THE Wellingtion Independent. "Nothing extenuate: Nor set down aught in malice." THRSDAY MORNING, 21st JULY. PUTTING THE SADDLE ON THE RIGHT HORSE.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVIII, Issue 1897, 21 July 1863, Page 2

THE Wellingtion Independent. "Nothing extenuate: Nor set down aught in malice." THRSDAY MORNING, 21st JULY. PUTTING THE SADDLE ON THE RIGHT HORSE.

Already is it being again put forward as an historical truih, that the Fox Ministry hare saddled the Colony with the expenses of Native war. How writers awn su prostitute their pens is to us most unaccountable. The acceptance of responsibility in Native affairs, by the Fox Ministry, was uot an unauthorised act of theirs. It was one which the House commanded them to take, who virtually stopped the supplies in the event of Sir George Grey refusing to comply. The historical truth is that the House required the Fox Ministry, by its resolution of September, 1861, to demand responsibility in Native affairs as soon as Sir G. Grey should arrive ; that the Fox Ministry did so demand it; that Sir George willingly granted it ; and that in 1862, fearing the expensive consequences of the concession, it determined to revoke its previous decision, and revert to the old system, by which the Governor was sought to be wholly made responsible iv Native affairs and the Ministry only for those relating to the ordinary affairs of the colony. The expensiveness of war is very little thought of before band, compared to what it is when the settlement has to be made. Those who do not hesitate to throw up their caps and urge the commencement of expeusive undertakings, are not unfrequently the first to turn rouud and wreak vengeance when the money has to be paid. The daily experience of common life teaches how easy it is to slide into debt, but how difficult it is to get out of it. To endeavor to fasten the war expenditure on the Fox Ministry may be a clever piece of party .tactics, but it is as disreputable as it is clever. If anyone is responsible for the consequences, it is the whole House who directed the Ministry to obtain Sir George Grey's consent to be guided by bis Executive, and not merely those lew gentlemen who being in the Ministry carried out its instructions. But after all, so far asthe question of lia. I bility for expenditure goes, the direction of the ! House and the obedience of the Fox Ministry to that direction, really have not much to do with it. The Stafford Ministry are the parties at whose door the liability of the colony for war expenditure absolutely rests, if it rests with any one set of men more than another. The Duke of Newcastle appeals to the proceedings of the Executive Council at whiuli the Stafford Ministry sanctioned the commencement of the war of 1860. Whether the war was just or not is of no consequence in this consideration. Governor Browne was ostensibly alone responsible for native affairs ; but the Stafford Ministry, instead of allowing him to take his own course, stepped beyond their province, and by their advice and acts implicated the Colony. See how the Duke of Newcastle f.istens on the handle the Stafford Ministry, went out of their way, to give him — " I need not inform the framers of these memorials, that the purchase of land from the natives is a matter which the various Provincial Governments are directly interested in promoting, even in defiance of native opposition, but which the Home Governineat, so long as it pays for native wars, is interested in suspending in all cases where it cannot be effected without exciting opposition. I need hardly further inform them, that the slow progress of these laud sales under the auspices of the Native Department, and therefore under the control of the Imperial Government, was an object of complaint to the settlera, and that these complaints* were particularly urgent in New Plymouth, and referred especially to the land in the neighbourhood of the Waitava. The decision to complete, by force if necessary, the purchase of that land was adopted at the advice, not of the Native Department, but of the Executive Council, and the proclamation of martial law toas transmitted to the officer in command, under the signature of the chief . responsible minister. It was under this pressure, with this advice and through this agency, that Governor Browne took the steps which led to the war — steps which, although I thought it my duty to sanction them, were in a direction opposite to that which a purely imperial policy would have dictated. It is [in this state ot facts that the two legislative bodies of New Zealand, without alleging that Colonel Browne's acts were unwise, or that they were dictated by any imperial policy or instructions, without denying that they arose, on the contrary, from a desire to promote colonial interests in a way which the colonists themselves demanded, and by proceedings which the responsible ministers formally advised, do not hesitate to repudiate all colonial responsibility in the matter, and to charge the home government with the authorship of their sufferings," The colony thought to escape from the burden of native wars. It now finds that it can't do so. It wants to put the blame on somebody's shoulders. The Stafford party, ignoring their concurrence in the resolution of 1860 requiring the then ministry to obtain from Sir George Grey the same powers in native affairs as in ordinary colouial matters, now endeavour again to attempt to fasten on the Fox Ministry the odium of having " let the colony in for it." We think it is quite plain that the Duke of New castle considers that, by the previous proceedings of the Stafford Ministry, the colony had been already implicated and made responsible for a share of the cost of the war which resulted thnrefrom. While we are squabbling here, the Duke puts the saddle on the Stafford horse, and if it-is to be put on any horse in particular, the right one taasjseenjcleaily •hosen, :

i THE VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT. A meeting of intending volunteers was held on Saturday evening at the Alhenaum, when a number of additional volunteers were enrolled, and it was stated that Mbjoj 1 Dwyer was prepared to swear in the corps at once without requiring to refer-to Auckland. Yesterday morning, Major Dvryer informed Mr Skeet, that to save trouble, be would be glad to meet the volunteers at the AtheDSum to-day, at 3 o'clock, for the purpose of swearing them in. The gallant Major has expressed a. hearty desire to do all in his power to further the movement, aad this, his last act, certainly evinces a very great degree of courtesy. We would therefore strenuously "request that all who wish to join should attend 'at the Athenaeum at half-past 2 o'clock to-day, so that' the requisite preliminary arrangements niay.be completed beforehand. Every one who. is heartily iateresteil should attend in time, as it will otherwise be impossible to get the volunteers sworn in in a body. An advertisement elsewhere calls attention to this. " !