The New Zealand Herald AUCKLAND, MONDAY, NOV. 21, 1864.

New Zealand Herald, Volume II, Issue 320, 21 November 1864, Page 4

The New Zealand Herald

AUCKLAND, MONDAY, NOV. 21, 1864.

SPKOTKM UK AG KMX >. " Olvo evory man thine far, but lew thy voice: T»ke each man's censure. >n»t reserve thy judgment. This ahove all,—To thine ownse'f he true; And it must follow, as tho ni-zht the day. Thou canst not then he talse to any man."

Wii were gratified to perceive liy our Inst files (Vein tin- South. received I>y (In- s..s. ' AVflHiiLTton,' that, certain Southern representatives had (lie good sense to dee!(tie (lie invitation nl'.i seetion of 1 hoir constituents to pledge themselves in any way to a particular line of conduct in tlie forthcoming session of (he Assembly. Some of our JSorlhcrn contemporaries have made themselves unnecessarily uneasy on the subject of what they call the present linn- of the Southern press. li'our estimate of the character of the public mini of the South were to be formed entirely on the basis of w hat we rend in the columns of a lew of the Southern journals, particularly fi portion of those of Canterbury, aud Wellington, we would inevitably be led to e< nchide that narrow-mindedness. ignorance, and ] n jiidicc so far monopolized whatever capacity these gt nth 71101 jossessid, as to leave very Uw traits besides in their composition ri quiring eilher envmeration or dr.'eription. I'ut we are in little danger of doing t]n< Soutlu rn rej risi nlatives as a body any such injustice. Ihe instance to which we have allude d. and which refers in particular to the "Wellington m< mbers. is a ease in point which serves to | illustiate tin* difleri nee existing between the open-mouthed, senseless declamation indulged in of late by a portion of the Southern press on the subject of parly in the eijlony, and the pinj dent and temperate demeanour of irenthnirn w ho, w lien called on to act in their public capacity. very phtinly manifest by their conduct that they have .-fine tub (junto conception of their responsibility as represent at i ves. not of a faction Lut ol the ]>( epic of their district at larire. Not that we are disposed to judge'harshly, oven of the more rabid rmopg the Southein i< ■ 111 r alls! s. who now ai.d for sfnie time past have be ( n ] uri-uirga couise of in coherent, elamou' against A hcMmr! j-i d 1 a 11 vtliir u (hat pertaimto this 1 roviiice. e can readily eiuuL'b sympathise w ilh our brethren of the broad sheet in jilae( s like A\ clliiiLton and Canteilurv. considering (he tin iioloik lis calm in which so laiL'c a portion oi their lives would otherwise be passed, did they not occasionally belabour themselv< s in this w ay into something like revived animation, by tlie di.-j lay ot a little polit iea] 1; nip lit-errant valour. I'istance. it is said, h nds 1 nclianlnient to the view ; imd doubtless it is very pleasant hot lines (0 uraL'ine oneself the hero ofasueeosslul ioiay : to have just routed, for instance, an n 1 my of giants, when, 111 fact. we liave been lut skcering our blades against seme unofH ndint' windmill, under influence of the nightmare. If relentless fate which has placid so prominent 11 i(move l.ctwet 11 ( ursolves and some of our southern friends, bad only permitted them a nearer approach so that they miiiht have Known us a little better, wo are persuaded that much oi the noisy ai'doui' which distinguishes fliem as assailants would lonp ago have cvapolatcd by a less ollensivo j'roecss. and ihev would ere this have learned to comport themselves in a more moderate and becoming, if in a less demonstrative maimer. lhat demonstral jveness has over been the forte of a large section of the Southern Press, and Auckland, with her capacious shoulders, has always furnished a tempting target at loni: range to these enthusiasts. This ' pleases our pugnacious neighbours, and as hut little notice usually is taken even ol their most impetuous assaults, tliey have all the credit (or what is stiil better, the comfort) of invariably coming oil w it J]in w hole s Ji in. Jt is not in our heart to grudge our Wellington and Canterbury brethren so much innocent pleasure, tiny must not. howe\ci, be spiteful in their resentment- if we object to accept this interesting bv-plav of theirs as a serious performance, or if wo refuse absolutely to associate the intelligence and good sense of tlieir public men generally with such displays oi tomfoolery. Much of what has been written of late at the k.°iith on the subject of the war, (ho conduct ol the Ministry, and the existing relations between the Governor and the country, is cutirclv beneath comment, aud never was "intended, we arc sure, to serve any other purpose than lo annoy where it could not injure. The wild insinuation's and illogical and contradictory assertions in which some of these writers indulge, no doubl are designed to promote a local purpose in the j more secluded corners offlie colony where flies,tilings are concocted, but certainly it says little for the intelligence of the readers of sn'eh productions, or lor the amount of information possessed by them as colonists, if we are to assume that any large number of them are so ignoranf ot he po btical history of their adopted country as to bo deceived by such means. We are on the whole inclined to believe that this is not flu case. Southern colonists .arc not so ignorant as their own writers assume them to be Hut however the matter may stand in that respect Willi regard to the population generally, we a.v satisfied that the educated intelligence of the country—the representative men of the South as well as of the JS'orth have no syni|iathy whatever with this rampant folly. We have confidence them that they have Ihe obvious interests of the country too much at h.cart to lend themselves, at a time like this, to so purely a suicidal course. They have too just an opinion I ot themselves as patriots, and too deep a convic- j tion ot the evil of divided councils at the present juncture, to prostitute either their personal or collective influence to the cause of propogatin" |iroviricial jealousies, and stirring uj> rankorous feelings between colonists and fellow-country-men. J Southern members we believe will come to Auc.dand generally disposed to give their dispassionate and serious attention' to the actual msiijcss of the country. There will be enough 'O challenge their pointed talent, ami to call . orth ail tiioir deliberate wisdom if the occasion j i

of their coming together is to "be productive of any practical result. That tliey will acquit themselves like men deserving tho honorable |)osition they hold us representatives of one ol the foremost depciidenciea of Great Britain in the Southern hemisphere, is no more than wo have a right to expect, and in order to (his in the' present contest between this Colony and the man who now threatens its liberties, they are tree, we believe, to forget for a lime local animosities, and with hearty good will when tho moment of action comes, to vindicate our tlirealened constitution, to give a strong pull, a long pull, and a pull altogether. Fou u period of some seventeen months the peace and prosperity of this Colony have been interrupted and held in partial suspense through the intermittent prosecution of a Native war forced upon the country generally through the failure oi Governor Grey's pi ace administration, but definitely through the massacre of the soldiers at Oak lira in .May ISC,2—which latter is to lie taken as the Maori mode of signifying their recognition of (he before-mentioned event. AVc have still a very distinct recollection of the horror with which (he Colonists both north and sou 111 regarded I he apparent necessity that then existed for entering upon this struggle even with the jirosjiecl, at ihe lime of anticipated cordial co-operation anil sympathy on the part ol thi; promoters and originators of Ihe war —Sir George Grey and the .British Governmentaetint; under his advice ; with what. ill-concealed reluctunee the General Assembly at lirst applied itself, to the stern duties ol its position, and how carefully and temperately the united representative wisdom of the Colony, after Ihe niatiirest deliberation adopt cil its iina I decision anil commit ted the measures agreed upon for the permanent settlement of the country, to the hands of the executive power. 'Ihe one solitary source ol consolation to the Colony at- that time we remember with equal clearness, lav in the rt lbetion that this was to be Ihe last Vlaori war. Such guarantees, it was said, would be taken as should, at least, place this line country, thin fast rising, peacefully into w calth and population, beyond the ] robabiiity ol renewed periodical erupt ions ol lawlessness and outrages on Ihe part ot the M alive people. .// wax to he tin■ last Mauri irar. Tel us beg ol our readers not to hnrrv over these words. We know that, the countrv is sick 01 the war. and everything in connection with it. \\ e know that the Colonists everywhere and ol every class are wearied out and disgusted with the incessantwriting and talking to which the war gives rise, and that business men and sctt iers alike now-a-day s prefer ignoring the subject altogether when it can be done. lint, urifortuiriti ly it is of no avail to resort to this kind ol treatment. 1 lie question w ill conic up for disagainst ail t>ur resolutions to the contrary : it will press itself upon our notice in one shape or oilier. Private citizens mav grow tired ol the subject ol the war as a topic for political gossip meicU", but it will come io them in other li'i-ms. 1 hey will meet with it in the depreciaUon ot property and m the dullness of trade. 'J he merchant will ine< I il in the general decline ol his business, the shoj keeper in Ins diminished takings, the art man and lain urer in the lessening oi employment and tho falling off of dailv work. the laimer and fiei knuister will have to meet this question still more directly and at every point—in the griatcr insecurity of life entaili it, in t he additional ii.-ks Jo property involved, and in the isolation of their particulai iut> rests genet ally. w Inch t he pi ot ructrd r linttinti out. of the country In ni colonisation implies. 1 lie importance oi ihe subject c< mes heme to all classes and conditions ot the Colonists, and its oisjosal is a matter persona! to each separate individual in the community. It bilious every ii'i n tlureforeal (his erisi.to glve at U nt ion to w 1 at is j assing around him. Ihe stHiggle m vlnih the Colony is ruiTfiLTeo thriatin.s a d isast reus t el niinai ion. Hie result ot all others, which tw clve mi ntlis ago men ol'all parlies united to ] reclaim it idle or nnjcilineni io a\ j ri bend, is the very n suit which now lo n.s bioadcst and char'est in tlie distance, .vlter all t he as>c vei at ii. lis we have heard, ait er a:| the ; rotcstatn us we have made, alter ail Ihnl has been pledgid and ]romisid. spokt n and writl.n to | rove lheeoi,tiary.it \et does aj p< alto be the deliberate } urpnsc of somebi dv thai tins shall N i i'i' be the la.yt nv aland war! l or lour \ ears the hon.esti ads ol' the Tarawiki settlers, and lor nearly a year and a hall those ol the Colonists ol (his .Province have been wasted, their laims neglected and overrun, and their cattle hopelessly scattered : hundreds ol lives have bet ji sacrificed, and Ihe imperial and Colonial Governments conjointh saddled with the enoinious expenses of a eoslh war—and all this terminates in the mncniticeiit re.-ult of a Uw militaiv posts scat tori d over the A\ aikato ami within gunshot almost- of Niw l j iv mouth, to be sustaim d herealter m porpet uit \ at the expense ol the Colony-Such absolutely is the result to which the action of the Governor points, and with which he now asks the hallruined colonists to he saiislied. Let tlu ■re be no misnppn hension ot the facts. 'Jhey are as we slate them. This is the sum total to which the Colony is to look in return lor the injuries if has reccivi d and the sacrifices it has inside. The rebels are lo be reinstated in the country from whence they have been driven, excepting onl\ such spots as may le judgid desirable by the Governor (o occupy as military posts ; Ihev are practically lo retain their arms; neither pc'milt\ or punishment is pronounced against any one'; tlie haders ol the insurrect ion have no guarantee required of them tor their future good 'conduct : tlu- murderers are not to be given up. nor ativ steps laken (o bring them to justice; there is m stipulation in regard to the of the Government to make roads through .Native lerri-toi-y, nor 'u I act a single condition imposed in any view in the interests of peace and civilization. 'ihe sole end anil object aimed at apparently is the cessation of hostilities and the absolute anil complete resumption and re-eslah-lishmeut in Native all'airs of the xlatux quo ait/i lit! i I'll!. "We are not now going to speculate how fatall tliis may prove satislaclory to the Genera! Assembly, or otherwise, n lien it comes together. I'iiere may be found men in (he Colonial Parliament quite ready, for aught we know, to rejoice thai under any encumstanec-,- the war promises lo I e brought to a speedy close. There may be Southern men who will eongivtuia/e themselves ■.in the cessation of hostilities because the', imagine they see in this the cessaiion of expenditure in wiiich they are not immediately in iei'csled. Or then; may be some who will not greatly lament that Auckland is tlirealened with -tisaj poiiitmeiit in the matter of her anticipaleil immigration and extension of territory, 'there may exist, in Ihe Assembly a knot of dog-in-the-manger politicians, whose indignation at the reversal ol the general policy of the country, and the consequent; fnisiiieatiou of its only rational hope ol peace, would, in this view, be o( I lie mifdest character, and such insane ieahiii.-y having its origin solely in petty provincial rivalries., may yet operate to ihe extent ot destroyii.j united action on the main points at issue t)ei vi ecu the Governor and the Colonv Jitil should it unfortunately prove to be so— should it. really appear that 'there are parties in the Assembly thus capable of betraying the interests of the wnole country to gratify personal or local spleen, we warn theso parties' that, they i have mistaken the nature of the evil that ailiicts this country, and are entirely in error as to the l ' conditions necessary to the removal of that evil. I The cessation ot hostilities so ardently advocated by some people w ill not meet the "case. I he I I restoration of the "Waikato to the rebels, which 1 the Governor aims at. and the consequent conteinplat.'d injury to Auci-.lainl, by some parties i so eagerly anticipated, will not benefit the Smith, if permanent peace to the Colony at ( lurye is esteemed, by Southern peoplo a benefit, j t

Nothing is -more certain -than that such a winding up of the war as-must leave the Kali-res still all-powerful in the "VY aikato and dominjn-t throughout the North,both here and in Tarsnaki, is but the storing up of future trouble and expense to both the North and the South. There run he no j)caec i'ov the f'oevtry at larqe hut icith the H'oiAato hi our hovitx, and with the thare-ur/h hrcaL huj vp «v<lymiishment <if the Turanuli and jSt/atii vam/i tribes. There is no need that we should mincelhis mailer. As far as .Auckland is concerned, our possession of the "Waikato by civilian occupation is necessary to our existence and essential io the peace of the Colony. We tell our Southern friends this much plainly. Vv e need "Waikato and mean to retain it. "l f they expect the country lo be at peace —if they would avoid an incessant drain upon their purses, the consequence of a treacherous and altogether mischievous pacification—tliey must stand by its at this juncture, and make common cause with us against the secret and open enemies ol Ihe Colony. The war must be closed satisfactorily, the plain T.nglish of which is. the the colonists must have a material guarantee for the future good behaviour of the Native race. '1 hat guarantee, in this case, means the alienation, m part, at least, of the rebel territory. ■So much of it. and not less, as will suflice to indemnity the Colony for its heavy losses, as will recoup the loan, ami be sullicient to locate a strong frontier settlement on the "Waikato. "We want no purely military posts. "We want no military system. The Colony neither requires nor can afford to pay for Imperial military protection ax aji.ved iiixtitutinn. We protest at tlie very outset against this new imposition threatened upon the Colony. All that is necessary in this respect our own Militia system, under tho cllicient management of our numerous veteran settler-soldiers, and sailors, will amply supply. Our hold upon this country docs not depend upon the strength or number of our military stations, it depends upon the opening uj) of the country to legitimate colonization. Lpon the haunts of (he rebels being broken up. and the extensive districts which heretofore have served only to perpetuate their barbarism and .strengthen them in lawlessness, being made subservient for the future to their own enlightenment and civilization. The occupation of the "Waikato, in the first instance, by a semi-military defensive and progressively self-sustaining system of settlement, oilers the only practical solution to the question of our present relations with tho Native race, and when that consummation has been attained, or is in a fair way toward attainment, then, and not before, the Colony- will be entitled to i assume that the struggle in which it is now j '-ngaged will indeed prove to be the last New Zeaiand war.