Mataura Ensign GORE, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2nd, 1883. TAWHIAO AND THE QUEEN.

Mataura Ensign, Volume 6, Issue 303, 2 November 1883, Page 2

Mataura Ensign GORE, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2nd, 1883. TAWHIAO AND THE QUEEN.

A few designing Maoris, or still more designing Europeans, are endeavoring to egg the Imperial authorities on to interfere with the native policy of the New Zealand Government. But it is probable that divided counsels and conflicting ambitions may defeat their purpose. Wednesday's papers contained the following cable massages from London : — The Maiori members of the New Zealand Parliament have written to the Aborginea Protection ' Society, statiag that the Maoris require that the powers at present exercised by the Native Lands Courts should be conferred upon elective Native boards which should also be empowered to legislate for the Maoris. They also state, that the New Zealand Government are refusing to permit TAWHIAO'S prepoßed visit to the Queen. The Aborigines Protection Society have forwarded the letter to the Secretary ot State for the Colonies. Lord Derby has referred the matter to his Excellency Sir William Jbrvois. Later. The proposal of TawhiAo, the Maori King, to pay a visit to England has been brought under the notice of the Secretary of State for the Colonies. Lord Dwrbt has, it is announced, addressed a despatch to Sir William Jbevois requesting information regarding the Maori King, and asking his opinion or the subject of Tawhiao's proposed visit. It would appear from the former of these two messages that the Home Kule craze has extended to the noble savages ■ The proposal for a Maori Parliament and constitution may in abstract; political philosophy be reason~sjble enough, but tn .practicalpo!itics runs from Stewart's Island 'to JSwcji [ Oape, and there is no longer one Jaw for the white roan and another— or none—rfor the Maori. Of late, murderers have, been hanged, and thieves and rioters though belonging to the privileged native race, hare been imprisoned with a regularity and prompititude that is edifying to all. concerned. The colonists who have won this triuaaph will want to know the reason why before the reign of anarchy is restored The Aborigines Protection Society is no doubt a body of well meaning, unworldly and impractical noodles. It It is composed chiefly of women of both sexes wjjo, like Mrs Jellaby in Bleak House,. if have a mission." They have a great aversion, to street arabs, to British agricultural laborers, and even to Irish peasants, As a general principle they believe that the British out. of Britain are abandoned monsters 'of cruelty, and that colonists in particular har« none of the qualities of heart and conscience that entitle them to be trasted out of sight— -how could they in fact when the Society monopolises all those qualities 1 But if the Society despises »r neglects its poor and ignorant countrymen at home and ('mistrusts all its own coun-try-men abroad, it saves itself from the charge of misanthropy by reposing the most unlimited confidence in every featherlesa biped that wears a dark skin. We would recommend the Society to give its attention to domestia economy. Let it sew on its hen-pecked husband's buttons, cook his dinner, prevent ruinous waste io his house.aand wash the little Jellabts at least once a week. For these employments it will have the advantage of being qualified by nature, and it cannot be much more ignorant; of them than it is of Maori questions. Meantime the world might still wag, and New Zealand might work out its own destiny almost; as well as if th« numerous Jellaby brotherhood had gone buttonless and dinnerless to ruin arid the grave. The Colonial Government are ac m cused of the heinous sin of opposing the projected visit of his Majesty Tawhaio to Britain to see the Queen. "Whether his Majesty's intentions are matrimonial, whether he : wishes only to succeed John Brown,- whether he is wanted for exhibition to stimulate the " bray of Exeter Hall," or whether he simply wants to arrange for a more liberal and more powerful supply of grog is unknown to us. But we readily understand that the Government object to what would be a huge fraud and sham' palmed off on the ever gullible British public. Our Government, in fait, constitute themselves a society J for the protection of the aborigines of I England. * The name * Maori King ' would be fcemllj'JuHsleading. Tawhiao by any. other name *fC2.W .certainly smell as sweet — which is very xal^t praise, but he wouldn't " draw " us well or be listened to with the same attention, He would have transferee j to him some of th.c. divinity that, in older countries, ' doth still " hedge a king." He would be scarcely 1-ps admired and more pitied than Cetewayo. Jlewpuldbe taken #s representiug a

race instead o£ a tribe. He would be regarded sis a noble and heroic patriot instead of a depraved and not *oo intelligent got. He would pose as one whom white men have robbed of dignity and wealth instead of one who but for them would have been a petty chief grubbing for his own roots and eating meat only when he succeeded in murdering a fol ower of another chief. In short, Tawiiiao ia far from being the chief M>ori in New Zealand. He is the puppet of others, especially of Rewi, and is besides an inferior specimen, in manners and morals at least, of his nation. The Government, then, naturally object to be annoyed by the popular Btorm that the accusations of auch a fellow would raise among softhearted, softer-headed, )eather-lunged aborigines of England, and very properly, it seems to us, sets its face against what in any case would be a great fraud on the public. The colony has to congratulate itself on tht possession of a Governor endowed with common sense, who will no doubt report to Lord Derby with an approximation to truth and fairness. "We fancy that the present Secretary for the Colonies feels that he has irons enough in the fire without having any quarrel with New Zealand. If he gets through the annexation ei*a, now setting in, wiihout becoming one of the Lot's wives of history he will do well. He is, no doubt, of our opinion, and will not seek other dangers for the barque that is to bear his name and fame to posterity. As we have already stated, the attempt of Maoris, or of others using them as catspaws, to stir up trouble, will probably be defeated by conflicting ambitions. The "Wednesday papers, which contained the messages cited above, 'also contain the following Auckland telegram : — Sydney Tawhanga left for Russell to be present at the Native meeting where he will again gire an accouut of his mission to the King Country. According to his statements he has been eminently successful in bringing the King Natives round to his views. At the Northern Native meeting four delegates will be appointed to collect subscriptions for the Maori embassy to England, and also to procure signatures to a Native petition to be taken Home for presentation to the Imperial authorities. It is not Sydney's intention to go Home till after the next general election) when he hopes to blossom forth as a Maori M.H.B. This Stfdet is another fraud. He has already posed at Home as a prominunt chicf — to which distinction he has no claim at all. His chief inheritance is cheek, and his chief followers bluebottle flies. He could easily " blow " out the torch of anyAus ralian,and cite fact for fact with an American bagman But his greatest accomplishment is street preaching. He is a walking proof of the manner in which his race is trodden dowi and of the meek simplicity with w^qh it submits. Sydney made quite a s.pis&h at home, and of course wants i;o go again. Two rival What constitutes a larrikin ? The question has of ten been asked, and has not yet met with a concise definition. They exist in all «ountries and are of all shades of truculence, from the Glasgow " keely " to the San Francisco •'hoodlum." But whatever* their designation, their characteristics are, in the main, similar. They seem to have a rooted antipathy to constituted authority. They find pleasure in pursuits that are revolting to every pro-perly-constituted mind; Their intelligence is of the most miserably inferior order. They have the characteristics of the meaner kinds of predatory animals, in that they hunt in packs, and when caught alone whine for mercy. In fine, their whole conduct and appearance shows them to be animals of another description to ordinary human beings. Nor, we are ashamed to say, is the class composed, only of young men and lads. We often see larrikins advanced in years — fathers of families— and such families ! This creation of the nineteenth century may well make philosophy stand aghast. It .is totally unaccountable. By what process of reasoning does it become possible for a full-grown being to find enjoyment in the throwing of stones at a building when a public entertainment is going on? Whatever in the world is there laughable in lowering a sheep's head through the ceiling of a h^U, where a number pt people are spending aa eypnjng I Tet, we blush to say it, these things were done recently in G-ore and Wyndham at late entertainments. It is a deliberate truth that men, facers of families, were guilty of these puerile and mischievous tricks. We are at a loss to suggest a remedy. Here are these lads growing up without the fear of Gfofi or man? in then* minds, the example, of their parents constantly before them, encouraged to blossom forth in the near future as hardened criminals. The cat is talked about as a remedial agent but tfys persons most deserving of it are those parents wfyo by wanton neglect or wilful perversion make their children enter ths "larrikin ranks, The problem is one which will compel the attention of social economists ere long. Meanwhile the subject is worthy of the attention of every right thinking person. The evil may be assuaged ju the meantime if such would bend their attention, to the task, and rigidly and fearlessly condemn every disposition to larrikinism. Thank Heaven the larrikin is still in the minority. If he should be allowed to assume the upper hand, pjfcy this unhappy country. Let every person wjjo has a love for order an<T ..decorum rigidly discountenance . r all such tendencies, and such scenes as have been, witnessed within the last fewevenings at ooro and Wyndham will soon be,_if not impossible, at least things of rare CC fi urrenc©. ; . ,