Original Correspondence.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume XII, Issue 1289, 9 December 1857, Page 3

Original Correspondence.

To the Editor of the Sew Zealand Spectator, W’el-ington, Decetnbe* 7, 1857. Sir, —W ill you oblige me by inserting in your paper tin* following copy of a letter to the Editor of the Independent. I am. Sir. Y<mr obedient servant, OCTAVIUS HADFIELD. To the Editor of the Wellington. Independent. Wellington, December 7, 1857. Sir, —My attention having been this morning called to some observations concerning myself contained in your paper of the sth instant, I trust you will find room in your next issue for a few remarks in reply. I did not take any notice of a paragraph lately copied from the Chronicle, because it is impossible to deal with vague anonymous insinuations. But as you have th U'jht it necessary to call the attention of the public to the wav in which I voted at the latr ’ Election, it may be as well to acquaint them with my 1 reasons for the course I then pursued. But before 1 do so, I must assert my right to vote .as I may think proper, without being accountable to any person whatever—and I likewise assert my right to express freely my opinions on Political subjects whenever 1 may think it necessary to do so ; I defy yon or any one else to prove that I have ever used any undue influence, much less my position as a t lenzyman. to induce any man to give his vote to one party in preference to another. At the first Election of the Superintendent and

Members of the Provincial Council. I took no part in the proceedings : ti,e Candidates were most of them untried men. Put soon afterwards it became evident that those who had been allowed to come into power, had broken their promises, were acting for selfish ends, and not for the benefit of their constituents. Then ci'tne the Education 1 ill. w hen the gross ignorance and utter incapacity, the self-«’ill and the despotism of the Superintendent and his Executive became manifest to the majority of the Electors. On that occasion I felt it my duty to lend my assistance towards defeating that measure. Since that time I have taken no part in politics, because 1 did not see what could be done wi h advantage till a Gcneial Election. 1 however more than once predicted that a general election would reverse the position of parties; would put an end to a delusion am! a sham. This 1 believe was not the general opinion, but so strong was my own opinion of the incapacity and inefficiency of the pre?ent Superintendent and Executive, that when 1 heard that Dr Wel< h had come forward as a candidate fur the office of SupeiintenuiUt, though I had never seen him, and knew nothing of him but what 1 gathered from his published speerhes, I dete: mined to give him all the sup- ; port 1 could, ju order o break down that insukni i tyranny which appeared to me insupportable, ami j, which I am only surprised was so long submitted to by the elector-. . [ Your principal charge against me seems to be that of | “ voting for Mr. Porter Welch in preference to Dr. ! Fea'he ston.” I would sooner you had not compelled Ime io state my reasons for voting as I did, for as Dr. Featherston and his Executive are now in a minority, ; and their power fordoing mischief is at an end, I . t would rather have remained silent concerning them ; i ' but \sn hir e obliged me to give my reasons. ; There are two subjects on which 1 have long since! . made up my mind to use any infinence that. I may pos- j I sess, whenever it may appear needful to do so; —I, | allude tu Eoueation, and the Rights of the Maorics. | i I have already brietly referred to the part 1 took on the I ! inlrodiic'ion of Mr. Fox’s absurd Bill for ihe establish ! inent of Common Schools. With reference to the. rights of the natives, 1 have two serious grounds of complaint against Dr. Featherston and Mr. Fox respectively. 1 begin with the former. 1 had, in a private house, about twelve months ago, some con versa, tion with him <m the political position of the Natives, during which I expressed my opinion that it would be safer for the country if the natives held political rights

in common with the white population, than that they should be excluded from these rights and be driven to : organize themselves into a separate body, as some of the Waikato and Taupo tribes are now doing, and assame an attitudeof hostility towards the Government, and claim distinct political action. 1 did not on that occasion utter one word from which it could be inferred that I intended personally to attempt to bring about what 1 considered Ihe preferable state of things. I was therefore greatly surprised «hen I ascertained that Dr. Featherston in his capacity as Supeiintendent had written an ofiieial despatch to the Government charging tne with a scheme—l might almost say a conspiracy— Io set the Manries in opposition to the settlers, and to swamp the elections. In this despatch he advised that the. Governor shou d is-uc some at Lit ray illegal instructions with regard to voting, which might be so construed as to exclude Mauries altogether from the Franchise. All the members of the Executive are of ; course responsible for this despatch. What opinion I could I form of Dr. Featherston, whether 1 considered , his utter misrepresentation of what 1 had said in private io him, or whether; 1 icliccted on his arbitrary, despotic uni ions as to the manner in which the rights i of Maories were to be regarded? Is it surprising, k - after this, that 1 voted for an unknown m in'in pre- ! ferencc to one so well known ? But what seems strange

in irlerence to this subject is, that Dr. Featherston and his paitizans, when it serves their purpose,,*by no means decbm- Maori support. Al the i'te election for ihe office of Superintendent, they, four days be.ore the polling.day, bad furnished eve ry Maori on the. Electotal Roll, who was then in Otaki, with a voting paper, to which his name was attached, in favour of Isaac Earl Featherston, the majority of whom hud not been

consulted at all on the subject. Any conduct more re-pu-hi Df.ibh— tunic likely to bring our Institutions into c •nteri’pt in tiie eyes of the Natives—l cannot conceive. Fm tiinali ly. Mr. E. J. Wah field s timely visit, and clear explanation ns to the nature of the election, prevt nted much mischief, as many of them then refused *o vote. f<>r one so utterly hostile to their rights as Dr. Fea’lierston. Mr Fox s conduct during the few dayshe held office at the last meeting of the General Assembly was not such as to remove any suspicions which might have been en'ertained as to his boasted love of freedom, or fitiios for the.cxerci.se of power; he made a ridiculous display, both of his hostility to the Manries and all connected with them, as well a?< of his own despotic and tyrannical disposition. For he publicly stated in his place in the House of Representatives, that he intended to bring in a Bill to make it felony for any person to speak to a Maori about land ! Mr. Fox has recently talked of “bigoted pardons.” . Is it conceivable that any man venturing to meddle at all with politics should be so grossly and incredibly bigoted, ami so very ignorant of the first principles <-f lav as such an avowal on the part of Mr. Fox proves him to be ? J confess that Ido still feel it a duty incumbent on me as an elector, to assist in any movement which may have for its declared object the removal front power of such a reckless, incapable, politician as Mr. Fox. In conclusion, I would further state, generally that my reason for wishing the removal from power of Dr. Featherston and his Executive »s, their insolent and arrogant assumption of powers not conferred on them by the Constitution Act, which they, in words, always profess 1o admire, and their determined antagonism to the General Government, by which this Prdvince.has been seriously injured, and its progress retarded, and which, if persevered in, would render it impossible to carry out any measures for the general benefit of the settlers and Maories, by which alone, in my opinion, the peace and prosperity of the country can be attained. ] have not time to say any more at present as I am leaving Town early to-morrow morning. 1 remain. Sir, Your obedient Servant, (Signed) Octavius Hadfielh.