PUBLIC MEETING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 4, Issue 191, 17 May 1860, Page 3

PUBLIC MEETING

TO CONSIDER MR. EOx’s LETTER

This meeting was held in the Theatre, on Thursday, the 10th inst. There was a large attendance. Thos. Powell, Esq., having been called to the chair, read the notice calling the meeting; when— Mr. Fox observed, that he dfd not know who were the originators of this meeting, and was not sure what they wanted' from him ; and of course would like to be informed on these points. Mr. G. Roberts mentioned, that he was the chairman of the meeting which issued- the notice that had just been read. Mr. M’Comish said, Last week we were all very much surprised at a letter from our member, Mr. Fox, giving his reasons for not signing our memorial approving of the conduct of the Governor.

iVow, in war time, we want right men in their right places, and cowardly, undecided men may keep the rear, or run away. The Governor and Mr. McLean are quite satisfied with Teira’s title, and they are right in carrying out the possession of the land. King and his tribe oppose this, and therefore I, and I hope all of you, consider, that if this has been done the war is justifiable. I believe the Governor and his able advisers would not have gone a step unless the title had been good, for it is on title that Mr. Fox grounds his want of decision. Mr. Fox rather believes in the assertion of a parcel of Maoris, many of them at a distance from Taranaki, who know little of the impudent provocations of this cunning chief. He has been the cause of murder and bloody strife for years there, and has kept the settlement very much back. And at present fhe settlers will be losers of all through him ; their fellows murdered—their farms destroyed—their nicely trimmed fences burned their homesteads ransacked and robbed —and their families broken up all because of Kingi’s usurped tyranny over our friendly natives. Does he not deserve punishment, and all who join him, even though there had been no treaty of Waitangi ? But Mr. Fox must wait till the Assembly decides for him. Surety, our opinions, who elected him, should be considered by him ; and if he hold opinions different from us, in which we have no confidence, I hope this meeting will respectfully ask him to resign his seat, and give us the opportunity of sending a man to the Assembly of the right stamp—who will be firm in his support of British authority, and not an unstable or rotten pile. Gentlemen, the Maori king movement is going ahead all over the island, and now is the time to put it down, else the white people are here only by the sufferance of natives and those who influence them. Let us be unanimous to a man for our Queen’s crown and country’s right. He then moved, that Mr. Fox be asked to explain bis letter. On which— Mr. Fox said, that before entering on any explanation in reference to bis letter, he must give the strongest denial to the insinuations of the last speaker, that either he or any other settler in the Rangitikei was wanting in courage iu the present emergency. They were not, as some whom he could mention, so situated, that if a party of travelling maoris came past, they could send into Wanganui and call out the volunteers in half an hour ; nor in case of an actual aggression could they take refuge under the guns of the fort before fighting for their lives. The Rangitikei settlers were on the very frontier of war—face to face with large bodies of natives —some absolutely intermixed, others, like himself, only separated from them by an easily fordable river; and while they remained at the post of duty and of danger, protecting their own homesteads and families, he threw back on the speaker with indignation, the insinuation that the Rangitikei settlers, or any of them, were less inclined, to face an enemy than any other Englishmen in the colony. As regarded the letter which ho had been requested to explain, he could-not understand what there was in it- that- required explana tion, Tlic speaker, who had preferred wh-u

he might call a bill of indictment against him, had condescended to no particular charge, but indulged in a mere tirade, based upon the assumption that he had. written something which in fact he had never written. The substance of his letter had been grossly misrepresented, not only by the last speaker, but by several writers in that day’s Chronicle, and most particularly by his friend Mr. Ross, whom he was sorry not to see at the meeting, Mr. Ross had boldly stated, iu inverted commas, as if it was a quotation from his (Mr. F.’s) letter, that he had said that he was “ impressed with the idea that the Governor was Wrong.” Mr. F. was surprised that a gentleman of Sir. Ross’s years and experience- should not know better than to give, in inverted commas, as an extract from his (Mr. Fl’s) letter, words which were never in it, words which he had neither written nor spoken, and which Mr. Ross had no rigid even to infer from anything lie bad written. He (Mr. F.) emphatically denied that he had ever stated or intimated that, which Mr. Ross asserted in inverted commas, and that which Mr. McComislt insinuated. He had heard that other persons also had been busy in running about representing his letter as containing these sentiments, which it never contained. And having; said thus much, he thought he had pretty well disposed of nine tenths of what had been said : and written against his letter, and he confessed', he was therefore altogether at a loss what he was required to explain about it. But I have a right (continued Mr. F.) to complaiu of the position in which I have been placed. Why am I here on the summons off my constituents ? Because I have refused to* sign a document in a part of which I could not concur, and have dared to state my reasons for doing so. Now, from whom did that document emanate ? It was a document which was intended to commit the electors of these districts to a most important opinion; and from whom did it proceed ? Who drew it up? Who was consulted about it? Who set it agoing ? Surety it would have been the proper course, before attempting to commit the constituency on so important a point, to have called a public meeting, which might havediscussed the' matter, and have prepared adocument which all might have signed. It was emphatically a-hole and corner document, and the last man almost who was asked to> sign it was their representative ! Now, he(Mr. F.) was one of the last men iu New Zealand to stand on questions of form or etiquette, but he did hold, that the relation between a* constituency and its representative entitled him to expect, that before such a document was put in circulation he should have had an opportunity off considering its contents, amt. suggesting any modification which might lit; desirable. It would' be liis duty, as their representative, to discuss all matters connected with this war iu the house of Representatives;. and surety he was entitled, he would not say to the courtesy, but to the fair play, of being consulted, before his constituency was asked to< sigii a document which might tie his hands in the Assembly. Had he been. consulted, lie - should have suggested a Memorial which,, while it expressed every, sentiment of loyalty,, would have aimed at a practical advantage,., which the framers of the document had apparently entirety overlooked. It would have been something as follows: —“ That while weabstain from expressing any opinion on the., justice or necessity of the war in which your Excellency has engaged, or on the manner in ■ which it has been conducted, we desire to express our strongest feelings of loyalty, and our determination to afford every support and* assistance towards the vindication of the authority. of the Crown in these islands. At the - same time, we take this opportunity of pressing upon your Excellency’s attention the unprotected position of the ouffeitlers in these districts, living upon the very 'frontier which separates the native from the settled districts, and face to face with large bodies of natives., with many of whom the rebels have close and. intimate relations. While we believe that in those outlying districts every military parado would be injurious in the extreme, and likely to promote aggression, we beg most respectfully to urge upon your Excellency the propriety of apportioning the arms at your disposal iu such' a way as to afford the outlying; settlers some prospect of defending their home- • steads and families in case of the present disturbance extending to these districts.” Had such a document as this been adopted he would have signed it as readily as auy colonist in tho room ; and he repeated, that he complained most strongly of the conduct of those who had prevented him from haviug a voice in the matter.

Well, then, what had• he done ? He had. refused to sign a document which would have committed him to an opinion upon a matter on which he had formed none, and he bad given his reasons for doing so. But he was told his letter was ill-timed —the public mind was too excited to bear such a check. He was not of that opinion. Had he refused to sign and given no reason, his enemies, if he had any, would have found reasons not creditable to him. He knew what was the fate of men who iu times of excitement dared to avow opinions not exactly those of the excited com--munity. But lie bad expressed no opinionlie had only expressed his determination to keep his mind unprejudiced, till he should havetlie evidence before him as a member of that tribunal before which these matters must ultimately come. He trusted that his constituents, knew too well the value of a representative who would-dare to take a stand at a period of excitement; and who would not fear to tell his constituents why he did so, though it might bring him to issue with themselves. He was aware that this discussion ...he issue, as to whether the relation between-

himself and the constituency of Jfanganui should continue or not. 2’hat relation was one which had been a source of gratification to himself at least, and he should be sorry if it were dissolved. But he could not accept of any decision, of this meeting on the question. If a majority of his - constituents should call upon him in writing to resign, his seat was at their disposal; he did not wish to retain it for hour if he had lost their confidence ; but this meeting was not his constituency, and he could not regard it as such. Mr. Treweek remarked, that he believed that the present disturbance was to be attributed in a great measure to missionaries, and he gave an instance of wrong which he said lie had himself suffered through one of them. He was well acquainted with a number of settlers at Taranaki, and so far as he could make out, the title of the land in question was supposed to be unimpeachable. Mr. G. Roberts asked Mr. Fox, if he had found great excitement in Wauganui ? Mr. Fox said, that really he could not answer that question. He had been only in the town an hour and a half as a culprit about to come before them, the judge and jury, and he had been too much occupied with his own case since he came in to observe how his judges felt. Mr. Roberts said, that he referred to excitement in regard to the war. Mr. Fox said, that he believed there was more excitement here than in the Rangilikei; he did not wonder at it. There the settlers were at a distance from each other, so that reports went slowly, and they were too much engaged in their own affairs to pay much attention to these reports. In reply to a question by Mr, Bryce—whether Mr. Fox was prepared to support the Governor in the present war, Mr. F. replied, that the Governor having commenced the war, it was the duty of every British subject to support him to the utmost; but the responsibility lay on his Excellency of having commenced it, and he maintained his right and duty, as their representative, to investigate the merits of the war when t]ie proper time should come.

Mr. Speed remarked, that in other provinces the Councils had encouraged the volunteer movement by obtaining firearms, &c. for the population, but here the Provincial Council had done nothing. Mr. Handley, M.P.C., replied, that he had sent two sons to the cavalry, and he did not see what more they could expect from him.

Mi’. Fox said, that there had been no opportunity to bring forward any proposal of the kind ill the Council, and that if any of the JFanganui members were to do so, that motion would be negatived by the large majority on the other side of the house. But he thought that the General Government had done wrong in keeping the arms in its afsenal for Auckland—and he would make this a cause of complaint if he were present at the next Assembly. Mr. G. Roberts stated, that his impression was, that Mr. Fox was in favour of the Maoris in this question. The excitement which prevailed at present was' a sufficient excuse for any misapprehension .of the letter. So firmly convinced are the inhabitants of New Zealand (he said) of the justice add necessity of the war, that I believe, if the Government were to intimate that we had the expenses to pay, we should say to a man, “ Go bn then with it.” The impression here is, that the war in Taranaki is connected with the king movement, and that therefore it must be brought to asatisfactory close. Mr. M’Comish then moved a resolution to the following effect,— “ That Mr. Fox having satisfaction of this meeting explained his letter, and said that the Governor should prosecute the war now begun, and that British authority should be supported in these islands, this meeting of the constituents of Wanganui tender him a continuance of their support and said, that as Mr. Fox had explained, that he was ready to lay down his life if necessary in the prosecution of the Avar, and believing that Mr. Fox was a true and courageous Rangitikei'rifleman, he could not do less than propose such a motion. Mr. Watt, in seconding the resolution, said, that he felt satisfied with the explanation that had been made. He confessed, that he thought the letter ill-timed; but the peace and quietness that prevailed in Rangitikei might well induce Mr. Fox to suppose that his letter would produce no greater commotion here than it would have done there. He considered that this was not the time for considering how the Avar originated. It must uoav be carried on, and the greater the energy and vigour in doing so the better. Mr. Watt referred to Mr. Speed’s question as to the Council encouraging the volunteer movement, and explained, that as the Council had not been in session while that movement Avas going on, it Avas impossible that any action could be taken. He continued, — “ I consider that though we are hoav engaged so much Avith the Avar, we should not lose sight cf other matters of no less importance. The next meeting of the Assembly will bo a most im-. portant one; for it is most likely that in it will be decided the great question of Centralism or Provincialism, liberty or despotism, or if ai o shall be governed by a democracy or an oligarchy. I think that this would be a most improper time to weaken the hands, of our representative, and I therefore second Mr. MeComish’s resolution.

Mr. Broughton, in proposing an amendment on Mr. M.cComish’s resolution, said, lie observed that Mr. Fox, throughout his speech jn justification of his letter, though he pledged himself to support the war now it was commenced, carefully avoided pledging himself to

support the policy of the war in the general council, where it Avould be discussed, though the address to the Governor, signed by upwards of 370 of the inhabitants, warmly ex pressed their “ approval of the policy.” He desired, therefore, in the terms of his amendment, that the meeting should request their representative, Mr. Fox, not only to support the war, but the policy which led to it. If Mr. Fox declined to do so, then he no longer represented the sentiments of his constituency, and though lie (Mr. B.) admitted the great talent and ability of Mr. Fox, yet if these were to be employed against tbe wishes and opinions of his electors, it would be better for them were he a mere dolt, than possessed of the abilities of an angel, if they were to be employed against the principles and Avishes of his constituency ; then, indeed, Ave should not be represented, but misrepresented, by the hon. gentleman in the General Assembly. As an objection might be raised to the representative pledging himself, upon the grounds that it seemed an anomaly to send a man to a deliberative assembly pledged to advocate any particular principle, he Avould ask them to remember, how was the reform bill passed, but by pledging the candidates to support that measure ?—and how Avere the corn laws abolished, but by pledging the candidates to support the hill for their destruction ? In the 61st year of the 19th century, reasoning against such a pledge was entirely out of the question. He could not, nor could those who signed the address to the Governor, honorably stultify that act. Mr. Broughton disclaimed acting in concert with any one—these Avere his own principles suggested at the moment. He concluded by moving the following amendment,---^

- That this meeting calls upon Mr. Fox to support in the General Assembly, not only the prosecution of the AA r ar, but the policy which produced it.” Dr, Rees, in a few well-chosen words, seconded the amendment.

Mr. H. B. Roberts strongly disapproved of tying up our representative as the amendment proposed. He did not see hoAV any man could bind himself to approve of he did not know what. He regretted that Mr.*Fox should, at such a time, have Avritten the letter which had brought them together. The Maoris had already got hold of it, and were congratulating themselves on the sentiments which it led them to suppose Rangetiara Fox entertained towards them.

Mr. Harding, we understood, spoke against the amendment, as curtailing the liberty of our representative far too much. Mr. Fox said, that he most strongly objected to it, as requiring him, not to explain his letter, but to unsay it. He would certainly not do that. He Avas astonished to hear a proposition made in an assembly of Englishmen, that he should bind himself to support the Governor’s policy, right or wrong. No one knew yet Avhat his policy was, and he Avould certainly not acoept of any instructions which would place his conscience in any hands hut his own. Every Englishman in the colony was bound to tender his property and his life, in support of the authority of the CroAvn, and to carry arms in support of the GoA r ernor till the war was over; but he Avould never submit to abandon his right to inquire Avhy the Avar was commenced, and how it had been carried on. Mr. Watt also opposed the amendment as quite unreasonable. On the motion and amendment being put from the chair, the motion was carried. A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the proceedings.