THE WANGANUI CHRONICLE AND RANGITIKEI MESSENGER. "Vérité sans peur.” Wanganui, August 22, 1861.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 5, Issue 249, 22 August 1861, Page 3

THE WANGANUI CHRONICLE AND RANGITIKEI MESSENGER. "Vérité sans peur.” Wanganui, August 22, 1861.

If wliat everybody says must be true, there is a fair chance'of Six Geo. Grey gaining new laurels - during liis second ' residence in New Zealand. There'is'-'certainly no one so likely as lie to induce the natives to come to terms without bloodshed, and it must be the ardent wish of every man of common humanity that his success unay be equal to the expectations raised. The powerful force at his back will no doubt be a weighty argument, even though his terms should not be more favourable than those'of Governor Browne. No has his instructions from the Home Government. He knows what he has to do, - and wliat metuis, he has to do it with ; and if he show the same decision and energy here as in Kaffirlaud, the question of peace or war will be decided in a few weeks. As we believe he placed bis services at the disposal of the Government., their acceptance of bis offer does not imply any change in their views as to, the objects to, be effected. ' . '

The principal business in the house of Representatives has. been, Mr. [Food’s Financial Statement, and A/r. Richmond’s vote of Want of Confidence in his Excellency’s responsible advisers. 7')ie former was characterised by considerable ability, and showed the colony—apart, from, the war be in a good position..:.The : dtirlng the past year

,wa5' £ 228,85.6, against £ 202, 1 71 »n-.the- preViqusvyear, ; ,t&d the against £2l in WpArious year. I here is a hekvy " Wr’ Irift-'M- k£9o,'oo.oi besides a cl aim by the Commissariat of *120,000 for advances made, in the, arming pfjhe militia, maintenance of the troops, &A- Lpe debate on Mr. Richmond’s motion ..took place ott the -lst. - It was l.at by. 26, to 2o,amt the fthhouncerfient of the result,was received with cheers; iOur member spoke on *lllO occasion, but did not vote, at which from the, tenor of his speech we are surprised... fVe.tegret that we have nofc:.room Tor his remarks, whiclv will be given next week.

The Colonial Secretary announced in the house, on’the 6th iust., that the' Governor had determined to discontinue the organisation of the militia. - This will be felt as a relief, but action should be taken Jto have the more objectionable parts of the act repealed. Ihey are fairly and temperately stated in the letter of our correspondent ' Nunquam non Paratus, and we would suggest ' that' a' memorial'be transmitted to .the. .Assembly, requesting to have the alterations effected with all speed.

Our contemporary the Hawke's Bay .Herald, we observe, is sorely piit about by accession of Mr. Fox’s party to power,- and professes to be afraid that should they continue in that position, there is no hope of an equitable adjustment between the two new provinces in regard to the debt contracted by the original province of-‘Wellington. We suspect the Herald's idea of -equity - is like that held by the divine regarding orthodoxy,—“ Orthodoxy,” said he, “is my doxy.” Aw “ equitable adjustment,” in the Herald’s opinion, is an adjustment which will relieve the province of Hawke’s Bay of its share of the interest. Having thus a strong feeling of aversion to the new ministry, the Herald has fastened on their proposed action in native affairs as a weak part of their policy, and in discussing it has quoted a paragraph from an article that appeared in this paper as illustrative of the course Mr. Fox will pursue, the Chronicle being, it is said, “ wholly in Mr. Fox’s, interest.” In common honesty we must dfscljiim the honor, which the Herald's remarks would also imply belongs to us, of being in Afr. Fox’s confidence. It has so happened, that we coincide with Mr. Fox in his opinion of the incapacity of, the late ministry,—manifest, not merely in their utter want of any powers of administration, but in their 7/erculean energy in manufacturing statutes, which they point to as the proud monument of their wisdom and ability as statesmen Take for instance the public bills introduced last year into the hoiise. of Representatives. Thirteen of these were introduced by private members, eight of which passed. Of the other five, three related’ to'„ the Land /Revenue //pprdpriation act (Hr. -Featherston’s attempt to wrenchTrOm the grasping ,hands of the ministry the one-sixth of tlie land revenue they had illegally appropriated); one related to the New Provinces act, a- d the fifth to Crown (7rants. Nineteen of the public bills were introduced by ministers, eleven of which passed, and eight were withdrawn or negatived or lapsed. JThat an utter destitution of legislative ability do these figures disclose ! In a session which/- tjiey began with an overpowering majority, they ‘ were able to carry only eleven out of their nineteen projects of law. Just think of these rejected proposals having been adopted—among them the Native! Offenders bill and the Militia, bill—and into what dire confusion and ruin would this poo£ country have been plunged ! Now the question was—-’Can no better men than these be induced to take the reins of government ? By common consent Mr.,Fox was the individual, fitted by his long residence in the country, bis intimate acquaintance ; with its constitution, its resources, and its inhabitants, by his acknowledged ability, by his consistent and honest political course, and by his well known energy,-to take Mr. Stafford’s place. Thus it is that we have been in Mr. Fox’s interest; because we believed him and his political colleagues most capable of extricating the colony from it 6 present difficulties, and placing it on

the fairway to prosperity. But th e Herald is deceived in supposing there is any further connexion with Mr. -Fox, such as that we give at: exposition of his views and intentions. Nothing, we believe, lias ever appeared in this paper written by him to which' bis name lias not been attached. And not jn the remotest degree lias he, through private channels, directly or indirectly influenced us in.any opinion expressed regarding himself or his political movements. the Herald quotes from oar pages is simply our own opinion of what the necessities of the case call for, and of wliat.. so far as our information from other sources goes, may be something like the course followed. As for the Bishop, whom the Herald introduces into his article, he and Archdeacon //adfield have been flaunted so often before the public, with much the same object as the Spanish matador lias in flourishing a red rag before the bull he wishes to excite, that the device 1/as become stale, disgusting, ard we hope ineffective.. The press have themselves greatly to blame for the prominent place'which these ele.rgymen have had in the wordy war-| fare ..that has been ,wageil during a period of; sliapaefui inaction in the field. At one indeed, his Excellency the Governor was aj' very secondary personage,.beside the rch- ( deacon-—whose name and opinions £and. actsj were, (to judge from the space given to. them•: in the newspapers), of far greater weight andj< influence than those of all the civil Junction-, i aries in the island together., . Now the mis-, take fcas at length'btieii seen. .Now it is e.vi-J dent, that the influence of these gentlemen inp political matters, wlietlierdierd' or at home, is! infinitely.less than almo.s£~ everybody was so

willing, not long-ago, to believe. ! The device, therefore, of parading the Bishop a's Fox’s coadjutor, in order to excite popuiar>ii|trij|t4 much less indignation, is we trust ••ho'w ,l &s harmless as it is puerile. jj,* The Herald 'considers'" tlitr tCrmV'wtimlV’We suggested might safely.be added to the Governor’s ultimatum , to!) the Maoris to y ( fe3i' “ bribe,” continuing!' lb ‘them, imf reality- the same position as they occupy kingship in reality,”—“ for lip4oyatty-~-it'bare acknowledgment of the Qneeh’s siiprCniacyv’ Our contemporary ought to know, that theGovernor’s terms include, not only the taking of the oath of allegiance to her. Majesty, but also obedience to the law.'. Surely; that; R more than lip loyalty. By the kinship ill reality we suppose our contehiporaify lias

reference tb our suggestions ‘ should be allowed to uso their-present king, oi: any other person they might choose, as a trus-? tee; of their lands. 7’lie propriety of this seemed so obvious, and their.-!right! teat;! so clear if they are to continue to be British snUv. jec|s, that it did not seem to us at all necessary to enlarge on it. It is true, that, this office of trustee is really the'bfflc‘e : Ifehr by' their present king ; but it does not follow that because he might continue to hold tlie office of trustee, therefore he continued to' hold the office of king. Supposing all the settlers, in ascertain district of the country, were so greatly given to gambling at a certain .period of the year, as to be in’danger of losing’ their lands when the fit came on ; it would surely be quite lawful for them to vest their property in one or more trustees, to be held byTlierth for behoof of their families, so that a fatal throw of the dice might not endanger: ihd of those dependent on them. But the trustee would not be king., over that laniL,..Xj>.is is precisely the position Aye would aljow.the jMaori king. The natives fear that they y will lose their lands, because they! have not, Hie moral courage to resist ‘the offer of gold tor them, and they vest them for security in a trustee. Who shall say that this privilege should be denied, or that the liberty to exercise it is an improper concession ? The Herald says, “ Political privileges, instead of being l'bsierVed for a peaceable people^.ljviug under arn^. obeying the laws, be offered , 'in lip loyalty,” &c. This we presume is one of tiie privileges referred to; anotherjs, .the liberty to sell their-land ..under .ceH4pvs:egulutions to any one that ftifl biiy ; a|d|t||,third; that we should govern them wiflT the aid of native magistrates,—that,, is, have an extension and improvement of the present system. These are the political privileges which the Herald thinks far toogreat tQ.-.he*asprdqd ; to, the Maori. He will not jet keep their land—lie will not let them sell it to any de sirous tb purchase —he will tibti'allow'' the Government to accept their aid in ; ,,admiiiisteriug law among them ; for wliiit' reksdii I '?Why, these privileges a peaceable people, living uhder aii’cT obeying the laws.” Of course; they can be given only to such a people ; an<j furthermore, such a people must either privileges granted to them, or be 'enslaved, or expatriated, or exterminated ; and any of) these three last courses would be, we presume, as distasteful to ,th.e oer«W, as it qpybjTe either to Mr.' Fox or tlie Bishop’. ” •- ;' j