THE NATIVE MINISTER AND MR BUTTON.

Waipawa Mail, Volume I, Issue 12, 23 October 1878, Page 3

THE NATIVE MINISTER AND MR BUTTON.

H' Sheehan ItMt Thursday made one of the rtrongest personal spec* he* ever delivered in the Houae of Representative*. The following report is from the New Zealander :

In going into Committee of Supply Mr Sutton reviewed the Native Policy of the Government, and r«*ad Home extracts from the printed papers laid ou the table of the House on native affairs. He did not conrider the position of native affairs improved wine*- the arcemion of the Government to offi -.e. He considered the statement on native affairs was unsatisfactory, both to the House and the country. The whole of the native transactions'for the past year had been a gigantic failure. The Hon. Mr Sheehan said that he should not reply to the member who had just spoken on the }*olicy of the Government, which he had arraigned. Tin‘re were some people on the other side of the House whom he could discuss matters fairly and freely, but not with the gentleman who hail last spoken. There were some people who were well qualified to turn King's evidence, and could tell t : e truth only as King’s evidence, and should only lie allowed to s|»eak in places where King’s evidence alone is heard. The hon. gentleman had charged the Premier and himself w.tli the distribution of lollies, and the playing of concertinas among the Maori people, but the hon. gentleman dealt not with lollies and concertinas, but a more deadly wea|ion. He bad referred to a newspaper correspondent who h;ul discUMoed a bottle of rum with Te Kooti, who was in the same pa with the Premier and the Native Minister; but no man knew better than the hon. gentleman the Use anil seductive |»ower of the ruin bottle with the native people. He had upbraided and laughed at the Premier for having given away a coat in the morning and uiiothcr in the afternoon, and had

caught a cold in eoii*«-qm-iice of so doing, but the honorable gentleman could never be charged with such an act of weakness lie never gave coats away, but striped to the Is-st of his ability the natives naked

ot their hinds and goods. He (the last •*|*-alter) complained of the Government making small advances on blocks of land, but the honorable gentleman bad made advances on mortgage as low as £;> on block* of land—blocks of 30,000 or 40,1 JIN I acres in extent—ami the process of ai - quisition went on slowly but surely until bis etui was achieved. The lion, gentleman did not like to l»e touched on tin* raw. for his life and soul and pocket were wrapped up in these affairs. lie (Mr Sheehan) warn «-Oi t nt and willing to ilbc-iuw native matters with a foe-lu-in wortiiy of his steel ; but such a fiN-iiian must tonic into Court with dean bauds—a thing the hoiiorabh* gentleman e«*uld not do. He (the Native Minister) bad been connect*-d with native affairs for lit :ny years, but lie had never bought or owned an a»-r*- of native land, although lie might have acquired thou-ands of acre*

for **otig. The last and culminating iti plan#*- of Mr Sutton's ingratitude to thosi w :•» had enriched him was his proposal U deny medical aid to the native people, m

happen -d when tli- House was last in Cointiiittee of Supply. He would not th - in- ill himself by answering the speech tli • House hail just heard—lie would only answer those wlm luul a reputation to l<> <• ami a stake in the country reputably «»b----t lined. Tlm- bon. gentleman was the

inveu tor, a propoumier. ami inventor id' that system of oriental ••finesse,” which was exemplified in the Hawke’s Bay Commission— a game pjaytsl like three-handed cuehn- in a public-lions lie ditl notd- a! with the natives openly wheu be wanted to purehasc land, be took them away from lh* ir home* and apart from their friends, and supplied them, even if ailing, not with a doctor but a stimulant; administered spirits to them, and when they were in a proper frame of mind proposed a loan and a mortgage, and then a deed of sale followed, and soon a transfer of lands became the result of the treatment. The honorable gentleman well understood this kind of native policy. Let him ask the native |M-op|e what they thought of his (Mr Sutton's) native policy, and their answer would lie that its results were drunkenness, poverty, and death. lie had no wish to touch the honorable gentleman, but if lu* continued to thrust himself forward, he (Mr Sheehan) would make it hot for him. But as to discussion, he would not discuss native matters with him at all. He would discuss tin native policy with any member of the House, of reputation, ami should Is- glad when the debate on native affairs came on, to discuss the matter, especially the Hon. Mr fox, who bad clean hands in all native affairs. The lion. Mr Fox said that he accepted the fair and manly challenge thrown out t<» him, *uid would take the opportunity offered him of discussing native affairs when the House again went into Committee of Supply.