PUBLIC MEETING.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XVII, Issue 868, 13 March 1869, Page 2

PUBLIC MEETING.

DISCUSSION ON THE PRESENT FORM . OF GOVERNMENT. , T The settlers assembled in the Taranaki Institute on Tuesday last, at 3 o'olook, to resume their discussion of the following resolution :— " That this meeting is of opinion that the present form of Govern tnoufc is not competent to cope with the Native difficulty, and would earnestly petition the British Government to suspend the Constitution ; and that this meeting elect a committee to draw up the petition and obtain signatures." There was a large attendance of settlers and the meeting was a very ordarly one, Mr. Northcroft occupy, ing the chair. Mr. Chilm&n opened the, discussion by saying that if no person was prepared 10 address the meeting in support of the resolution, he was ready to state what was to be said against it. On the previous evening no argument had been brought forward that it was advisable for them to petition the Home Government to suspend the Constitution Aot, therefore he would have liked those who advocated the resolution to speak first, and would sit down for a few minutes to see if anyone bad anything to say. Mr. W. J. Wells : All the difficulties the settlers were now encountering was through their preseut form of government. He had just had put into his hand an exiraot from a newspaper, which he would read to the meeting.— [Mr. Wells then read a letter from the oaptain of the schooner who had taken the settlers from Poverty Bay, after the massacre there, in which the writer stated that he had applied to the Government for recompense for so doing, and had been refused.] — He sup. posed that was true. At the present time a great many of their friends in England would be grieved to hear what had befallen them. There were many under the British rule and they were satisfied, but those in Nevv Zealand who were nnder the present form of government were not. Let them have English laws and English Governraent; their motto was deeds, not words. They had had a week to consider the resolution, and he did uot thiuk any had altered their opinion. Mr. Bassett would say a few words in support of the resolution. He felt he was entitled to discuss the manner and way the Government was carried on. Mr. Bayly had told them of many of the evils which existed previous to the passing of the Constitution Aot ; and had said that they now had power to remedy anything that was wrong at an eleotion, and could turn their members out if they did not do their duty. As so much had been' said of what had happened previous to the Constitution Aot coming into force, he would mention a few things that had happened since; where their liberty had been interfered with by the Provincial and General Governments. When the Provincial Council was first elected of course they expected valuable results ; but what did they gut ? One of their first aots was to put the sore w upon Capt. King and Mr. Cutfield. The people used to be allowed to pasture their oattle in the town and to spite those gentlemen the Council made a lawpreventing the settlers from driving their cattle aoross the Huatoki more than once a day. — [The Chaikman called Mr. Bassett's attention to the faot that he was not keeping to the resolution.] — He thought he was keeping to the subject, for if that was the birthright they talked so tnuoti about he was ready to sign its death warrant at ouoe. His Honor the Superintendent told them the other evening that his brother Mr. J. C. Richmond was endeavouring to do everything chat was possible to suppress the war. He had no doubt of that, but still they found very little was done, and what had been done was wroug. Take for instance the reward of £1,000 that was offered for Tito Kowaru — not dead — but alive. He had not the slightest doubt that ten thousand oaths were sworn over that proclamation. It was a deliberate insult instead of a premium. If the Government had said £1,000 for him dead or alive, the volnuteers would have shown some energy. Another point was that the expenditure was so ruinous as to utterly impoverish the country and it was difficult for the ministry to grasp it iv anyform. He was told that they had a loan of £7,000,000 to pay interest for, and were taxed accordingly. And what did the General Assembly oonsistof, but ofgentlemen who tight which should hold the champion belt. The members did not seek to ascertain what would benefit the country most, but who should hold the champion belt. He sometimes thought that they were really in a worse position thau when Captain Fitzroy was here. Some gentlemen had suggested borrowing three mill. ous of money. If they did, he believed that one-fourth would bo spent in extravagant salaries. He had heard that £20,000 was spent in printing, and he had not the slightest doubt that five to ten thoasaud pounds would have to be spent in the contest for the champion belt next session. One party trying to turn the other out, while the settlers were in the dark as to what they were doing. They were told that there was not a shilling to bestow on the unfortunate Bettlers who had been driven into town from their homes, who had had to leave there little " all" behind. Ie was time to rouse themselves when they found that they must either remain on their farms and be tomahawked, or by ooming iuto town bo starved to death. It was time to ask the Home Government to vouchsafe that protection which was his birthright and his pride. Mr. Dingle said that it would take him a week to say all he wanted to on the subject, but he would try and confine himself to the resolutiou. The native difficulty, and the present war were the first subjects he would " handleize." TheGovernmeut, he considered, were" warring" against themselves by giving the natives guns ; and in other cases when natives were troublesome they gave them food and raiment to keep them quiet, — the flour and sugar policy. They had said there was peace when there was no peace, for they were always at war. They did not know the natives who were friendly, and they might Walk about the town and then go and murder the settlers in the out-distriots ; how were they to distinguish rebels when they came in P He considered it would be cheaper not to give the natives either guns, sugar, flour, blankets, or anything. The present Government was not worthy of that name — for it was a farce. If a murder was committed by the natives did the Government go and seek those murderers ? No ! Then what good was their Constitution ? He preferred the English Government, whp were strong, and who wonld go and tako the murderers and hang them. There was a saying, " Man know thyself," but they did not know themselves, for they had been as if under a tub, and knew nothing. The present Government was a disgrace to the country. Mr. Chum an said he mast own th»t he had heard very little as yet whioh related to the question under discussion. The last two speakers had only dwelt on enbjeots ■which, could be rectified by the Constitution they were nnder without appealing to the home country. Mr. Dingle had pointed ont one thing with regard to the natives, bat that could be rectified by an Act of the Ausembly, without having the Constitution suspended. He should be sorry to return to such a state of things as they had before the Constitution was given them . Mr. Bassett had referred to Captain Fitzroy's time, some twenty years ago. He (Mr. C.) woold give him a few instances of what happened then, to show him what au irresponsible Governor could do. The first blow was upon the Mongaraka settlers. They bad bought their land, and were residents on it, when Captain Fitzroy told them they must leave that district and take other land in its place, and the Mongaraka settlers had to leave their land to the natives. This was the first blow to Now Zealand — letting the ' natives know that they could do what they liked. Another act of Governor Fitzroy'a was to do away with the Customs duties and impose a property tax. After whioh he was recalled, just as he was getting the Colony ioto an almost inextricable mess. Then if they looked back to a time previous to Governor Fitzroy'a rule, wheu the Wairau massacre took place, several of the settlers j were going ro avenge the murders, bat j were Btopped by Governor Shortland. Tho Wanganu» people, too, would remember s little of what they Buffered from an irresponsible

Governor. If they got rid of tho present Constitution, it was most probable they wonld have a military Governor sent oat from home to pat down the natives, and the settlement would be under military rale. If, however, the Home Government did not send out 10,000 troops to pub down the war, in all probability the colonists would be made do it themselves, and we should have military authority to obey.— [A Voice : And a good job too]. What ! was it so long ago that they did not remember being cooped up in the town, and the compulsory sending away of their wives and children, that they wanted suoh a state of things over again p God forbid that he should ever see New Plymouth like that again. They were under military rule when Dr. Hope and Lieutenant Tragett were murdered ; yet it did not save them. He maintained that ihe present form of Government was fit to oope with the difficulty. General Cameron with his 10,000 men occasionally met with reverses ; was it at all surprising then that their small Colonial forces should meet the same. A great mistake, he admitted, was made by the Government in treating the military settlers as they did, and thus getting rid of them. If '-hey oould only manage to drive roads through Lhe islaud, and erect blockhouses, ho believed their difficulties would soon vanish. There was one thing he would call the attention of the meeting to. They passed a resolution requesting the Governor to call the Assembly together, to take into consideration their present difficulty, and now they were going to petition the Queen to suspeud the Constitution. They would stultify themselves completely by doing so. Mr. Upjoun gave some illustrations of what had been done in England wheu a Government had opposed the wishes of 'he people. He oousiderod that the Native Minister was a great humbug, but bad as his opiniou was of him politically, he believed he would resign if asked by his constituents. He blamed those who were now clamoring for the Constitution to be suspended, for not exercising their priviliges by putting in men to look after their interests. He recollected when Mr. J. C. Richmond was proposed for the district he represents, they found 'that there were not sufficient electors present to return him as a member ; there were two present (they wanted three) and they had to get another to come in so that they might have a proposer, peoonder, and candidate. They should not find fault now at what was being done, afier showing such indifference to their interests. They should examine their candidates and taken oare that they carried their wishes out, if they did not, call upon them to resign. He would advise them to beware of introducing the military element into the place, and to get rid of the " White Maoris" as soon as pe-Bsible. Mr. Charles Brown had told them before he went to the Assembly, that Tito Kowaru oould not bring more than 100 men into the field, and yet that rebel managed to keep a large force from hurting him. And Mr. Scotland likewise had said much against the settlers in favour of the Maoris. The Major called them (the settlers) a mob. He wished, no doubt, to put them down. It was this class that they wanted to get rid of. This was a young country and yet they had a, long pension list. The Native Office, (which they wanted done away with) would be kept on by the iluglish Government, if tho Constitution was suspended ; and they would have to turn out and do militia duty for one shilling a day, as they did when General Pratt came down, when but for their own Constitutional Government they would not have got any more. Mr. Jackson spoke strongly in favour of retaining the Constitution, and considered thac if they had roads made through the country, the greater part of their difficulties would be over. He advised them to keep their Constitution, but they oould at the same time ask the Home Government for assistance. " Catch" was a good dog, but " hold fast" was better. He considered they ought to compel their members to pledge themselves to act as they wished them. Mr. Callaohan asked Mr. Wells if ho would withdraw his resolution, and substitute the following in its place, which had at least 300 signatures attached. Leave having been granted Mr. Callaghan read as follows :—": — " That the successive disasters sustained by the Colonial levies on the West Coast, and the recent indiacriminate massacre of men, women, and children at Poverty Bay on the East Coast, and at the White Cliffs, in this Province, prove to your memorialists that the New Zealand Government, as at present constituted, can afford no adequate protection for life and property — the protection of the outlying settlements, the patting an end to the present disastrous state of native affairs, and asserting the supremacy of the law. Your memorialists believe this cannot be done, and the destruction of the settlers averted, unless your Majesty's Government interfere for their preservation by sending an adequate force under able command, with simple, but positive orders to make this part of tbe Colony secure ; with power, if necessary, temporarily, partially, or wholly, to suspend the present Constitution. Your memorialists therefore humbly implore your Majesty to issue your Royal Commission to inquire into the state and Government of this Colony ; and to cause suoh measures to be adopted, as your Majesty may deem necessary, to stay the effusion of blood, and prevent the destruction of this settlement, and, with it, the North Island of New Zealand, whiob is now imminent. And your memorialists, as in, duty bound, will ever pray." Mr. F. A. Caebington here rose and said there was no doubt but that the petition would be referred to General Cameron. When General Cameron came to New Zealand, tbe Government! sent for him to ask his (Mr. Carrington's) opinion of what should be done for the safety of Taraaaki, General Cameron said to him, " Mr. Carringtony I must have a road cut from Tataraimaka to tha Wai tar a — a good metalled road ; then there must be three roads cut inland, and I leave to your own discretion where to make two tie lines ot road aoro^s j when you have done this your settlers aio secure." He (Mr. Carrington) oaine down here to do as he was directed, and commenced (as was well known to tho people here) ; but what it was to be done for was not known to anybody but the Superintendent (C. Brown), and Colonel Warre, Ke would rather hava beon spared from saying this, but wheu that petition weut home, General Cameron will say, "I told them how to make themselves secure, and they would not do it." Mr. Cobney here rose and said it was time the working class took their affUire into their own hands. The Government told them they had no money, and yet they appointed two majors to look after one hundred men. The majors had £600 each he was told. This money would keep over thirty ftmilies of the poor settlers that bad been driven in for ever so long. The Government were all drones. It was all very well for those gentlemen who htwi spoken to get Tjp and show them the dark side of the affair, that they should have Sir George Grey sent them, but suppose they sbbwed them the other sido. Perhaps the English Government might' send out Colonel Gore Browne, to govorn them. What had the aristocracy as he might call them done for the place. They could not show him one man who had done anything for the plaoe — [Mr. D. Atkinson : What abont Major Atkinson.]— Wei), what had he done he wanted to know. Ho had got them blindfolded into a room and told them they could do without the troops, and that they oould fight our own battles ; but his fighting was to 'put his salary into his pocket. These militia officers drew their salaries, and sat by the fire and did nothing, but the poor Bottlers might starve, or pat a rope round their own and children's necks for all they cared. With regard tobeing under Military law, he considered they were much better off 1 after General Cameron came, than before. The officers that used to sit by their fireside had to turn out and do duty after he I catno. He did'ut think the working maa. ehc'Uld be put down by the aristocracy of tb» plaba any longoi*, and it waa time that they (the wojrking men) spoke their mind. Some were in fchfe books of the tradesmen, but never mind that, lei them etand op for their rights. |Mr. Cailaquan contended that they required a Stronger power than thair own to put dowp the native difficulty. What benefit, he would aak» v

did they derive from tho present Constitution ? He had not heard anyone tell them. Before they had the Constitution they paid 17s. 6d. per head as tares; now it was over £4. Without any prospect of the war being settled, the Government were running up an enormous debt. How were these, expenses to be met ? —[A Voice : By taxes.] —He thought England would be able to manage it better for ns than we could ourselves. Mr. Vivian was surprised at what he had heard fall from several of the speakers. He firmly believed that there were not. tiftoen who could tell him what their Constitution consisted of; and before they asked to have it taken away they should ascertain that. They all wanted one thing, —and that was peace, and the natives put down; but hero they were quarrelling and divided about the way it should be done. They were bnt a small village, and yet they could not be unanimons. He would propose as an amendment, " That a Joint Committee of the two parties be appointed to draw up a petition to her Majesty." He thought they should be unanimous, or they would go to the ground. Mr. Hulke spoke strongly against the resolution, saying that they wished to surrender their political rights for a shadow. Mr. Callaghan wished to know in what way they benefited by their Constitution. He could tell him, that without it they would not have been allowed to speak as they had that day in a public room. Mr. Callaghan had said they were better off before they had their free Constitution. He denied it. He did not suppose that all the members were like Colonel Haultain ; and if any of them did not do what was right, he believed if asked by their constituents, they would resign. Before they had representative institutions, not £500 a year was spent in the place ; now they had their share of the revenue. The speaker then brought several other arguments forward, and concluded by Baying that the fault rested with themselves, through their apathy in not using their political rights at elections; they blamed others for what they were really to blame themselves. Mr. Upjohn here seconded Mr. Vivian's amendment. Mr. Glediiill said that Mr. Corney had told them that the working men must now look to themselves. He could only tell them that they had themselves to blame to some extent for noc exercising their political power. The speaker then gave several instances where the people had received harsh treatment from Governor Pitzroy, also told them how England was situated before the Reform Bill was passed, and what the British had sufferel to obtain, that which they were so ready to relinquish. He concluded by saying if they now votod their liberty away he did not believe their children would ever see another Constitution in these islands. His Honor the Superintendent said he had listened to several clever speeches from the speakers on both sides. Mr. Bassett's was exceedingly creditable. There was one or two points however on which he would speak. It had been said that Governor Browne might be again sentonthere. Native affairs were not at all settled in this distriot when Governor Browne arrived, and he consulted with Mr. McLean who was for quieting everything over with what was called the flour and sugar policy. Therefore if any other Governor was to be sent out, it was but natural to suppose that he would also apply to Mr. McL ;aa for advice. And what was the native policy of Mr. McLean ? He happened to have had a conversation with him, when he first came to the settlement, and his (Mr. Richmond'B) ideas were that as an Englishman he conld not live where the liberty of one race was sacrificed to that of another. He spoke in this strain to Mr. McLean and received for an answer " Oh! they'll all die out and we must wait." But that might be longer than was desirable. One of the speakers had abused Major Atkinson- It was not like an Englishman, it was unfair to sppak thus of a gentleman who was not present,'of whom it was acknowledged that in his Military capacity he had succeeded with his bush party in effectually driving the natives from the vicinity of the town; and in the Assembly he had fought bard and got the settlers compensation for their losses. His Honor then went on to say that if they sent the petition they proposed to Her Majesty, it would have no effect, for the present institution would not be altered at the wish of a small community, without the General Assembly likewise agreed to it. If the present Government would not adopt a reasonable policy be would wish to see them tamed out. He oonld not believe that Mr. Gladstone, if all he had heard and read of him be true, would allow the lives and liberties of the settlers to be endangered without affording them some reasonable help, and they should therefore try for that before they talked about asking for the suspension of the Constitution Act. Mr. Hulke and Mr. Bayly then addressed the meeting, when a suggestion was thrown out to the proposers of the resolution —that if they consented to withdraw the objectionable words with reference to the suspension of the Constitution, . they would not oppose iv It was then put to the meeting that those words should be struck out, which was unanimously agreed to. Mr. Hulke then moved, Mr. D. Atkinson seconded, and it was agreed to, " That a Committee of five persons be appointed to draw up a memorial to his Excellency the •Governor, and the Legislative Assembly, setting forth that the present state of insecurity for life and property, in this and other agricultural settlements in the North Island, is such as to paralyse the industry of the settlers, and put a stop to colonisation ; and praying that prompt and energetic measures be ab once taken to pnt down the present rebellion, and permanently subdue the disaffected tribes, so that the settlers may re-occupy their lands in safety." The following gentlemen were then appointed as a committee to draw np the memorial: — Messrs. XV. Halse, Hulke, Callaghan, GledhiU, and TJpjohu. The meeting terminated at about 7 o'clock. From our limited space we are unable to give more than the prayer of the memorial to her Majesty, whioh is now in course of signature. " That the successive disasters sustained by the Colonial levies on the West Coast, and the recent indiscriminate massacre of men, women, and children at Poverty Bay on the East Coast, aod at the White Cliffs in this Province, prove to your memoralists that the New Zealand Government can afford no adequate protection for life and property, the protection of the outlying settlements, the pnttiug an end to the present disastrous state of native affairs in the Colony, and asserting the supremacy of the law. Your memorialists believe this cannot be done and tho destruction of the settlers averted, unless your Majesty's Government interfere for their preservation by sending an adequate foroe, under able command, with simple bat positive orders to make this part of the- Colony secure. Tour memorialists, therefore, humbly implore your Majesty to cause such measures to be adopted as your Majesty may deem necessary to stay the effusion of blood and prevent the destruction of this settlement, and with it the North Island of New Zealand whichis now imminent j and your Memorialists, as in duty bound will evor 1 pray, &o." , * ) j