THE "Wellington Independent." Saturday, March 1, 1851.

Wellington Independent, Volume VI, Issue 562, 1 March 1851, Page 2

THE "Wellington Independent." Saturday, March 1, 1851.

Nothing can be more gratifying or en • couraging to , the settlers here in their struggle for responsible "government, 'than the accouuts which every Mail'ttat'arrives, brings from the sister settlements; for whatever; differenqei of opinion may have existed between them on other subjects, on the great question of self government they are all thoroughly united — all animated by a feeling of generous 1 rivalry, as to which shall contribute most to breaking asunder' the fetters of despotism,'.and restoring themselves and their fellowcolonists to.the full and complete enjoyment of their,political''rights. In each settlement the progress of the great and glorious "contest has been equally triumphant; victory after victory has been achieved, wjtliout a single reverse or even check baying been experienced. In; fact whenever the officials and their dependents have ventured to show themselves and make au attempt at opposition, they have sustained a signal defeat. Nay, spjfully sensible have the supporters of $i.' ; George "Grey become; of the utter hdpelessness of the contest, in which he JBdJs involved himself -with the of the colony to the that.' recently they have never "dafed-IVo appear under their true Been obliged to declare that $e fMM $ r iipne in/the desire for the immediate introduction of representative- (md to profess that'they differed jvith the settlers not as to the objegt they are aiming, the metuis by which it may most sjpte§||Jy^e,'obtained-J The disguise howeyor -which thoy have thus assumed has ~.|e^n.. of no. avail-fr their mask has been put.join than it has been indignantly' torn off— their real aim ahdintejrition, have ,bee,n thoroughly exposed—their proffered assistance rejected'w'ith the.sanjle contempt with which their previous opposition ha,d been regarded;, antoij.spite....qf.ftU the specious arguments.jyhich ; theyhaveem-1 ployed for the thrpwing jthei settlers oh "a wrong, &Qsjit,,'ot, iitducmg \ them toi agree to a- qomproJMs.., to accept an fofiy of j the colonists iv every s'etii'eihent.rhftve| respltitely'refused to ' abate J p»e.. iptfr. pf ] tn ?l. J UBt demands, to accept thename for the, shadow for. the' substanoe. ' ~ . ~, ,"' I At"Auckland; Welljmgiou, Otagq, audi Nels.on,jthe opinions of the both in reference to Sir"George .GreyjT; proposed. ProvincTal Councils', .0/dihan. c, and also iii regard >p tfy?[.form of-Con-stitutioh.kest'adajrted.t^^^^

nos.; heeji,fully, : .and. openly expressed; audin.all these'settlements/ the conclusion'arrived' at ; hlas been thesnme—in all, Sir.Gf';Grey's ,scheme of Government has .j>k&iPi_ ■■< scpiited. .repudiated, and rejected, .and.in all,the.settlers.in their respective suggestions- -to?the Home Government have recommended a' precisely similar :fpp o|;';C]Wislii_ tion, aud' have advocaUeclivsitnUttrprUieiples as its basis. At Auck-aridj/where owing to causes upon which we heed'not now dwell, there has lor ihaiiy 1 years prevailed a strange apathy on '.all* political questions, Sir George Grey's Bill was no sooner published-than a Memorial was addressed to the Secretary of State* for the Colonies, protesting against it, and praying for a constitution similar to that proposed by SirW.Molesworth during the las.t session: the Memorial'being we believe more numerously sighed than any docuaient that has ever emanated from Auckland. ..-.At. Wellington, the measure after having beert discussedqt one of the largest and most influe,flj,fal' meetings ever held in the settlement w£fi unanimously pronounced a shaiii.iand unworthy of our acceptance. Arid at the -recent- public; me'etinglat which-iiearly-500persons \yete, : present the reppjrt.pf. the Comtnittee on the form; and principles of the Constitution most suited to the circumstances, of the colony was after a discussion of several hours, aiid iii spite of the most strenuous efforts oh the, part.of Sir George himself and. the whole of his staff of officials to get up an opposition, carried and adopted*-by acclamation, and entrusted for transmission to tier Majesty's Ministers to. Mr. Fox the political agent of this settlement. At Otago, Sir G. Grey's scheme was declared a misfit—the settlers protesting against Provincial Councils altogether—and urging the conferring.upon each settleiHeht a Municipal Corporation We have now to record the proceedings in regard to his measure, which have just j takenplaqe at Nelson. The Resolutions suggestions as to the future government, similar to those adopted both here and at Auckland, having been passed by overwhelming majorities at a public -meeting attended hy about 400 persons', and which lasted above twelve hours,-the officials and a small phalanx of applicants for office, determined to cover their defeat by obtaining the sanction of the settlers to the introduction pf Sir G. Grey's proposed Bill. A. public meeting was accordingly held in the town of Nelson on the 31st of January at which his' Excellency's supporters, while admitting that the Bill was cumbrous and ill adapted to their wants, yet urged its adoption as a temporary measure, as it would enable them to get in the point of the wedge, to be driven home hereafter—the meeting however j came almost the two following resolutions (it being admitted -that the Governor had hot the; power to some of t,he suggestions contained in them..

' -1. " TKat this Meeting is of that ' the Provincial Councils' Bill of Bir George Grey, in its present state, i_ unsuitable'as a measure for the Government of this colony, and is therefore not entitled to support. But it is recommended that a Committee should be appointed to wait on the Governor on his arrival in Nelson, and to ascertain ■whether his Excellency, by consenting to the exclusion of non-official Nominees from the Councils.by amending the franchise, and by giving to the Councils additional control oTer the Revenue, might thus render the Biiraeceptable to the people as a temporary measure during the interregnum which must exist until the Act of the British Legislature can be received;" ■•■-■■■-,-■■ 2. " That the following gentlemen be appointed a Committee to wait oh the Governor, in accordance with the previous-Resolution; 1 and to report the result to a General Meeting to be called for that purpose :—Messrs. Bell, Saxton, Adams, Sclanders, Bush, RpbinsQn, Elliott, Renwick, Rankin, Wells, Trovers, G. White, D. Moore, Otterson, and'^ackay.'':. Sir George's advocates having thus failed in'the town, resolved to try their luck in the country, and to hold a series of district meetings, raising the cry "of ho dictation from the town," and here they displayed considerable generalship. Knowing that their success would depend upon the result of their first meeting, they fixed upon the village of Richmond, as the field on which to commence their campaign, Mr. Cautley the leader of this forlorn hope,"regarding Richmond as a little Copseryativ'e. manor of his own; secure from all radical poachers. The Meeting was held on the sth of February, and was numerously attended. Mr. Cautley:. backed by Messrs. Monro and I>. Bell, proposed a resolution-accepting the Billwith pleasure ka., and supported it by iftlr|umehts we have already briefly aUu'd ( ejj;,.6.--; But it soon became evident that these gentlemen had reckoned without their host, and that Richmond was not quite so Conserykiye as they had imagined, for the Yf aimeasettlersheaded by and Elliott, declined being led by men, .most of whom they knew were upon the .point-of putting on Sir George's livery, and after a debate in which the/prpvod that, they were much more ihtitnatgly, .acquainted - with the P r "..pip! es and. practice .of-.the British Constitution, and valued, their political consistency a great deal more than Messrs. CjMitleijr mi Bell, ,they rej ected the.resplutiph,.and.pci asse one similar to .that in the town of Nelson; We suspect hear of Messrs. Cautley, M el .ly a PftK9hro,,, getting.up any more district meetings, bnt that jn future 4hey will be objjged, Jike the* official minority here; to confine themselves to hole and cojher'protests. . ~ . , ". Canterbury, no' public, ex;pressioijv pf.-opinioiv on. Sir. Qeorge's schemehas yet.,been. pronp.uni.ed, jet ->heije is. every, reason to infer from the kjpjown. political opinions of the leading Rulers, :that ttwill at the meeting shortly tjj„be, liqW bo repudiated. > - i

. In short, we doubt whether an iustanco can be adduced in which a measure pro. posed, by the Government, ever met with such an unanimous rejection at the hand, of any community. And this result is still more gratifying, when it is remembered that Sir George has done his utmost' to defeat the popular movement, Nay, when the means which his Excellency has not scrupled tp employ are considered.—when it is borne in mind that he has sanctioned the vile abuse lavished by tho Govern, mont organ upon all hispolitical opponents —that he has both attempted to get up an agitation amongst, the Maories,.ancl has also not hesitated to introduce a band of them into a public meeting for the express purpose of interrupting its proceedings,—that he has employed his whole official staffinbeatinguprecruits—that an official was for days occupied in urging every Irish labourer he could find, to attend the public meeting to kick up a row, ; so as to prevent any business being transacted— thathis;E.xcellency has endeavoured to bribe and influence the community by promising roads through every part of the. country, and the immediate execution of "all sorts of public works.—that .he'- hak'ns&d 'a-''consuls. tfljlS portion of'the Parliamentary 1 Gr&nt as a' kih r d ; of secret service'fund—thathe has availed himself .of the cessation of the' New Zealand Company's operationsto employ thedand as an additional - instrument of bribery and corruption—that he has created numerous places ■ tb ; reward his supporters and political toutefs—we say, * when ■we -consider 'the 'strange and powerful influence- which his Excellency- has thus brought to hear against his opponents*we may well refer with a feeling of hon,es.t pride to the issue of the contest and may well congratulate our fellow settlers both here and in every other settlement*upon' having conducted their campaign to so glorious a termination.