THE REV. J. A. LUXFORD AND THE PARIHAKA AFFAIR.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11487, 21 January 1903, Page 6

THE REV. J. A. LUXFORD AND THE PARIHAKA AFFAIR.

We cannot avoid the conclusion that the Rev. J. A. Luxford, who writes to us on the subject of the Parihaka affair, is-still a little too much imbued with his pluloMaori leanings to bs> able to take a very judicial view of the Hon. J. Bryce's action in tha matter. He admits, however, Miat. it was necewary the lawless proceedings of the Maoris should be Mopped. How wa.s this to b> done? The arrest and imprisonment of the ploughmen and fencer* had proved , ineffectual. Lieutenant-Coionel Roberts on September 15th, 1881, reported: " 1 am satisfied that a very critical period hie "arrived, and that the utmost caution i s " now necessary. Everything points to a " eerioutf disturbance on the next occasion "a fence is removed." In 1880 and 1881 the Government tried the effect of clemency by releasing t)» prisoners, but the only result was that they immediately went to swell the numbers of the natives engaging in tlwv ploughing and fencing. Furthermore, in, Major Parris's opinion, this relaxation led , Tβ Whiti to believe that the Government was bactung down, and in consequence at the September meeting in 1881 he indulged in language which, being literally interpreted, meant a declaration of war. '"Maoris," he said, "take your guns "and weapons. Pakehas, come witli "yours. By weapons alone ehall things "be arranged.? It ia true that he afterwards tried to explain this away by saying that his language, was metaphorical. Our own opinion its that Te Whiti himself did not intend to fight, but hie language naturally caused great alarm among the settlers and the Government were bound to take notice of it. Moreover, there was always the uncertainty as to whether Tohu and the more turbulent spirits could ba kept in restraint. Mr Luxford is of opinion that Titokowaru was tlie only man to fear, and adds that he did not live at Parihaka. Titokowaru waa a,t any rate tf.osely associated with Te Whiti, and sit-> ut the time the latter spoke of weapons Titokowaru was swaggering wbout Manaia, making drunken threats. He wa« *ne of the Maoris arrested in the raid. It waa not until the Government had exhausted every pacific means that they decided on sending an armed force to Parilwka to arrest the ringleaders and break up tine unlawful and menacing assemblage of natives. They used an overwhelming force for this purpose to avoid bloodshed. Had they taken a email force only, the Maoris might have been tempted to resistance, in which case there would have been another Taranaki war, ending as Sir Hercules Robinson believed, in the practical extermination of the Maoris in the district. Surely Mr Luxford must see on reflection thafc it was the most merciful, a< well as the meet politic coarse to use a force so large us to convince the natives that resistance was out of the question. It must not be forgotten that the policy of the Government was one of justice as well as of firmness. While determined that the law shorf-d be respected, they took care to carry out to the letter theg recommendations of the West Coast Commissioners as to granting reserves to the natives.