THE NATIVE QUESTION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 42, 4 September 1880, Page 4

THE NATIVE QUESTION.

TO THE EDITOR 07 TEE STAB.

Sib, — The mysterious conduct of Te Whiti is very puzzling to many of the Europeans, and also to a few of the natives, who have not as yet become sufficiently fanatic to place themselves under, his control. Some consider, from his conduct in opposing tto B\iT.rei\<ief of the confiscated land, and at the same time throwing bis able-bodied men into the hands of the Government, that he must be himself a fanatic. No one personally ac•quainted with Te Whiti can regard vim as such. In olden days chiefs •could dictate to their people, without fear of opposition ; but since our colonisation, the natives have become republican, and chiefs can only gain and retain power by ascertaining and adopting the popular views of their people, and leading them as they wish to be led. Te Whiti, though not by descent the highest chief on this portion of the West Coast, has gained ascendancy over all the older and higher chiefs, by espousing years ago the popular Maori views against confiscation, land selling, road making, &c. Quiet and unassuming in manner, he is at the same time a fluent orator, shrewd reasoner, and ready debater. These qualities, added to the popular views he endorsed, gave him the ascendancy, and. drew to Parihaka, not only the local West Coast natives, but also the discontented from Waikato, Wanganui, and other places. So far, Te Whiti gained his object, and became the undisputed head of the West Coast ; but in doing so he got together a difficult element to control — the young and impetuous of various tribes. This would have mattered little, aud Te Whiti would have obtained his end without war, had the present Government continued the weak and yielding policy of past years. Though opposing the Government, he has no desire to carry that opposition to the extreme of war — not from any regard to our race, but because he is a patriotic lover of his own people, and is well aware, from past experience, that another war will entirely crush out his race in the long run.' *He has told his people, for years past, that he could hold the land for them with no other weapon than his tongue. And for many years his tongue has proved sufficient to hold all between the Waingongoro and Stoney rivers. But that has passed, and a strong force has been sent to, and are now at the very gates of, Parihaka, performing with the strong hand those works Te Whiti has so long opposed. There are the two alternatives — accepting the liberal reserves and peace, or going to war to protect the iand. There is no doubt that Te Whiti has, in his own mind, chosen the reserves and peace, knowing that war will end in the destruction of his people. The determined action of the Government has driven him into a corner. He promised the Maoris to protect all their lands with his tongue alone, and he dare not, under the circumstances, publicly, before his people, accept less than the whole. It is quite evident the rash youths and more turbulent of the race cannot much longer be restrained from forcibly opposing the present works. Te Whiti is cornerec, and to bring matters to a peaceable conclusion, there is but one course left, and that is, to throw the impetuous and fighting portion of the race into the hands of the Government; and in doing so Te Whiti is, no doubt, actuated by a desire to save his people from rashly throwing themselves into a war that can only end in their extermination.

It is to be hoped that, under these favorable circumstances, the Government will lose no time in opening up and occupying the back forest with a self -protective class of settlers, demonstrating to the prisoners, on their return, the hopelessness of attempting to regain what they have lost, and also to guard against the possibility of the services of the present force being required in other parts of the Island. — I am, <fee,

An Old Coaster.