A MALICIOUS DETRACTOR.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1757, 23 August 1862, Page 2

A MALICIOUS DETRACTOR.

i Our veracious contemporary the Advertiser^ is in such a paroxysm of delight, at the reI cent changes amongst the occupants: of the Treasury Benches, that he has fallen into a delusion, so absolutely incredible, that if we did not have the actual facts before us in his leading columns of Thursday, we could hardly believe, that any journalist would ever indite a series of assertions, so utterly incredible and absurd. The article to which we allude' is intended as n comment on the proceedings in the House, of Wednesday evening, and is headed "The Utter Downfall of the Fox party." It proceeds in bombastic style to say, "that the policy of rewauling outrage by concession is at an end, — that the peace at any price party is broken up, thjit: Sir George Grey has now a Ministry, in which both himself, the House, and the Colony I have confidence, and thafMrVFox promises to pretire to his farm." It wp'alcl be hard to find in the annals .of journalism a series of assertion!, !so distinguished— by an utter disregaid of that old fashioned virtue called truth aud though ! they carry with them their own contradiction, I in their teckless disregard of facts ; yet;4t may be well just to examine them critically, seriatim, anil for once bold up to reprobation) the unblushing mendacity by which. they are distinguished. What then is meant by the '* utter downfal of the Fox Party and the accession to . office of » Minis try, iu which every one is to have confidence." Does our contemporary mean; that the installation to office once more of Messrs. Sewell, Wood, »nd Ward— in.fact of all Mr. Fox's colleagues, is an evidence of that down* fall? Does he mean that the adoption of the policy and plans of the Fox Ministry, as well as the acceptance ; indeed the joyful acceptance of the services of the members of that party, or the repeated proffers to Mr. Fox himself of office is a downfall ? If none of those statements express what his assertion is founded on, then in all humility we again ask for an explanation. Passing from this to his next eaose of gratification , we find it to be " tbat rewarding outrage by concession is at an end, and tbat the peace at any price party is broken up."" We confess that we cannot possibly percejre> what political sect or party is here alluded -to: ■ - ■ If he means the Fox Ministry, then we would be. glad to learn, on what particular fact or facts in their [ career, he bases this statement. We have scrutinised their political life from its earliest stage | to find such grouuds j but our search has been fruitless. Ou the contrary, we come across abundance of evidence, that assuming the reins of powei, at a critical period in the history of • the colony, when the war policy of the Sta^ird, » Ministry, and the vacillating action of Gayer- . nor Browne, had placed affairs in such a statg^ w that a few further steps in the. same direction,- _ would have plunged the country into all 'the honors and miseries of a siate of war; not merely in TarariaM, but throughout tbe/wbolt*--Northern Island ;,' they adopted a policy of _ mingled firmness and conciliation, with a rare?-

tact and ability contrived to prevent further ia

a

Burrection, and gradually prepared the Nattve mind, for the reception of Sir George Grey's plans of self-government ; plans which comprise the boue and marrow of the policy which Mr. Domett proposes to adopt. If they are the •'peace at any price party" it is somewhat singular, that they should have adopted the tone and language expressed in the following extract, from their minutes on his Excellency's scheme of Native Government —

Vigorous measures may be taken to re-es-tablish, our position. And this appears to M inters the true policy. If there must be a war, it is better far that ifc should bo at Taranaki than elsewhere. For whatever mischief could be inflicted on British settlements in a state of war, has been done there. The penalties of war have been already paid. Besides this, the c^se of the Ngatiruanui and Taranaki Natives is the one which presents the fewest grounds of sympathy with other Natives They engaged in the quarrel without provocation, and were guilty of gross outrages. Their present attitude is one of such open hostility, as in the eyes of well affected Natives themselves would not merely justify, but demand on our part active measnres against them, and retribution for the wrongs done. Added to this, if operations were carried on with a view to open up and establish military communication by roads between Taranaki and Wanganui, such, operations would be attended with some facilities, and in the end with great patent advantages.

Ministers are of opinion (so far as they can presume to offer an opinion involving military considerations) that firm and decisive action should be taken in this direction. They believe the effect would be in no long space of time to bring the Ngatiruanuis and Taranakis into submission. The settlement of Taranaki might then, in the end, be re-established on a safer basis, and enabled to recover and extend itself.

It is not improbable that hostile operations in the Taranaki country would draw towards it some portion of tlie Natives of other districts. Such a possible result would not, in the opinion of Ministers, be a sufficient reason against the course of action which they recommend.

The time and manner of commencing such operations wouid require distinct consideration. The first object appears to be, as far as possible, to win back the" allegiance of the. bulk of the Native people, aud to place the settlements in an effect ive position of defence. Ministers do not apprshend any aggressive movements on the part of the Natives as likely to result from the course which they recommend, except against the settlements of New Plymouth and Wanganui. There appears to Ministers no inconsistency in dealing with the main body of the Natives, the Waikatos in particular, with a gentle and even friendly hand, aud endeavouring by all legitimate means to recall and attach them to us ; and at the same time assuming a stem and decisive attitude towards the Ngatiruanuis and Taranakis, with a r view to compel from them material guarantees for their future good behaviour.

What will our coteraporary say, to words like these, from a " peace at any price party ? . We are not aware, whether the writer of that •article, may have had the beneiit of a classical education, but we opine not, and therefore the allusion to the " illtistiious Roman," which he has stumbled on in saying " that Mr- Fox proposes to retire to his farm," must be pmrely accidental. It is an old world story, but singularly apposite to relate, that the illustrious Cincinnatus, like our late Premier, was called from the peaceful and happy avocations of husbandry to save his country, from an invading force; aud that after acting as a deliverer, he with the modesty of true gfenius, returned to his farm as if in haste to resume the pursuits thus interrupted. Itis also recorded, that at an after period, he was again called to the helm of state, when the constitution was in danger, aud once more did the veteran statesman rescue the Republic from an impending crisis. It may be that ere long, the valued services of our late chief secretary will again beeagerly sought for, aud if they are, we trust, that like his illustrious prototype, they will not be sought in vain. His character and that of his party stand high above the petty malice, the shallaw reasoning, and the impotent spite of an attack, such as we have alluded to ; an attack that we would have thought beneath our notice, were it not, that its assertions, are so subversive of truth, that it would have been a failure of duty to allow them to pass by unheeded.