DINNER TO MR: FOX, AT WANGANUL

Otago Witness, Issue 847, 22 February 1868, Page 8

DINNER TO MR: FOX, AT WANGANUL

' Mr Fox ' was "entertained at 1 a -public dinner- at Wanganui, on- Wednesday, the 12th iiist. '

-, The following report of his speech, in responding to the toast of his health, is from the Wanganui Times, of the 15th.

Mr Fox rose amid great cheering, which having in a short time subsided, he said — Mr Chairman and gentlemen, I desire to return you my sincere thanks for the kind and cordial manner in which you have drank : my health. T had no right to expect tohave been received asl have been since I returned to New Zealand ; the reception is unmerited by me, but is not less appreciated on that account. ■ You have been pleased, sir/, to make reference to my exertions in the cause of the Colony. I can only say that-whutl did was done heartily "and to- the .best of my ability. When T first' came to New Zealand, with other emigrants, many of whom have since stood'- shoulder to shoulder with- me and fought through a long political struggle t many years ago — for we came out in 1842 — we were not only actuated by the natural idea of all emigrants of bettering bur condition, but were animated by the romantic- idea that we were to be the founders of 'a new countryj which should be' a superior country. ■ "We were not only excited by the Robinson Crusoe schoolboy notions' of going to live on some lonely spot, monarchy of all' we surveyed ; but we wished to iaise in these southern seas a nation' which should" emulate in its political • and ' social • institutions those of^ ; the ! great' land 'we^'had left. We ! r wished . to • found •■•&'" Britain — the -Britain' of the South. .'• It was very natural,- then, : that -we should become -politicians^ and we commenced a series of struggles, in which some- present besides* myself' took an .active part, to free the Colony 1 from the- trammels of its first existence, and to 'endeavor to obtain for 'if'and establish' a' Constitutional Government similar 'to, if not better, than that en joyed by the parent state; • All that I •have --done for the Colony has been btbne 'ridt.only-.from a sense of -duty, such, as 'mustrinfluence every great work, but it hasjbeen a labor of love. ' Since first I heard i and. wrote about New Zealand — and l.wrote about it before I came out to theiColony — I had an instinctive love 'fdr; the , country, and' my labors, im •its' behalf have been only following^ my own instinctive desires and pleaaasesj. so

that - l!tfd*ft& .'deserW credit, forwljat I ■ toj .alluded,-; jwerei of a^^ewiiai^lsimilalp^chaiacter, and it w«i j^l^^^froitijtf" dryj sense of' duty tliai^l^Ss-ini'pelled-toi refute the nialignant^^nmors^and uishyiations .which ? "were through " ;rfie press,! and * were' in' evprysmah's inoiith', and ofiat eyeryrhe^ffirtK^and fhome 1 throughout' the Hand/ The-slandprp .fyhjch were hurjed', at? us y t ere jbrafragfebus |: £we, were tol&that .w&^jirere. a*» blopdthirstyr»set,of ruffians, whoSfiad? drawn 'the British into an expetisiYe^'ar^that auTiiirray was. empljoye&to %tt£otijr battlel;fbr us, that we wpre too cowa^dl^to fight ojurselves,'that we loved- tie-army for, the profit of it.. "Wheri^l found men at Home, former friendß:^yTWhoni-I"had--be|en respected;" I^uld^notii^l*;an";.h.oTiron British soil withbxit refuting thoße accusations. It was notJbV^^appeal-to public feeling or popuJ^enthusiasm.thatthiswas'ltp be done; not '. by using the subtilearguments,of astute lawyer]:; but by boldly stating the) naked nfactej .and, challenging pur, d^ractors to deny the statements ; and I may say; with confidence, that there was no attempt^ or at ' all events " no successful attempt, to deny anything I had written. When the matter was laid honestly and faithfully [ .before the British subjects, all classes admitted that' we had been " maligned and slandered/ that we:: were! lhard- working colonists, who had done our duty,; and ( that the. jieople of one' of the finest portions 'of "^he 1 - British' dominions' had been .greatly -wronged. 'Although 'my /humble >. efforts in the colonists.' , defence . may ~ have—assisted, „ yet. ...this_.gr§at revulsion of feeling was "mainly brought _about ; by % tne'T)rilliant successes^ of our Colonial , forces., - )( . The gallant action of our troops on the east and west coasts ; troops 'composed of, and commanded by , our fellow- colonists,; men who had never : *'b'een'..inLStruct4d'.''in' military' .drill and discipline, jthese, little bands of^cSlonists" followed^the enemy 'into the thick; bush .and penetratedrtheir mountain fastnesses, "where the < great." .British generals, i with „IO,OPP troops at their command,, had said .jfchat it^was not 'safe to' go. ' ' The' British "' public" came' to a knowledge of -thesy facts from, letters, .byj.a - corresppnden^ tothe^London^wTif&^and to whom.the colonists _ r are greatly indebted. I ;trust that in' future we shall hear no more of .-these+M. calumnies,, and,, .think -that the people of England will be more cautious as to "how they 'receive accounts from agents of the- -Aborigines society "-and "others,- to/,rthe-: disparagement , of ' the Colpny... T The. heavy, ..expense whict "was* attendant on. the native war,- opened the. "_ British *mind for the reception of- all those and "calumnies. • • John Bull isa very sensitive individual,- and nevermore ,'rr*s n -.- w^? n , h* 8 .PP.cketf are. touched,;, whenS he Jknew - that i ' a ' farthing * or ; half-"pp4nHy.fiwb'me-tax was""being'expended to payHthe [expense of a war -which he •Vas? : *tord : !was :; brougTit-' ! o'n^ and maintained • for ' the gratification^ bf k lot rT~qf^selfisJb..j';graspingrj colonists,^ he was ready' to"" believe anything,' however bad, that- was. said of us. A. war I'that had' b'een brought on .and-prbcrasti-nated .solely' by the conduct an_d mismanagement,of Imperial officers. , v And yet-^» ye^ar, after 'tiat He : is 'going into" an AByssiiiidn warto maintain the prestige of^tlie' British name, and votes L 2,000,000 to avenge the 1 , imprisonment 'o'f 1 a few Englishmen.! iiWb have been.i badly used' in the matter — it wwasnnot-.the.faultr of . the jßritish^nation ; „but,Ministe_rs were anxio.ua to, , get out of ( ?j .the, jNew /( ?l^ahind war in, the n besl-way they ' "cpuld^-aiidjWould.take an^ ; m ( rtanstobe rid" pfjMe^xpense Inchrred-for 'a Colbny^.t an ll - out of. 1 ; th^'way "place T at' the 'other side of ' £ 'th"e'wo'rld; av H6wever,"l ; hopb it'is now at an end) and that' : w'e--BhaU''never|again 'rijiaveTOccasipn to 1 , seek material aid from li^anyi quarteri^^— (Cheers),..-^ Mr E^x^rapidly sketched ari'account of this. .tray elsi since he, left r the- Colony. He" had' beeia absent frdm New Zealand for ■th'ree^years', .()tnd, k0 'during that tim'e'Kad visited' many foreign landk 1 and* very interesting places. ; <Had u^slted^the .goldfields of (.Australia \" haa "spent six^pr- seven weeks. in, Qtago, and had -Beeri^^with pleasure and* surprise rapid'progress of- Duneduijr and ad- • vance,p£,,the,, .whole. Province^, At Melbourne s he %f/ was v still.. ( more . surpris;ed--to-see the'iarge^arid' populous" city,j with i^finerpublio'' buildings^ libraries^: and in- ! all.' kinds, i which'^denoted ; and distinguished a highly- civilised! conn--1H try.' () [Aii Ceylon,.he saw the native Bhudo dwt,.tempies,' aiid^many ,ottier ( curious „ ttSngs^.the 'whole island teemed' with, '.'"prienialf luxury, and magnificence, . while v Werywhdfe'was found tropical luxuriance - of vegetationV reminding" oneof'the'pic>if ture which ,Martin;gives of the Garden of Mf B[dentt jProm^thence. tp .India, s.a,w;Bom''. ■ bay, .IJponah, andf ;other c .great I ci ) ties, the .'railway, with its f enormous ;«renglhes^a; «renglhes^an < d''hugj» iraxoa. ']'' The 'iron.' road ; had brought civilisation c/anc /and 'barbarism ' .aide f by jside^so th^t' wbat a. few| years \yjbwte were /distinct nations, were. now. J,.brought.,iiito communication, and* men

of various'" Ocafltes 1 * sat tide by J side ,in"the~s>m6 ", railway carriage." Visited Mount Surai," and saw the . place where the! Israelites were said to '.have crossed the Bed Sea, and the road by which they travelled , from their captivity to the land of promise : along that same wack now runs a railway built by! the. te'mihent'l engineer} :"{ Robert . Stevenson. ';' thence.'! across ■; the , Mediterraneari. qn, to. Frange, aad^, JEfome, - where, they;, received a righjjjeordial welcome t and. good .oldEnglish hospi^t^ they had to *visit so 'many" friend's', that they did 'not see half they could "have wished or ought 1 to have se'en-an 'England. J After wintering, in England, went to Switzerland- : could not -1 visit' r f Germany • and northeastern Europe, on account of the great war •" which was ; - then -^raging between Prussia and those countries. Afterwards crossed over to" Egypt, for the purpose of "^visitirig'"that country,' and ■ Syria, 'so interesting to all biblical students, and ..finished., off, , at the noble city of Damascus^ .Then to the cedars "of Lebanon, where 'they travelled along' a fine broad- metalled road,' in a French diligence drawn by six horses ; then back again to Greece, Athens, Sicily, Rome, Paris, and /Home... 'No one I am sure could have ever enjoyed .travel more than we did. After remaining at Home for some time, Mrs- Fox and myself sat dowrf- to;. ; consider. ""We- did not like card playing — we.- did;. not feel th-vt we' could pass away our time in playing whist for sixpenny points with old dowa-lgerß'"'at-''Bath.' > "-' We' did not <* like the fashionable r - London 1 - life, i; and 'felt that our tastes .were not suited to it. The .political .world was. a, charmed circle, into wliicli obly' a select" few could enter, and that by powerful influence, while large means were required to carry on . contested elections; > .In philanthropic works, there are three men and women to , do one's work^and very devoted and heroic people 'are they who do this work, spendr ing their whole lives amid scenes, of, mise"ry,'' : vice, v 'and destitution, in their, efforts to alleviate sufferings and reclaim their* fellow, smortals. "We" I felt' that this was- not i our - field f of.- action ;we wanted toj'be -Colonists — -not, living/in,, England ■jcorre i ctjng..vic'e,' lr b,ut in this newer land, Hying JV amoiigst ;I| - those are cn -' joying social happiness," to' strive 'in the ground work "of "raisin?' our 'country, •irithe.social ; scalel '. We bothfelt that this was .what, ..we, w,an i ted': I . ( an instinctive feeling came over us ; we were homesick for the Colonies ;' and sometimes a little, breeze seemed to come wafted to us . over lhe''seas' from our 'home in Rangit^kei,, that said, "This, is- no my am hame." — Well then we 'packed up our portmanteau, and' here we' are, and I h : ope that we shall long remain,;; amongst you, good honest colonists, doing as a lab^rpf love, whatever we may'be'"engaged'."ih, 1 heartilyin what .Baconr 'calls"' the. heroic work' of cblbni'sa'tloiij' 'in' b'eginriirlg institutions which"" are' -woTkhig 'sb- 1 successfully in Britain.^, n And >'letf US' ■ always remember, whatever^ political, j differences there may ..be amongst .ua/.the.greatjSqcial duties that devolve upon us,. let vs _ always have them in mind, and ,we shall go on' prospering in the great 4 work" th'aV'is before us. j! am nofrs"dj"well;raccustQßieH[';to'Jthis kind of speaking, ' as I may be .when perhaps adJ van ; cing' f a "resolution) 1 - or speaking' on a .platform, tandtcan ; hardly.- do ; justice .to. :myself .withouttouching for a.fewJriom'ents ,on';.politica.l'qpesJbiQns. .Ijobser,ve.t]iat there has been an inquiry whether politics were to be excluded ,on tliis /V pccasion ; ' still, although there may be" many present who differ 'with' me 6n points of policy, I feel' that-rshouldnot be acting a -manly-part didf I not .on this,c' which, % ' may consider as my first, pubh'c, appearance in!]STew' Zealand,""siiice my' return from Europe,, enunciate a summary of those broad political principles- Tvh'ich> I' have always held,, and which will guide niy conduct should I happe'n"rupon t :a>'future occasion to take an active part in the affairs of the .Cplonj;. j. It is >at the • samei time to be borne; in.r mind,- that, for the last 'three years, the',. vie w> which "I have received, bf"the poh^ticf of .^the C^iony^hayel been derived from'letters anol newspapers, which dnformation-'Was -'often- meagre,, and very contradictory, so that T consider myself not- well up, and.' cannot be expected 'to -express very decided opinions on the great questions , of; \ the .. day." i L can only ■ .state broad principles, the details, of which I may possibly afterwards see occasion' tp change. One~of my first works in New -Zealand-was -to IJ assist' in obtaining, and; which you, sir, helped in gaining, after" a' •veryj i long, , and. i arduous struggle, the inestimable gift of representative, institutions. I adhere firmly to the gene:ral -of- the Constitution of1852. iIjI approve. /of. a . General Government ..and / P,ro.vincial, Ins^itu.tion?, believing firmly ;,that' 'they are .-peculiarly adapted to this Colony, provided ' that pro vision is "made" for separation by Pro-, vincial Goverhments^ and for union"by ( the General -Government. The framing > of 'ithe) Constitution of ( 1852, ,wasamost' i wise and sagacious one. and is, eminently

suited to &he! geographical nature of the country — the separation by nature ofi the .Colony, into . different, islands,, the jlong Veabprds and dividing 'mountain raiges, shqif that it could not be so well governed from anyj one point, as under the present' system. 4 That there are imperfections ,in tKat Oqnßtittrtion'l do'iwFdeny. t The voice of tJhatgre&t legislator and statesman. JVTlttani .jljyrart;, Gladstone, .was raised in exception ,,on one of the most, import^, ant* points .of -the, Constitution,, and! it would (.have^been. '.■well, [had, Jie, been listened to' ; .w,e should then have avoided many of the bitter 1 struggles* which have taken place between Centralists arid Provinciafists.'>j What.he showed .was, that an over-riding power <was : given to the Central Government/over the Provincial Governments.' . There are thirteen subr je'cts on which the' General Government only can legislate ; and what Mr " Glad- ' stone held, was, that the power thus given must .lead to conflict and ; confusion, unless the General .Government were restricted to voting only on those thirteen subjects. If l,hatweredone,theconstitution would work harmoniously and .smoothly, while now all .was jumble and' confusion. It is the pblicy ■of the ■ General Governmont to divide the provincialists, and then ride rough-Bhod over them. I have always been a thorough 1 and devoted •provincialist, -and I firmly believe that the salvation of the colony' depends oil the right working of the Constitution Act, as far" as "regards the provincial institutions. Still, I do not wrap myself up.in my garment and refuse to look further, or to . be shewn , where I may be in error. There are new circumstances which are bringing about a new set, : of things, and" creating ■< a -revolution- in the country.- We -have ' a . great population, attracted. by our goldfielc 1 s, coming 'from a 'country -widely 'differing from ours. , This large population is still in-, creasing; and •' they have political .rights which must be respected. Another Pro.vjiic'e ,whichi"! / "V5 r ( he ) n ) I ,left, was suffering great, depression from being hotly engaged in a bitter war^with .the natives, there I now find peace, restored; the war crusted out and trodden under foot by p>ir brave Colonial' troops,- and the natives, in so far as can- be ! discerned,- loyal and obedient subjects. .'Other Provinces are in finan-. cial difficulties/ the end of which no one could see'. 1 "in one'Province'it pain's me to see the .Colonists, bowed under the weight of their difficulties,' appear ready to abandon their political rights to any one who .will-relieve rthem. ' This, I, say, is not the part of brave, men, who should, ;rather suffer -under present difficulties than submit to degradation. • However 1 much I may be in 1 favor of. Provincialism, and I believe it not' impossible to restore the federal character of the' Constitution, still I may be prepared to supplement . the 'Provincial institutions,' adding where any thing ' r isf defective — not to sweep them away, but to .supply .whatever is wanting in them to meet , the 'growing necessities .of .tlie-Colony., h -There..,are. men jn other •Provinces who are .fighting against Pro : vincial 1 institutions, /and who are they? There ""ire :i men " who 'have" ever opposed'!-. representative 1 ' institutions 'in any.' shape,"' and T warn you' against thenr; 'fbr'if t they.' 1 ; gain '"their point, they will hand ( over the Colony boundhand and., foot' to ', the' Colonial office. There is, another point on which I was at variance with" some — the Native question. I have been-, accused- by the press and' others of inconsistency, in the part I took in. the question of the,, two great native wars — theWaitaraandtheWaikato. "When the.Waitara war broke 'l belonged to what •is -called I 'the peace' at any price party, and yet two' years, from that time ■ I was urging on' Sir George Grey' to a vigorous prosecution .of the war. • Yet there was no'^inCjOnsistenpy^in this, as I v/ilj.; endeavor,' to ; explain. my belie/, as well as "thatpf many, others at the ..time,.!, that, ..the natives' had been wronged,, in, the. .matter of the , Waitara purchase, that Governor Browne had made a great mistake aud.*w,e were determined, .that .the question should be reopened and justice . dpne them.' 1, took office judder; . Governor, Pro wne^ but almost, without hop-e^f being able to do any good in the matter. Many offers, were made to the natives to submit: the matter to arbitration, which 'they as often refused ; and when, on 'the 4th. of May, they drew the sword against lisj andattacked Lieutenant Taggartand; his party, then, we knew 'that they intended to. try strength .with tlfe 1 British power, and that^ they must, by a severe lesion, be taught obedience,or they would .exterminate us. v My native policy, is summed up in a few words — when , t the natives are, right, , support them ; and when 1 they are in the wrong, reduce them to subjection, ,-lhold that there is no inconsistency in this; .The men whe call me "inconsistent are so . themselves. •The grand •• point is, the 'natives must be dealt with as other British subjects ; theymust be f made" to 'live in subjection to British; laws. ', Should I again be actively 1 ' engaged in ; politics, , those ( will be/ the rules which will ..guide my conduct.—

(Cheers:) I will now refer to the financial question. My once friend, though I suppose I must now call him my political enemy, MrFitzherbert, has gone Home as the /representative 1 of' this- question. I have' no' intention to enter iritb^detail, or to speak of .the , subject further>thsn this -by rio .amount of stock' jobbirtg; or working the' t ,6;racle on the stock exchange, can you get ( Out pf'tte N fact'that'you bwe,Beven millions ; 'youjbavegot it to. pay % there it is a jmillafipn^v found,' your heck. It matters not whether the' stock . ia . bought by any : Smiths, or, '. Browns- or. Jones, or by the stockbrokers Eothschild or Baring, you.-canl "only : escape by paying, principal and interest.' •! believe 'it will be the best thing that can happen to the Colony for our credit to be bo bad that we can't borrow..another,pixpence. „.1 wish to clear myself, of an imputation which,- has been cast on the Ministry of 1&33, to" which I' had the ' honor to: belong, 4 with reference to' the three million-loan) Mr Fitzherbert' says we spent-it,- arid in bis neat way adds, "after a scattered comes a gatherer." Well, the Domett Ministry, which we succeeded, gathered an army of 5000 men and a fleet of nine ' steamers, and had 'left us as a legacy a harassing and expensive war. The Parliament empowered us to borrow three." millions, of which we, the scatterers,'' spent L 1,200,000, "and ' the gatherers who followed the other 1i1,800,000. .When we , went out ,of office, MrFitzherbert told us and the public, that .we had overdrawn our bank account LBOO,OOO, and there was nothing to. pay it,. with, except the three million 10an..: It is +rue the New Zealand Bank has allowed us to overdraw, well knowing that there was L 1,000,000 ready to •be taken up by tlieir ' London agent when theypleased.* 'Mr Fitzherbert did 'not put the thing fairly.' What we did, "and the money : we expended, was not done by us, but ..by the united wisdom of the House ' of Ee.presentatives, and we had to .carry on a native warj&t to swamp a colony much larger and more powerful- than this. Look upon. the constitution in; any way you like, and turn it/as lyou will,; it is a democratic constitution-^riot republican. I am a devoted and loyal British subject, and I believe in a monarchial government. I believe., that, form- of government ha» aided materially in ,the present, advance-ment-;and prosperity... of Great. ,Britain, and I .also believe in a constitution which gives every man a voice' in the- affairs of the nation. I have studied carefully the constitution, and the state, of- affairs in America," and' I believe she is not a falling nation ;' .she has. never stood in a' prouder position, than at. the present' 1 time. ' She has just concluded the mightiest civil war that ever took place in the history of the world, and she has .done what! no nation ,ever did before, finished a, civil war without f establishing • a military,' despotism. Hereir is shown the strength ofv.a democratic constitution.' - Look at -her in byegone times, whenshewas' a contemptible British Colony- with'4o,ooo or-60,000 inhabitants. . Ndw'slier'is' prosperous and increasing, 1 • 4 with ( -a' population' of over thirty -.^millions;' s .' -She : can '.'hold her own 1 ' in"' * the, .face pf W'the . great powers' ••of" Europe,' l arid j: 'b?er ' flag i3respected, wherever .it gpes^ There are, no " doubt, faults' .in • our^'Gbvernment and our rulers, and there always will be faults;,. there wDl.be faulty., Superintendents, .and faulty Road Boards ; but I would tell 'you of one thing r ..the General Government are doing all they> can to draw attention to. faults in Provincial Go-vernmei-ts ; but I am • corifident 1 if you have one Central Government' you will have <a : worse -master." 'I -am in favor of democratic r institutions.'-' 'Th^. country does ,not' belong to 'the sheep-farmer, or any one class :' jthe country belongs to the peopled ' I hope to live and .die,, a good democrat^ doing all I can. for the-advance-'ment and prosperity of the people. MrFox said he had no other points to notice, unless any .gentleman knew of ; anything he omitted, or would like.tp question him upon anything he had not made clear.

; Some, recent accounts ■ from Queensland have induced numbers of diggers to leave the--West Coast. The Grey River ' Argus- of the 13th,inst. reports : — \* Eightyi-seven men left for that place yesterday, m the Tararua, and many more. are, talking ;of» going. „ For their information we may state that we have seen a letter -from the Queensland diggings giving a most deplorable account of the prospects of the men there. At the lat'st accounts there were about 80**0 men on the diggings, while only 25' • were.on gold ; _but even these could make no use of their good luck, for there was no "water to "be had in the vicinity ; and the writer of the letter, while he wishes ha had never left the' West Coast' expresses his belief; that in the course of a month the population now gathered" "together on the 'Queensland- diggings 'would be 'once more "scattered over the lace of- the earth."- *'< { <" ■" ■ <■ . • , ■ „i,lt will be recollected that, .during,' the late ■ gale at Hokitika, & man named Fur-ness was killed" by,,the falling of a tree, and that his wife.wa* .injured. , The woman has since died. . Thi-y have lett a family of five children unprovided for. .