Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 308, 7 November 1864, Page 7

IT fox oue question there appears to be a unanimity of feeling iu tlie minds of Southern men, a nd that is that the Colon}"" shall not bear the cxpeiiEu of a military force stationed here by

Great Britain, unless that force shall he under the control and disposal of the Colonial Minister of War. This determination is a just and right one, and yet it is one to which the British Government is not likely to accede. The same jealousy which is now the mainspring of the imperious despatches from Powning-strcet—the right of Britain to take the entire conduct in o\ cry thing relating to a war in which her forces are engaged——will, doubtless, dictate the same course of action in the future. There is little doubt but that the Assembly will refuse to pay £40,000 a-ycar for each regiment left in New Zealand after the 31st of next, month. It is equally certain that it will refuse to vote £'50,000 a-year for Native purposes in consideration of one regiment being permanently stationed here. Britain will have one of two courses left to her, either to withdraw her troops, or to station as many here, at her oiru eoxf. as will l)e suflicient to enable her to overawe the Colonisfs. and to carry on a Government opposed to the principles ot the New Zealand Constitution, and the feelings of the people. Y\ e do not think that the Imperial Government will adopt the latter of these courses. The British people have too much love ot freedom to allow a portion of their army to he kept in New Zealand for the sole purpose of upholding despotism, and coercing the Colonists. AVhen the; Colonists at the Cape resolutely refused to allow British vessels-—having on board Government convicts destined to be landed in that Colony—to have communication with the slior6. public opinion in England stepped in and forbade the landing of them by force, which Britain undoubtedly could have done, despite the Capo Colonists, had thev been ten tim?s as numerous as the y More. It will lie ilie sjjiuo "\vitli tlie Colony ot New Zealand. Public opinion at home w ill not allow a portion of the people to be kept living in a state of Maori terrorism to gratify the theoretical experiments of a few mad visionaries, nor permit the feelings and wishes of the colonists to be overridden and coerced by a display of Imperial bayonets. In arriving at the conclusion, which Southern members already seem to have done, that the Colony shall not be burdened with the cost of Imperial troops, if canuot be urged against Now Zealand that she has not endeavoured honestly to fulfil all and even more than her duty to the mother-country in the matter. As long as the Colony believed that the force within it was intended to be used with advantage, and for the purpose of putting down the lawlessness and anarchy from which it had so long been suffering, the Assembly showed the utmost willingness to share with the .Imperial Government a fair proportion not only of expense, but of the actual service of men necessary. From the first we have kept four regiments ot volunteer militia in the field. We have built or purchased a perfect fleet of river boats by the services of which alone the General has been able to advance into the enemy's country. Our volunteer citizens and militia have done garrison duty in the town, have occupied the outposts on the Thames, at W airoa. at Prury. Papakura. and elsewhere, month after month, enduring personal hardships and privations, and suffering great pecuniary loss in their neglected businesses and homes, during their absence. The cost of all this has been defrayed partly from the Commissariat chest—partly from tlie funds of the Colonial Government. Now that ire find all this sacrifice has been thrown away, that all this labour and toil and privation.and cost has been uselessly expended, we could wish that the whole charge for it had, front time to time, been drawn xohlj/ from the Commissariat chest. As it is, we suppose the colony must put up with the loss of what has heen drawn for these purposes from its own funds. It has still a remedy with regard to the other portion, and that remedy is unmistakeably and resolutely to refuse to pay one fraction of it. The Imperial Government might well wish to cozen us into accepting this guarantee tor a loan of £"1,000,000. as out of this million they M ould deduct their little bill. The Assembly, however, will not place itself' in the power of the Imperial Government. It will refuse to fall into the trap baited with the " guarantee." and will stcadilj' refuse to refund money which has been advanced professedly to enable it to assist, the Imperial troops in dcj'talin;/ the rebels, and bringing them into subjection, but as we now find. merely for the purpose of establishing a hollow truce, a socalled peace. When the colony consented to take its share of the cost and labour of the war, and accepted from Imperial sources the advance of funds to be expended in the war, it did so believing that the war would be carried out in its integrity. This has not been the ease. The British Government has misled the colony, has induced it to accept a liability on false representations, and we are perfectly justified when we discover tlie nature of the transaction, in absolving ourselvesfromany obligations inwhich it would involve us.

If the colony look to Britain for a final settlement of the native rebellion it will, we fear, meet with disappointment. Peace will doubtless be proclaimed in due, or rather undue course : but it will be 110 peace. It will be an armed truce, the calm before the storm. 111 the present struggle both Maoris anil .Europeans have only been play ing at war. A few of the tribes committed themselves, but when the remainder saw the force brought into the colony, they held backfbra morefittingopportunity. It is no use for the most ardentsympatliiserwiththe Maori topretend that the greater part of those tribes who did not take up arms against us* were loyal. AN hat has been the conduct of the East Coast Natives 'i What, indeed of almost every tribe South of Auckland If they have not openly thrown themselves into the rebellion, are they not more than suspected, of having covertly aided and assisted the rebels ? [s it not well known that any series of severe reverses would have caused the rebellion to have become general, aye, even in the Is'orth ? In the present crafty course of action of the Natives, we see the same double dealing. Thompson's son comes iu and surrenders—that, he supposes will save the family estate —- Thompson himself remains the same arch rebel as when he wrote letters declaring it to be his intention to spare none, not even the unarmed —the women and children. This • desire to slaughter the Europeans is not confined to Thompson and Iviwi and their tribes. Jt animates the minds of by far the larger portion of the race. The Maori is essentially and instinctively bloodthirsty. He can, as in the ease ofiluarangi, partake of the hospitality of his intended victims, sit conversing l'riendily with them for the greater part of the day, and then, when the fitting opportunity occurs, as lluarangi did, ruthlessly slaughter his kind benefactors.

The Maori race arc now sitting quietly by. as was ]{uarangi in the house of the settler Thompson, with murder iu their hearts. ' Taihoa,' they mutter, 'wait till Llie soldiers are withdrawn,' and then comes the deep-toned gutteraL exclamation —the sudden blazing of the otherwise cold lack-lustre eye —a vision of blood is before them. The natural instinct is aroused. This is what tlie escaped Maori prisoners—the chivalry of AVaikato—(Heaven save the mark!) —mutter to tlie settlers at Matakana : this is what many a Maori says in' every district in this Northern Island " ' lailioa, wait till the soldiers are withdrawn."

It then becomes the Assembly to determine— if they resolve to let the troops go—what steps shall be taken to preserve the peace and safety of the Colony. England has thrown us off. She does not in as many words tell us that the safety of our lives and property is no concern of hers, and one to preserve which she will not interfere —but she oilers us the presence, not even the use of the troops, on terms which would render the Colony bankrupt to accept them. Tt is eviJent then that we can neither look for the assistance of Uritisk troops, nor is it likely that •

wc shall even obtain their presence, for the people at home will never allow the Constitution to he suspended in order that the political and social rights of the colonists may be outraged, and a standing army to coerce them may he kept U]) by the Mother Country in tlie Colony at the Colonial expense. It will be necessary then that the Assembly shall devise some means for securing the inhabitants of the Northern Island from Maori aggression in the future. In the consideration of the point are involved lnanv inior-tanf political questions, to which we shall return on an earlv occasion.—November 2.