New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK’S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, February 1, 1851.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 574, 1 February 1851, Page 2

New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK’S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, February 1, 1851.

The spontaneous expression of public opinion, elicited by the proceedings at last Wednesday’s meeting, has inflicted a heavy blow and great discouragement on the Faction. Presuming on the indifference of the public to their pretensions, “ the persons styling themselves a Constitutional Association” calculated on an easy victory, they supposed they had only to go through the form of a public meeting and all would succeed according to their wishes, but the unexpected reverse they have experienced has altogetherdisconcerted their plans. The good sense and intelligence of the people of Wellington has unequivocally demonstrated how false, how unfounded is the assumption of these persons that they are the recognized exponents of public opinion, that they have any real weight or influence in the settlement. The principal feature in the proceedings of the meeting was the attempt made by the Faction to obtain the sanction of the meeting to the Report which they had prepared, and which they have designated as “ the Form of Constitution which it is desirable to suggest to the Home Government for adoption, in New Zealand.” This was ably and temperately opposed by Mr. Hart, who clearly showed that in a matter of such grave importance, so deeply affecting not only the present interests of the settlers but the fu-

ture welfare of the colony, it was absolutely necessary that the settlers should at least have the opportunity of previously reading and considering the document offered for their adoption before they gave their consent to it; he therefore moved that, with the view of giving them this opportunity, the meeting should be adjourned in ordei that the Report might be printed for the information of the public. This reasonable proposal so entirely commended itself to the good sense and right feeling of the meeting that the artifices and manoeuvres resorted to bv the Faction to counteract and defeat it were utterly unavailing, the resolution to “ print it and shame the fools” was carried by an overwhelming majority; the hearty cheers given to Mr. Hart showed how clearly he had expressed the sentiments of those present, while the cordial expression of good will manifested towards Sir George Grey evinced the confidence of the settlers in his administration, and their determination not to submit to the dictation of an impotent Faction.

Of course the Faction, deeply mortified and exasperated by their humiliating defeat, have not scrupled to invent all sorts of absurd stories to account for a result to them so unexpected. One speaker hazarded the unfounded assertion that Sir George Grey had sent his emissaries to disturb the meeting, that a small party had been introduced to swamp their proceedings. Mr. Fox, hitherto regarded by his little coterie as supreme dictator, as the man who pulled the strings which regulated the motions of his puppets and obedient servants ; this man of the people Quantum mutatus ab illo Hectore, now forced to implore a hearing, losing all command of his temper, taunted his fellow settlers as being men of “ small capacity,” because they chose to entertain an independent opinion, because they shewed a disposition to think and act for themselves. Mr. Fitzherbert, another shining light, “ was sorry to confess that the proceedings of that evenincr had nblioerl him to come to the unfavourable conclusion that the settlers were not fit for Representative Institutions!” Nor have these defeated, disappointed, desperate men hesitated to circulate other reports equally unfounded; that the Government boat’s crew, that policemen in plain clothes, that maories were sent to overawe the settlers, and upset the meeting. We really feel ashamed seriously to expose these absurdities. The Customhouse boat’s crew consists of some five persons. the whole police force amounts to 19 persons including the detachment at Waikanae; and there happened to be some six or eight maories present at the meeting—what would these be amongst so many, what influene ccould so small a number exercise over the proceedings of more than two hundred persons who were present at the meeting ? How small must their party be if so little was required to swamp them. The fact is,—and they know it, —they have been defeated by an honest, open, independent expression of public opinion, hence their bitter disappointment, hence their utter recklessness of assertion.

We would offer a few observations on the way the Report, which appears in our present number, has been sent to us. It was ordered by the meeting to be printed for the information of the public. Willing, as far as lay in our power, to comply with the wishes of our fellow settlers, we applied to the Chairman of the meeting to be furnished with a copy of it in order to publication. The first ten paragraphs have been carefully collated with the original Report and we can vouch for their correctness. The remainder has been printed from corrected proofs furnished from the Independent office, but v/e have applied in vain to be allowed to compare these proofs with the original document. What motive could have dictated this refusal we are at a loss to imagine ; whether the -.eport has undergone any revision or me. dification subsequent to the meeting we are unable to say, we merely state the fact an<l leave our readers to draw their own infe rences. But we do not hesitate to assertk

that, where a document is ordered by a r lie Meeting to be printed for general i n f Or mation, every facility should be afforded f 0 H insure the correctness of the publicatio | This facility has in this instance been denied to our repeated applications by those wl 10 K had the charge of the document. The Se ® rious mistakes in the copy furnished to u 3 B (which are marked with asterisks) sufficient R ly show the necessity of such a revisal with H the original. The sentence (marked with B the first asterisk) which talks of the p ril II dence of guarding “ against the consequ ei]i 18 ces of a possible influx of a commercial I)n pulation” is downright nonsense, and "the 91 other mistakes are of an eouallv Marino- . 9 ture. Our space will not allow us, on th e present occasion, to enter into adetailcdei IB amination of this document, or to exp Ose the inconsistencies and absurdities with which it abounds. But there is one mistdu HI which exists in the original, of so serious,® nature, that it alone is sufficient to convifft the framers of the Report of the incompetency and folly, and may be as a fair sample of the way in which it hi<l been drawn up. The eighth paragraph 1 states that the following subjects of legis,i lation and administration are Imperial an'should not be under the control of the Lc- S cal Government,” but what these subiectiE thus excepted are we in vain endeavoiriii to discover from this document, since mention whatever is made of them. Cad r such a document so full of gross and palpj.p® ble mistakes excite any other feeling thatHi that of scorn and contempt in the mind «||l any legislator for those who framed it; arilS these blunders to be taken as evidences o:iß| their enlarged capacity ? And yet it was tel ‘ this document, occupying two columns a half of closely printed matter in this Jour. I nai, and which has been in preparation more than two months, that the meetin»® was called upon to pledge itself after bein’l|g once hurriedly read over, but imperjectljH heard, and that part heard still more imperJ’ ■ fectly understood; and because the setfej|j| were desirous of fairly judging for tlmselves before they committed themselves ttpgjg this measure, because they wished to what it was they were asked to approve o( they were told by one of these honorab! S men that they were not fit for Represents tire Institutions. In truth, if the settlehad obeyed Mr. Fitzherbert’s dictation, tbtf would have proved themselves to b’ justly deserving of this reproach. We must protest against a practice wbi; 7 has lately obtained of putting Dr. Dorset; ■ the chair on all occasions, we presume! M ••order of the Committee of the Constic |g| tional Association,” a practice the moresWßj be reprobated since it is the undoubted of every meeting to elect its own chairma: 8 and this innovation appears still more stran? ■ - when practised by men who affect to considered the champions of freedom, are always professing their regard fort £ Institutions of their fatherland, when#.they think such professions may furthertb; 3 own ends. So violent a partizan as f * "1 Dorset can lay no claim to that impartial which ought to be exercised by everyclu man of a public meeting, and the effect ■ this hitherto has been to prevent derate men from taking anv part in meetings. The complaints are loud andi ■ mercus of the unfair way by which resfc<fe| tions, unpalatable to the Faction, but son with the feelings and sentiments oft. great majority of the meeting. to be got rid of on Wednesday. Ndgg||| adduce other instances, we print below ■ solution proposed by Mr. Carpenter, ||S which the Chairman refused to put , meeting, knowing full well it would j been carried by acclamation. Why tellers appointed to ensure the fair < a division ? A practice which obtains in j House of Commons cannot be ohj j by these sol doisant lovers of freedom. ||S| We would, in conclusion, remind fellow settlers that one more effort required to rid them of an odious andj *■’ temptible Faction. “ They’ve scotch snake, not kill’d it,” and we w° o them to shew on Monday night that n

lute determination to think and act for themselves, that contempt for the manoeuvres of a set of designing men which marked their proceedings at the last meeting. They have now the opportunity of judging of the Report these men would fain have crammed down their throats. A more crude impracticable scheme was never put together. Its authors well know the same fate awaits it which deservedly attended their boasted resolutions. But amidst the folly and ignorance, which are its leading characteristics, the cloven foot peeps out and we see what tliev are really aiming at. That the Governor and the Judges of the colony should be placed in the power of a designing Faction, for, of course, they conclude they are to be the elected of the people, and that they i should have the disposal of the revenuesofthe i colony, and the uncontrolled management of the waste lands. Let the settlers reflect for one moment on the wholesale jobbing which, under the name of compensation, has been committed with the sanction and connivance of Mr. Fox, and then let them mark their sense of such conduct by theindignantrejectionof this report. Let them shew their intelligence and good sense by accepting I the measure offered by the Governor-in-chief, | which would secure to them a greater amount | of rational freedom than has yet been conferred on any of the colonies in these seas ; let them, now that they are thoroughly roused, I shew their appreciation of his exertions in : promoting the prosperity of the colony, by | giving that cordial support to his measures | which they are fairly entitled to receive from j every right minded colonist, and let them I unite in crushing a Faction that has too I long been suffered to disturb and distract the I settlement. I -