SIR GEORGE GREY AND THE MAORI PRISONERS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1085, 3 August 1880, Page 2

SIR GEORGE GREY AND THE MAORI PRISONERS.

[Auckland Free. Laiice.'] ;■ xSjr Geokge Giiey, the member for/the " whole human race " and the Thames, . when opposing the Maori Prisoners' Bill, could not have realzed the quantity of catching that would be required when . his tawny proteges were again " wanted " —which would not be very long after they were o.nce upon their "native heath.." The last lot the hon. member " tied loose " killed a full tally of Pakehas after they left the Kawau, and they^are not caught yet ; in fact they turned "vampires" right off ; the ungrateful wretches did not even give the customary three cheers for the gre^t Liberator. We are told these innocents are British subjects, that " liabeas corpus " " Magua Charter," the " Bill of Rights, "'• and heaven knows what all besides will be the matter if we do not loose a regiment .of dangerous. lunatics upon the settlements of the British colonist.- There never was, and never will be, in %c < whole of Sir George Grey's constituency, a more dangerous ,or untrustworthy class of lunatics than these fanatical savages — insane followers of a half -mad leader. Any crazy quirk may set- them murdering all before them ; it is more in. their line than ploughing.. Yet the , ( hp.n. member says we should let' Hhein 1 goi "'"A pretty responsibility truly for a "Ministry to undertake. Prevention Is-better than I cure; Let the Maories stop in jail ; it i is easier to patch, up Magna Charta than to restore life to a murdered settler. Magna Charta forsooth ! Magna Humbug ! These fellows are no more British subjects' than so' many wolves. They are subjects so long as they are in a cage but no longer; iSelf-preservation gives us the right to confine them to the end of their natural lives if necessary ; just as we would do with our own dangerous madmen. It is absurd to call people British subjects who are beyond the power of British law and against whom we- dare not enforce the law ; neither ,can we iairly call them rebels ; they are; notwithstanding bur so-called Treaty and our absurd theories founded thereon, virtually a foreign people, to be fought with .or negociated with, as may suit our temporary purpose, and this, : in our opinion, is the common-sense view to take of the Maori difficulty, the conquering view, for Time fights on our side. We may cctil the Maories British subjects, but if we are to live in the same country with them we must act as if they were not. Theorise as we may, 'there. is at present no other course to practise. ' ' '