THE MINISTERIAL CRISIS

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1747, 31 July 1862, Page 2

THE MINISTERIAL CRISIS

As intimated in the postscript of Thursday's issue, Mr. Stafford was sent for by His Excellency that morning. What took plao? at this nterview has not transpired, but it resulted in Mr. Stafford relinquishing the task sought to bo imposed upon him;— for some reason or other, he declined to avail himself of the opportunity, and did not submit a Miuistry lor His Excellency's approval.

Later on Tuesday Mr. Fitzgerald was sent for. This gentleman, we understand, declined taking office himself; but consented to see if be could induce others to do so. During Tuesday afternoon and yesterday, he was endeavouring to form a Ministry; but it is generally understood that he was not successful. Should he eontiuue

to be unable to aid His Excellency, there will be no other resource left but to form a temporary Ministry of second-rate men, or require Mr. Fox to re-construct the present Ministry by the addition of some new elements of strength.

When the House met last night, the crisis was in full force, and no stateruferit was made by either Mr. Stafford, Mr. Fitzgerald or Mr. Fox The House will meet to-day at 12, when we will add a postscript if anything new trans f piresl ' " •

There were various rumours yesterday rela-

tive to the negociations in progress, nearly the whole of which were without any foundation — none being more surprised at them, than the members to which they referred.

HONOR TO WHOM HONOR IS DUE. The modesty which commonly' accompanies true genius too often prevents its possessor from asserting his claim to the praise which is due to him ; while men of far less original talent, arrogate to themselves the world's prizes, for merit not their own. We were glad to hear Mr. Fox in his reply, on Monday evening, vindicate the claims of Mr. Fenton to have been the first expouuder of the great principles which are now on all sides recognised as the basis ol the policy which has been adopted iv reference to the administration of Native affairs.

It has been a common practice in the place where we should least have expected ignorance on the subject, the House of Repiesentatives, to speak of the Native policy which was embodied in the Legislation of 1858, as "Mr. Richmond's, policy"; aud during the late debate more than one member (among others Mr. Dillon Bell iv a most marked and emphatic manner), attributed the parentage of that policy to that geutleman, while they spoke in terms of no measured commendation of the able exposition which he made on the Native question, and of the measures which he iulroduced and carried through the House, in the Session referred to.

Mr. Fox in his reply spoke nearly to the following effect, — " Sir, no man in this House is less desirous of detracting from the reputation of Mr. Richmond than I am. I regret that he is not among us, for I know the value of a " foetnan worthy of onr steel," I was not in my place in this House in the Session of 1858 ; a Session, I have been told, most prurient of legislation, and barren of debate; but I have no doubt tuat the praise attributed to Mr. Richmond for his able speeches was deserved ; that he shone on that occasion " velut inter ignes luna minores," and walked among his fellows taller bj a head. But, Sir, while we are generous t,o one absent man let us be just to another — another who I grieve to say, if he be yet among us, lies prostrate in mind and body on a bed of sickness, cut clown by an illness which I have no doubt was greatly owing to bis labours in the public service and particularly in that of the natives. I mean Mr. Feutou. Sir, it was Mr. Fenion who first publicly enunciated those great principles which were adopted by Mr. Richmond in the Legisla tion of 1858. In his well known Report as early as 1857 Mr. Fen ton laid down those principles with no hesitating or uncertain pen ; and with a chivalrousness which I might term heroic, he laboured through good report and evil report, at great personal sacrifice and undei great personal hardship, to reduce them iuto practice while he held the office of Resident Magistrate at Kaipara and Waikato. That Report was suffered to lie hidden in the pigeon holes of the Native O/lice for years, and only exhumed with great difficulty by a motion made in this House in 1860, — but its principles were those embodied in the speeches and Legislation of 1858, and to the sole credit of having fiist enunciated and first reduced them into practice Mr. Fentou is entitled (cheers). The two great piinciples which he laid down were, That there is no Mystery in Native affairs, and That in endeavouring to civilize the Native raceioe must work by Natives upon Natives. These were his principles; and no legislation aud no speeches delivered in this House have ever gone beyond this, or- embodied more. Deeply do I regret to hear lion, members who have been admirers of Mr. Fentou's enlightened views, and who took an active part in the enquiry before the Waikato Committee, retracting to day all their previous opinions, and labouring to persuade this House that there is mystery iv Native affairs aud that we must resort to some individual supposed to possess some peculiar " mana," and who may cast his spell over the Native race. Sir, I venture to say that if Sir George Grey is meant, no man would more indignantly scout the idea than he would that by any such means he is going to solve the Native problem. All that he lias written, all that he has done, all that I have ever heard him say, proves that lie, at all events, believes not that there is mystery in Native affairs. The spells to which he trusts are equity, justice and truth, coupled with the introduction of free institutions such 'as we ourselves enjoy." That Mr. Richmond is entitled to a share of the credit, we do not deny,— the credit of having adopted, enunciated and iixed by Legislative measures the principles of Mr. Feuton's policy. But we should have thought better of Mr. Richmond's generosity, and better of the fairness of his admirers, if he and they had been less anxious to claim wi.at is due to another, and had recognised as they have never yet done, the very great merits of Mr. Fenton. We understand that the Fox Min-

istry paid Mr. Fenton the compliment (on the .introduction of Governor Grey's plans) of offering aim the Commissioneiship of Lower 1 Waikatu, where in a familiar field he might have renewed those labours ou a larger scale and with better support, which were thwarted and put a stop to in 1858 by the wretched ' jealousies of the Native Office, and the pusillanimity (for we can call it by no milder term) of the Stafford Ministry. Failing health and private responsibilities wlrich had grown up in the interral, prevented Mr. Feptou's acceptauee of the office ; but, he gave the Government the beuulit of his invaluable serrices iv organizing the district— returning from the work with the seeds iv him of that serious illness from which he has since suffered, and his recovery from which at the latest dates from Auckland appeared a matter of great uncertainty.