The New zealand Herald. AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 1865.

New Zealand Herald, Volume II, Issue 495, 14 June 1865, Page 4

The New zealand Herald.

AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 1865.

BPECTBMirB AG-SN^O. " Give every m-in tUue er.r, but few thy TOlee: TaVo each mun's con»nro, but ressno t!iy iudgirinnt, Tblß aboTO nil,—To thiue owr.so'.nio true; And it must roll'ow, iis the nisM the d:iy. Thou canst not then tio riilse to my man."

It is with no of hostile critii-isiii that we essay, to C(s7itrovcrt the o])inioiia expressed in the leaclin;; artiole of a cotempornry on Monday last. The question is one of import lo Ilie people of this Provinee nnd one in which a false step taken luightbe productive of serious mishap. Taking it for granted, then, for the sake of tluiv the Auckland re])rcsenlalives will be found ■in their places ut the next- session of the Assembly, we quite agree with our cotenipoi'ary that ROTiicihing more s]iould be unclcrntoo(t by them as to their intended fifeneivil policy than that they arc simply to cngiiiie on behalf of Auckland in a " poneral lijjht: " There arc certain principles to be contended for—certain rights to be demanded ;—and we believe that it cannot be too clearly placed before our members by their constituents what those principles and rights are. Beyond Iliis, however, the general public. vii- any public body reproseritin>-; them. biwe no right io interfere with the judgment of nic-m----bers as to detail. T I'cir future course of action must necessarily be influenced by circunisfnui-cs varying from hour to hour when thellousc meets, and any detailed plan laid down now niicht be entirely beside the question Hint. Tic n cmlcis of ibis Province have never failed to show themselves thoroughly alive to the interests of Auckland, and" it' they do not include amongst them such brilliant speakers as 3'eafhersione, Fitzgerald, or-3 ox. they are distinguished as a 1-ctly for plain, common sense and 'or si (winp' a united ficnt to their op]-orenis when tl.e inteicsis of the Province are r.:?s;;iled.

Our eotemporary writes in ignorance of tbe doings of tbe 'Northern Association.'or it would not write so flippantly of a body whic-h has done, and will yet do. much good service in the cur cphkc for which it wuh established. It is no part of the duty of that body to propound advice for Auckland members with regard to Ihe policy to be pursued by them " with " respect to IS'alivp. malters " in the next sessioTi oi'tbc Assembly. The question of separation is the -only one before the iS'orthcm Association, and it would be ahs-urd to sny that tbe discussion of thin question br.s not been agitated and ventilated, in fact, exhausted, within and without tbe Council of ihe Korthern Asfocinlion. f< r scir.e months -past. Our ootemj orpiy. however, m<l we aTC sure, imulvorte dlv.l as cone a manifest injustice to th.e Northern Association in one of ihe statements which it has made, when it charges that body with having been guilty of tbe gross blunder of framing a petition to the Crown, in which, not the separation of Ihe two islands, but that of the province of Auckland..from the rest of tbe colony, was the prayer of the petitioners. That error, perhaps a fatal e % ne, ns our cotemporary justly rcmaiks, was committed beforo tbe Northern Association came into existence. It was the blunder of ihe Provincial Council and of tbe feverish and immature conceptions of an excitable individual at the Queen-street mooting, whose skull Indeed the due balance of power that should exist between tongue andbiain. "We cautioned the public, both before and after the meeting alluded to, of Ihe danger of this step —we cautioned" the piibliethnt ihe pen of this part , '. : n the editorial columns of the C'rosa, and limr bis voice at the public meeting and in 'the Council of the Associaiion were, injuring the cause. ofAiiflilanili by inducing her citizens to espouse a narrowminded and unslatcsmanlilic view of the question, and as Mr. "Weld's memorandum against separation must have since shown even him, one which has been eagerly seized upon by the enemies oi'Auckland, to argue upon the impracticability of Bucb a separation, and the selfishness and narrowmindedness which advocated such a polic-y. 'Ihe Council of the Northern Association, then; are not responsible for this blunder, and though it was hotly advocated in the Council of ih;it body by the party above alluded (o, the Council had the good sense and prudence, where unanimity could not be obtained upon the particular point, to leave the question an open one. "We .scarcely think the member for Parnell—founded, as all his political opinions are,- on- the impulse jf the moment, and tenaciously clung to in spito of tbe expostulations and reasoning of men better informed' and gifted with more mature judgment their himself—will now in his place in the Assembly again advocate ihe same crude ideas and endeavour to throw this apple of discord amongst what should bo n. firm and united phalanx of AuckLland members n.nd their supporters fronv ■ other constituencies. "Wo believe that the. advocacy of the question of separation for Auckland alone, as a first demand, will no! even now find support from tho few who once so warmly espoused it. It will be our last recourse, and one which this Province may very probably be driven to resort to—but not in tho Assembly. •■ ■ The proposal that our members should be invited to be present at a great public meeting of the electors to make known "the " policy they intend to pursue, and to receive " for it the formal sanction of the public," would, if carried out, be fraught, we believe, with ro little harm. It is not tho duty of the Auckland members to expose their hands to S'oui;hern men, but rather to take example from the political sagacity of their opponents, and meet in private conclave of titeir

Ton, Tα" 'bo varied in detail^--fron> time to lime, by ;a similarly arrived .at juutual agreement. aa circumstances .may ■ require. This, is what our Auckland members should do, and .wo think it j"st likely that they .possess quite enougl) intelligence;and calm judgment infjie main to lie able .to lay down as workable and suitable .a iine.of.policy for their future guidance as pither meeting or Noiihern Association is able to,do foi ; 'thoin. ' . ". ' ''■ , ... ... : ; '■•■ ■ • ■ ' . ■' — L-L. ' ■ ■■-';'