The Evening Star. WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News and the Morning News. MONDAY, JUNE 21, 1875.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1666, 21 June 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star. WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News and the Morning News.

MONDAY, JUNE 21, 1875.

Fer the cause that lacks asslitanc*. For the wrong that needs reaisUae* «?W the f»ture In the distance, Aa4 th» ««od that we can ta.

The despatch from the Secretary of State for the colonies to the Governor of New Zealand published in Saturday's Herald is an exceedingly important one. We have heard it currently spoken of as a snub to Sir George Grey, but to our eye it appears as satisi factory a reply to the action of Sir George and the late Superintendent, as could have been desired; and unless we completely misunderstand the object of their joint action, that action has been effective. It is tiue that there is a gentle censure to the neglect of strict observance of red-tape etiquette, and a needless assurance that the Earl of Carnarvon still cherishes the feelings engendered in bis mind by the originality of conception, and the independence and firm- ) ness of a man who sacrificed the hopes of Imperial preferment for the sake, of the people whom he governed, and whose interests he had made his own. But we believe that the opinions and the information elicited from the British Minister are exactly those required by the late Mr Williamson, and by Sir George Grey. If we rightly interpreted public feeling at the time, it was that Mr Vogel had other objects in his hasty trip to England beaides the negociation of the four millions loan, and that it was probable backstairs influence would be used in order to entrap the Imperial Ministry, and the Imperial Parliament, into giving extended powers to the New Zealand Assembly so to absolutely settle the question of the partial or total abolition of the provincial system. If more was desired more could nob have been expected, than success in checkmating any underhand attempt on the part of Mr. Vogel. In this respect the despatch of the (Secretary of State is entirely satisfactory. He says : "I have, as at present advised, no intention of applying, to Parliament for any legislation on the subject of the Provincial institutions or the Crown Lands of New Zealand ; and no suggestion that such legislation is necessary or desirable has been made to me, by or on behalf of the Government of the colony, or from any other quarter.'' .Nothing could be more explicit; and whether the knowledge of the prompt action taken by the present and the late Superintendents had come to Mr Vogel's ears and told him that the game was up; or whether no such sudden and uqderhand ruse was intended, we assert that the thanks of the public are no less due to the two gentlemen who took timely steps to anticipate evil, and to prevent a constitutional change of so fundamental a character being effected by surprise, and before the country had opportunity for fully considering and pronouncing on the subject. The Earl of Carnarvon expresses a sentiment - that will be echoed by every lover of constitutional freedom in the colonies when he says, "I do not think there should be any pretence for saying that Her Majesty's Government have influenced or interfered with the decision of the Colonial Legislature ;"' and had it been so that by backdoor influence, or misleading information, the Imperial Government had been led to take action so as to give premature validity to those monstrous resolutions of Mr Vogel'*, or to haaty legislation based on them, it would have dealt a stab at liberty in the colonies, to be regretted not more by colonists than by the Earl of Carnarvon himself. The despatch leaves the matter precisely aa it was, and now it will be the duty of the memben^of the Assembly who

really cherish a love of Constitutional freedom, and a desire that the will of the people of New Zealand should be the law of New Zealand, to thwart and delay by every constitutional and parliamentary means, any attempted legislation on this great question until it is submitted to the arbitrament of the hustings and the ballot box.