Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price Id. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1886. A New Political Light.
The notorious Sydney Taiwhanga has come to tho front again. D will be remembered that this remarkable member of the Native race, a considerable time back, went on a self appointed mission to England to set forth the alleged wrongs of bis people before Her Majesty the Queen. Taiwhanga didn’t do any good by his mission, but he himself contrived to live in clover while staying in London, and finally got his passage paid back to the colony. On his return to Auckland, 8. Taiwhanga was pulled up by his wife for having deserted her and her children, leaving them utterly destitute while be was strutting as a great man in England. Then for a long time S. Taiwhanga retired into obscurity, but it seems that he got tired of that, and so the other day he turned up in Wellington .and began writing letters to the Times and Evening Post on things in general d > 9 case of the Native race in particular. j.llO proposition made by this distinguished personage in his letters are of a very remarkable character. Be proposed in his letter to the Times to set everything right in this colony by abolishing the present European Parliament and Government, and putting a Maori Parliament and Maori Ministry in their places. 8. Taiwhanga pointed out that if this salutary political change was carried out, then there would be no more commercial depression ; financial difficulties connected with the Government administration of affairs would altogether disappear ; the two races would amalgamate and everybody would be prosperous and happy. This was the substance of the notable suggestion for the remedy of “ political ills which New Zealand is heir to,” propounded by 8. Taiwhanga. We suppose that under the suggested new regime, the old man, King Tawhiao would be Premier, and 8. Taiwhanga Colonial Treasurer. No doubt Tawhiao—if be didn’t go on the bust and keep prowling around the country with a harem of waihines in attendance—would make an admirable Premier. Then Sydney Taiwhanga, as Colonial Treasurer, would " finance ” in a truly wonderful manner, which would cause Vogel to bide his diminished head in shame. 8. Taiwhanga has already shown groat ability in financing—with the money of other people—and in a more elevated and wider sphere as Colonial Treasurer, his abilities would have ample scope and verge for their display. It is, however, sad to think that a perverse and unbelieving generation of colonists are hardly likely to allow 8. Taiwhanga the opportunity of trying his grand new scheme of Government of the colony by a Maori Parliament and Ministry. 8. Taiwhanga is altogether in advance of his day and generation, so his sublime schemes will only bo treated with contumely and ridicule. But 8. Tuiwhauga propounded another scheme in a letter to tho Evening Post last week. In this last production, 8 Taiwhanga has got into a complete haze. Tho only idea which can be gathered from this letter is, " that the colonists and tho Maoris should band themselves together to settle the New Hebrides trouble and the Bulgarian difficulty.” >S. Taiwhanga doesn’t make it clear how those two questions are to be dealt with and nettled. His spelling, grammar, and sentences all go to form a composition which no human biiug can make either head or tail of. In truth, the letter reads like the production of au escaped lunatic, Most of the sentences are simply gibberish, and a mere farrago of words strung up together without sense or purpose. Yet it is a siugu lar fact that Sydney Taiwhanga, the writer of such rubbish contrived to go to England, mix among the leading men in London, and make some of them believe that he was actually the chosen representative sent by the Natives of New Zealand to lay their alleged wrongs before the Queen, Government and Parliament of Great Britain. It is astounding that an ignorant fellow like Sydney Taiwhanga, who cannot put a single sentence of English correctly together in writing, should have been able to sustain the character and position he did, for a short time, in England. Unbounded audacity and tremendous impudence will cairy a man a long way. Sydney Taiwhanga possesses both those qualities in a remarkable degree.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAIST18860920.2.4
Bibliographic details
Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1886, 20 September 1886, Page 2
Word Count
718Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price 1d. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1886. A New Political Light. Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1886, 20 September 1886, Page 2
Using This Item
No known copyright (New Zealand)
To the best of the National Library of New Zealand’s knowledge, under New Zealand law, there is no copyright in this item in New Zealand.
You can copy this item, share it, and post it on a blog or website. It can be modified, remixed and built upon. It can be used commercially. If reproducing this item, it is helpful to include the source.
For further information please refer to the Copyright guide.