The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 1878.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5420, 10 August 1878, Page 2

The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 1878.

When, in his speech on the address, Dr. WALLIS upbraided the Ministry whom last session he helped to put into office with their shortcomings, his principal charge against them was that they had, during the recess, been guilty of the very same misdeeds for which, while in opposition, they denounced their predecessors as the most atrocious offenders how thby had abused them for using the Hinemoa as a Government yacht, and delared that rather than keep up such a source of waste she should bo sold as old iron! yet, ever since the present Government had been in ofiice they had been using that vessel continually for electioneering and pleasure trips ! They had, when in opposition, denounced the Ministerial residences, demanded their immediate sale, and the reduction of Ministers to private lodgings. Now every one of those residences has a Minister comfortably ensconced in it, and there is no talk of their being offered by auction. In short, said the disappointed member for Auckland City West, whose eyes were opened, “the best, I can say for you is “ that you are six of one and half a dozen “ of the other.”

There is no doubt that Dr. Wallis’s remarks were true, aiid his censure thoroughly merited. There is no doubt that the conduct of the Government has been very contemptible in those matters. We suspect a good many more of the electors into whose eyes Sir Geouob Grey threw dust during his stumping tour are beginning to see, as Dr. Wallis does, how they have been deluded and imposed upon. There are, however, other instances more serious than the Hinemoa and the Government residences, which have been touched on in the House of Representatives during the present week, but the bearing of which may not have been quite apparent to members who were not in the House in 1870. Wo shall, for their information, and to refresh the memory of others, explain what it is to which wo allude. In the session of 1870 the cue of the Opposition headed by Sir Georob Guby was to run down the Government by the foulest charges of personal jobbery and the most blatant denunciations of their public acts. Among the most savage attacks made by them was one led by Sir Georoe Grey in person against Sir Donald MoLban in reference to his conduct in respect of a Maori called Winiata, who, aftci- committing a murder near Auckland, escaped to the King country, where he was supposed to be harbored by Tawhiao and his people. The Government had made attempts to stop him in his flight, but failed to capture lain. Some considerable time afterwards Sir Donald McLean visited Tawhiao by invitation, for the purpose of endeavoring to establish morofricndly relations between the King party and the Government, No very remarkable demonstration ensued, but Sir Donald exhibited much firmness, and no doubt-succeeded

in making Tawhiao feel that his expectations of getting back Waikato were hopeless ; and the result was a real advance towards the final solution of what little remained of the Native difficulty. It became known, however, —indeed, everybody know—that Winiata, Tk Kooti, Purukutu and other criminal natives who had taken refuge in the King country, were not far off the place whero Sir Donald met the King, but they kept in the background, and of course no note was made on such an occasion of their proximity. On this Sir Georob Grey, on the 6th July, 1876, founded the savage attack we have referred to. He opened by alleging that “ a very serious question “ was now raised, —the question of a groat “Minister of the Crown going to meet a “ native chief who exercised considerable “influence and assumed a royal, name, “and at the time of this meeting there “ were present in this chief’s company, and “amongst his followers, persons who “ were known to bo cold-blooded mur“dorers.” He then went on to read a letter which he (Sir George) had written to the Waikato natives on the subject. In his letter he told them that “he “was ashamed of the conduct of the “ Native Minister in not having insisted “ that these murderers should be given “ up ; he warned them that the mass of “ good people throughout the world “ would regard it as an insult that mur- “ derers should be at the place of inter- “ view, and that the mass of good people “ throughout the world would not agree “ with them in retaining the murderer “ Winiata, and ho called upon them, as “ they valued their good names, to have “ the murderer arrested, &o. He ex- “ plained to them that no man acting as “ an Ambassador, or as a Minister from “ another country, would have held iu- “ teroourse of a friendly kind with another “Power, while that Power retained wil- “ ful murderers who had lied there after “ having committed diabolical crimes in “ the country that Minister represented ; “ and that the law of nations would “ have required that before any treaty “ was entertained, such murderers should “be given up.” Sir George Grey “then continued: “He knew it was “ the fixed opinion of the best and “ most powerful nations that the system “of giving presents to murderers and “ those who abetted them, in fact, the “ system of bribery which for the time “ being had been successful in inducing “ them to remain quiet, was producing a “ very bad effect. Until a proper dis- “ Unction was made in that respect by “ the Native Department and by the Go- “ verument, there was no hope whatever “ of good and well disposed people in the “King territory being able to restrain “ those evil disposed persons whom he “ had described.” This burst of virtuous indignation was backed up by Mr. Stout, now Sir George’s Attorney-General. “ He should like the Native Minister to “ explain why he did not ask the King to “ give up the persons in the King country “ who had committed crimes. No refer- “ ence whatever was made to Winiata in “ the conversation, and yet that was the “ meeting which they were told in his Ex- “ cellency’s speech was a satisfactory “ one !” Mr. Wakefield, Mr. Lusk, and Mr. Reader Wood, each slung his stone at the Native Minister’s head, and vented much fury upon him for his haying dragged the honor of the colony in the dirt.

Bat time brings its avenging. At last Sir George Grey holds the x-eins of power which he had by such unscrupulous means sought to obtain. A meeting with King Tawhiao, the “native chief “ of some influence who had assumed a “ royal title,” becomes a political necessity and a possible source of political capital. After some manoxuvering it is accomplished. And how and where ? With the very same surroundings and circumstances as furnished the foundation of the savage attack on Sir Donald. Te Kooi'l, of Poverty Bay massacre notoriety, was there ; Winiata was doubtless thei’e ; Todd’s murderers were no doubt there ; and Purukutu, the reputed murderer of Sullivan, was there, and, we are told, took the leading part in a war - dance, carrying a bayonet fixed on a pole, right under the Premier’s nose. Did Sir George then tell Tawhiao that “ no Ambassador or “Minister from a foreign country in “ which diabolical crimes had been com- “ mitted would enter into treaty with “ those who screened the murderers 1" Did he demand their surrender ? Did ho do any one thing which ho denounced Sir Donald McLean for not doing ! Did he not do every single thing he denounced him for doing! We cannot conceive a more humiliating position than' that of Sir George Grey among the King natives in 1878, seen by the light of his utterances in 187 G. It was no doubt the recollection of these events and the contemplation of the contrast between Sir Gboroe Grey in 187 G and Sir George Grey' in 1878 that induced Mr. Fox to ask the Native Minister the following questions on Wednesday last; —“Whether the Government “ have during the recess taken any steps “ to secure the capture of Winiata ; and “ whether, if he has not yet been brought “ to trial, the Government are prepared to “ take steps to secure that event!” He also asked, at the same time, “ Whether “ the Maori who assaulted and : mal- “ treated a woman at Opunake about a “ year ago, and was rescued from the “custody of the police (when being “ taken to prison) by a body of Maoris, “ has been captured and brought to “justice; and whether any proceedings “ have been taken against the Maoris “ who rescued him; and, if not, whether “ the subject was brought under the “ notice of Txtokowaru, Tb Wiiiti, or “ other influential chiefs on the West “ Coast by the Native Minister, at his “ late interviews with them. Also, “ whether, if nothing has been done in “ the matter, now that peaceful relations “ have been at last established, and the “ native race is no longer estranged, the “ Government intend to take any further “ steps to make the Queen’s writ run, “and to vindicate the power of the law “ in the case referred to.” All these interesting queries Mr. Suekhan was compelled to answer in the negative. None of the criminals had been taken ; none had been inquired after; and then came the old reply of the days when the Native Department was a sacred mystery: “ Ho must ask the House “ to forgive him if he could not give it any “ information as to what steps were about “to bo taken. At the present juncture “ it would bo unwise to make public what “ the views of the Government were.” Wo did not observe that Mr. Siibehan blushed; but if behave still any capacity of that kind, and had remembered his chief’s sayings in 187 G, and contrasted them with his recent action, ho ought to have bluslxed. We are not surprised that later in tlxo evening, when moving for some papers on another native matter, Mr. Fox gave bud expression to his rc"ret that there seemed to be a return to the old tactics of the period before 1860, when an irresponsible Native Department kept the colony in the dark, and by its mysterious reticence brought on the unhappy wars which cost the colony so much. .. ■ ; v.