MR. RICHMOND'S RESIGNATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 106, 19 March 1862, Page 5

MR. RICHMOND'S RESIGNATION.

Mr 0. W. Richmond hu • resigned iiii scat in the As3ei"il>!y, with tho .intention of not again seeki g t(/MJtcr it- for -'the'present, at any rate. Wi- bay on many occasions borne testimony to the n'iilit; md integrity of Mr. Richmond as a state. :iist . -ml to liis lirbnniry and unwearied devotion' tc ii<- duties of the multifarious c.fi'n-cs from lime > time imposed uj on him. We hare often !-oir lined of his consumption of '• midnight oil." ffi; ■'. i'ii;i w:i* too oferi helping hi no thtor' oo unlive matters, when his saddle won Id have- 'iott"r assisted him in the elucidation of them, and if mr-t he a matter of regret to us all that he has n-ifcyi-r. recovered frotn that " weariness of thf ' flesh" whi..h is the invariable concomitant of such ""conv'vint mental work ns Mr. Richmond's was. Tii.; following is Mr. Richmond's address to his Tavanaki constituency, dated from Dunedin, whee he is now practising his profession. TO THE ELECTORS OF TUB PROVINCE OF NEW PLYMOUTH. Dunedin, 23th January, 1862. My dear Friends, — I write, .as in dutybound, .to inform you at the earlist possible time -hat I propose to retire from the House of Ko-pres.i-itativv-s. Some of the reasons which determine me t) this course are of a wurely personal character, amo,K'st v hich the state of my health and of my private affair.* are the chief. But there are other reasons connected with the state of the affairs ofthe Colony to -./hich I will briefly advert. So ie of i'oq will recollect that in 1855, when you first ciecte ime your representative, I expressed my opini nto'--« strongly in favor of the maintenance of the I iperi 1 control over Native affairs. I believe there is a s' u-t note in the TaranaM Herald of what I sa: !at tie hustings. I remember declaring that, as the relr.tions of the two race-, must continually involve qi ,-stions of Peace and War, and as the colony was .n i yei .r-ftt to sustain a struggle v.-ith the native-, witfio-.it tii '. aid ofthe Mother Country; itfollowed as a matter of .fourso that the Colonial Legislature must not i-:-asp :-.t the power of directing Native policy. I Live'ever since, both as a Minister and a member of thi House, acted consistently with this opinion, and h:i,ve i ever claimed for the Legislature or for the Respnsil c Ministry, anything beyond a secondary position in reference to Native affairs. I have done . my b st t-1-.va.rds working at the hard problem set us by the fiamers of the constitution of 1853, always keeping iv view the maintenance of an Imperial control over native affairs. Experience has only streiv.'theiiricl my opinion as to the importance of thisp lint; and it has become my fixed conviction that a Pn/lianiantary opposition to the Native policy of the Ooveinor is unfit and-dangerous. I am satisfied that the opposition in the House of Representatives to the measures of Governor Brown was most pernicious; in it.-- effect upon the mind of the Natives, and I am not prepared to take part in any similar agitation. You wi'l see, upon reference to the addresses ofthe House of I'epresentatives during its last session, that that the House, in accordance with the view that Native J'olicy is a matter of Imperial concern, undertookto si rond the Imperial policy as represented by Gove, nor Browne. We know what that policy was, but as yet we do not understand the policy which lias sucee.'-ded to it. It may be that it is such as we should approve, aud it may be that it is quite the contrary. In the former case,.it matters nothing, so for a; native affairs are concerned, what colored partyis "ifi power," as the phrase is. In the latter case, I believe tb"t we shall only make bad worse by talking in the House. Whatever I might think of the Governor for the time being—however deep might be my distrr:st of the man—however thorough my disapproval of his measures—l deliberately say, that- I deem it better, in the present state of the country, that he should pursue his course without the accompaniement of a Parliamentary opposition in the colony, barking, as it were, at his heels. Other modes of remonstrance can 1>» found if, unfortunately, they should be needed. Not that I think any mode ef remonstrance likely to be e-Tectuftl; but. other mries might be found which woul I no! be positively huitful. The Ni'iivc question is the question of absorbing inter -st for Taranaki, and therefore is the only public question which I could feel any call of duty to take a part in. For the reasons above assigned I see nothing whif'i I ran do in it as a member of the Legislature, and f thr-efore yield to the other pressing claims upon mv remaining strength. ' Wiien you firstretm-ned me I hndnot,n.smanyofyon kiio.v, tb^ least wish or intention to take so prominent a part in public affairs as was. forced upon me by events; and it has always.been my desire to seize the first hone-able opportunity of retiring from the political field. Nevertheless, it is with great pain that I se:; our connection dissolved. I have truly felt it to be a l hmor to represent you. Your patience and yom-coi! -age, under privations and amidst dangers which I bad not the privilege of sharing, have commanded ihe.just admiration'of your fellow colonists. Your true-hearted farewell to Governor Browne is proof of a constancy not often found in numerous bod'us o." men. There is not a constituency in New Zen'and which I should desire to represent in comparison with those of Taranaki. If I saw any fair '. pro peel of being useful to you in the House I would sub nit to great sacrifices to keep my seat there. Bi! 1, Ido not thfnk that my presence can help you, '. nn i I th-refore now resism into your hands the trust wliieb yi.-u committed to me. I femain, my dear fellow settlers and friends, Yours faithfully, C. W. RICHMOND.