge it, and to endeavor to cripple the hands of this and all future Governments in this Colony, by interfering with the energetic action taken to settle once and for all the Patea difficulty in a manner which we cannot stigmatise but grossly unconstitutional. Some excitement has been got up here in Wellington about the removal from Napier of some fifty men of the Armed Constabulary under Major Fraser. Thi3 excitement, however, did not rise to the height of being terrible, notwithstanding that the leader of the Opposition in Parliament lent his help to his Napier allies, and was snuffed out altogether by his Excellency the Governor, as we are informed, when he suggested to the deputation that the removal of fifty policemen from the south to the north in Ireland might not be exactly the sort of subject upon which a deputation from her faithful Commons House would think it right to demand an audience of the Queen. We can quite understand the objection which people in Hawke's Bay might make to the diminution of the force within its borders at this moment ; it is natural that Hawke's Bay should desire to be and to feel as strong and as secure as possible ; but the duty of those who are responsible for the safety of the whole may sometimes oblige them to balance the possible dangers with the general advantages of particular lines of conduct, and that is what the Government appear to have done in this case. There is not, as there is the best reason to believe, the least danger of any immediate attack upon Napier, and men who know the natives as well as Mr. M'Lean, and who have no political party object to serve, confirm this opinion. At Patea, on the other hand, the men serving there have lately sustained a severe disaster ; we know how such levies are affected by such a calamity, and we know that men who exposed their lives in our service are not encouraged in the practice of endurance or in cherishing their sentiment of patriotism by having read to them on their return from such a fight as that at Ngutu o te Manu, one of Mr. Fox's diatribes in the House, in which their officers are described as blackguards, and the men themselves as the sweepings of the streets. Now this, we learn, is the state of affairs at Patea — the men are in a sad demoralized state by their recent disaster, and those who are not disheartened by the want of sympathy shown are furious at the abuse which has been heaped upon them in the Assembly. Under these circumstances it was thought that the presence of a few fresh and disciplined men, under an officer whose name is so well and honorably known as Captain Fraser's, might have the effect of restoring confidence and infusing new vigour into the whole ; and in. effect this has exactly happened, and it has been found that the removal of the force from Napier to Patea was the thing that most needed to be done, and has had the best result. It is a warning of the consequences of the new policy which Mr. Fox proposes to introduce into the management of native affairs, that in this small matter the imaginary interests of a few men was urged so fiercely as against the interest and honor of the whole. Ten years ago Mr. Fox was battering down the old Native Department with a storm of fierce invective, in order to get rid of Mr. McLean and his system. It is very curious to behold him now fighting with such determination to make him autocrat of this island, and supreme ruler in native affairs. The " Constitutionalists " are not going to be beaten very easily. Already anticipating a repulse in regard to Mr. Fox's no confidence motion, that party have determined to turn Mr. Donald M'Lean's recent adhesion to the best possible account, by availing themselves of that gentleman's well-deserved reputation in native affairs as a weapon of attack on his quondam friends. Up to a few days ago Mr. M'Lean was a trusted supporter of the Government, and had more influence with them in regard to native matters than any other man in the Colony. However, the fact that the claims of Hawke's Bay were not recognised in as liberal a manner as the Superintendent desired in the financial" adjustment scheme, has been sufficient to entirely change Mr. M'Lean's views of things in general, and native matters in particular ; so now he is going to move that the House views with alarm the position in which the Colony is placed by the conduct of the Government in native and defence affairs. Probably the principal count in Mr. M'Lean's indictment will be the withdrawal from Napier of Major Fraser's Constabulary, and their removal to the seat of war. The opposition are very "cock-a- whoop" as to the result of Mr. M'Lean's resolution, which really amounts to a want of confidence on the native policy of the Government. It is openly stated'by certain honorable members, that they expect to gain over upon the question six of the Ministerial party. There is a vulgar game of cards called " poker," success in which mainly depends upon " bluffing " your adversary. This seems to be the principle attempted to be carried out by and in behalf of Mr. Fox and his friends. Timid voters are supposed to be secured by the idea of being on the winning side. Native affairs certainly afford a very large scope for variety of opinion, but, we believe, there is but one opinion in the colony as to the utter mess which the member for Rangitikei made in their conduct when last in office. And the House, although it may not entirely approve of the whole action of the Government with regard to the war, is not at all likely on that account to hand over the affairs of the colony to be played ducks and drakes with by Messrs. Fox, Yogel, &c. We do not think that the terms on which Messrs. McLean and Ormondhave been bought are wholly connected with the financial proposals of Mr. Fox. Should we be right in stating that Mr. Fox has agreed, in a kind of secret treaty, that the much coveted lauds in Poverty Bay — the Naboth's vineyard of Auckland — shall be conveyed to the Province of Hawke's Bay, as a consideration for the most unconscionable instance of "ratting" ever known in the Colony. The attempt to create excitement in connection with the removal of a handful of men from Napier has proved a miserable failm-e. The Government have, we learn upon good authority, received from persons at Napier, competent to form an opinion, assurances that there is no danger for that place, nor any excitement whatever as to the removal of the Armed Constabulary, except, probably, on the part of any creditors which any member of the force might have. To say the least, this continual fault-finding, without a shadow of cause, with the Government, ia most injudicious,