TO TUB EDITOR OF THE PRESS.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11499, 4 February 1903, Page 8

TO TUB EDITOR OF THE PRESS.

Sir, —I am quite able to understand why my letter in reply to Col. Ooidon was "unavoidably held over" from Saturday's issue. I am not surprised that you required some time for reflection before- commit ting yourself to the course you take in reply. I am not unacquainted with the unfortunate effects of party spirit which an historian has to meet- Every impartial man of letters regrets that the reseurch of the Student must inevitably offend, at times, the feelings of the party newspaper- For those feelings I have a certain respect. For the biassed, inaccurate, and personally violent expression of them, I find excuse in the known KmitaSaon* of journalism. In cnswer to your criticisms, I have cited facts nnd . references and authorities, patiently and perseverhigry; I have endeavoured to meet your attacks with good-tempered humour rather than with i&dign&ut protest. But there are features in yoar article this morning—happily rare in literary controversy—bhafc make it impossible for me to continue thia discussion further. In my letter of yesterday, I prove ti;it ttva minor details in the 'book—and two only—rest on the authority of the report in the*"Pres3" for November 7th, 1881. I mtrrtion, also, that this ivpoit is confirmed by the late Mr Vesey Hamilton and by the "Special Correspondent" of the "Lytielton Times." Unable to impugn the good faith of the late Mr Hamilton; reluctant to attack the truthfulness of Mr Humphries, who supplied you the only news your columns contained of "The Raid," yo"u make the stroogo jAatement that it -was 'the third reporter"—the "Times" special—whose "proMaori romanoee" I had relied on, although this person "woe subsequently proved to

in the book or in my tetter*. I told you explicitly that mv authority for the d-'tails was Mi-'HnmpliUrs, ami my stiiirce of the quotation* thy cu'.uinriH of the •Tu-s;'.' Y ou answer that my authority wa* "the unfaithful servant" and my .source the columns of the "Lyttelton Times!" This is a new form of argument in uiy experience of literary controversy; and I must refuse to answer it.

Those who caro to take die trouble, mar sos for themselves that the chapter Ls based on wide reading; that I have consulted every accessible authority, except Rufiden's biassed book and its refutation; that my materioui .are drawn from despatciies, blue books, and official report*; and that 1 hay« quoted th<; utterances of politicians as widely opptrsed as Bryce and Stout. Rolleston and Muntgomej-y, Russell and Reaves. —Yours, etc., 0. T. J. ALPERS. February 2nd.

KXTRACT FROM "THE REOGRE3S OF XEW ZEALAND IN THE 19th CENTURY, pp. 300-306 (American Edition). Bu» al'cer Six Oorntid Al-.*uL<.'.»u * i- £- tutment iii Itf7ts, tie .adiiiii-Lsiiu,uon oi j:ative aliairs was characterised successively by biundiMing incapacity ar.<i iiign-nanutU arrogance. Air John Sneehan was Native -Uiiustor in tiltGrey Administration; ilr tlchii liryee in tau AUtinsou-Huli Uovejrnnient. .the hrst would not, the second cou.d tot, understand Ue grievances of the natives, uiudi less deal wnU them in a sympathetic and concj.iatory ep;-r*i. T-Uey succeeded between them in bringing about tfco pitiable liasco of i'arihaka; the wonder is that they did not p.unge the colony into another war (1). The Tatanaki wax had been fol.owed, we have seen, by wholesale confiscation, oai promises had'repeatedly been given that Tβserves should bu made from toe confiscated territory, and restored to those natives who hud remained friendly during the congest or had laid aside their hostility. Minister ttter Minister had given the friendly natives the same assurance;— Ergo tua. rura nianebuut. But the performance of these promises was again and again delayed (2). Instead, the Grey Government caused the Panhuka. lands to be advertised for aale; surveyors were sent to make sectional surveys _aud to a.j cut roads. No explanation was offered to tue natives, end no munition made, to them of any intention to set aside reserve, for them (3) The past, experience oi the |'' r «£ a^ 1 llaoris had not been such as to nwks them trust tha Government; and they n*t««»y ccr»liuled that it intended again to breaK faita with them. , That war was averted was due entirely to tho wise patience and generous forbearance oi the Parihafca Maoris; for they were at this time completely subject.to the » mm« of a. most remarkab.-e man-Te Wmti (4). In rank a chief, he was «n ora.tor ra.:ner than a soldier, a priest rather tha:i a ruler; but his man* amou« his own peopie was greater probably than thai of the greatest eo.dierchief the race had owned Educated in the tenets of the Christian faith by * Lutheran missionary, and deeply versed, in bibbed lor., ho had, while professing not to abandon Christianity, coasiTUotea out of the Scriptures a vaguely mystical religion pecu.iar-j adapted <to the genius of the lace (6). He was reverenced by hie people with unquestioning faith, as the inspired Prophet the Ood-sent Messiah of the Maori. His subtle mind, his lofty eloquence, his intense and earnest patriotism, «avo him a sway over the hearts and °Wes of k* people that was absolutely unbounded (7). .No Koman. father even in th f o earliest days of the patna protestas e«r exerciaed more ab.so.ute dominion over his familio. than. Te Whiti over .his hapu. And thia enormous influence was «U in the directk>n of p»«ce. No Quaker ever interpreted more strictly the Gospel that commanded peace, on earth or obeyed moro consistent y the injunction to turn the chtck to the smiter. He had declined to take _ part in hosti.ities in 1865 (8); he restrained his people from joining in the outbreak under litokowaru in 1803 (6); and through all tho turbulent years that followed they had nved at peace with I ; he pakeha. And now, when they saw their lands invaded by eurveyors. and about to bo sold, as they thought, in defiance of faith and piedfres, he commajided his people to oppose indeed, but only to oppose with a masterly policy of "passive Tescstar.ee." Tho Maoris bad been promised unmo'ested possession of not less then onefourth (9) of the confiscated land on. the Waimate Plain. Yet the Grey Government sent a Commiseioner on to the ..wid wita instructions to carry out a sectional survey; nothing was said to the Maoris of any intention to respect their-rights or to leave them any portion of their land*. On the contrary tho survey lines were taken right through their growing crops (10); ai:d 16,000 acres of the land were actually advortised for sale. A batch of Tβ Whiti's followers pulled up the survey-pegs, were arrested, and sent to prison. More surveyors came and more pegs were put in; but more and more bands of orderly, good-tempered, but determined Maoris were forthcoming to pull them cut again and to take their turn cheerfully at going to prison (11>. When this had gone on tor some time. Te Whiti determined ■ on retaliatory measures: he aent ploughmen to plough up the grass Cands of the English, settlers. "Go, put your hands to the plough, and look not back ; such, were his instructions, "If ony come with jjune and ew«rds, be noi afraid. If any smite, smite you not again. If fear fill the rninda of the pakehaeand they flee from their farms as in the old war days, enter not their houses, touch not their goods, slay not their herds. My eye is over ell: and the thief shall not go scatheless. 1 will not Tesist the soldiers if they oome. I would gladly let them crucify me" (12). Tho ploughmen went to gaol, but more ploughmen and still more took their places; till at length there wore 200 Maoris jn Whe prison* of the colony whose only crime was that they had bravely and fitithfu'lly obeyed their patriotic if fanatic&i chief (13). "When the Grey Government went out of. office, Mr John Bryoe succeeded Mt Sheehan as Native Minister (14). A Royal Commie-sic-n was set up <o enquire into the West Coast difficulty. Its report was unreservedly in favour of the native claims. "The disaffection waa only the natural' outcome of a vacillating and futile policy; the trouble mighb iave been mastered ot any time if only scrupulous good faith had waited on etedfaet councile and consistent purpose" (15). "The only right way," declared the Commissioners, "was that the land, which was rightly theirs, with their villages and cultivations, their burial grounds and fishing-places, should be surveyed, marked off on the ground, end handed io the Maoris as their inalienable possession." And they solemnly wcraed the Government. in, the •word* of Mr John Bright, that "There is no state£manahip in mere acts of force and acts of repression (16). But the Government were evidently determined not to try tfco one way that was right till they bad exhausted the nbety-nine ways thnt wore wrong. Mr John Bryoe was a well-meaning, honest, and capable man; but his experiences in th* Taranaki war had warped his judgment *nd embittered his feelings e-:i native questions (17). Hft was a man, too, of indomitable' will; and by making acquiescence in his native policy a condition of remainine in the, Cabinet, he j drew his colleaei'e? with him in <i perilous course from witch they were ultimately extricated more by good luck than by gcoj mnr.agement. That roHcv wr " simp'v coercion. Ihe Comipisaionr.rs. Sir F. D. Bell and Sir W. .rox. two of tho eolonv's beo?. and wisest niters, had declared thr.t Te Whiii's ckims were just t>nd his iti-tsntions pacific (18). But in Mr Bryce's eyes he was ti mad fanatic and dangerous rebel, who rnnst be drnrw>ned into nubmigfticn. "The idwv of negotiating with To WHiti " he declared, "is Twrfcct'y nreoo9t?rous" (10). Tlie "outrages" r.t Pariliakrc — nlonphing nr/1 nee-pullrng—still continued ; it is true Te Wh'lti made no f.ttonwS to fl r, u V.is followers aud none of tht>m opposed the least reti-stance to orrcst (00). But ParKament and rseople h?d bpcome nervom. Tno rnvicefu! of To Whiti wis ronfonntled with thf bloody tenets of the Hau-Haun. nnd the wholesale m»3siore of the T?.rahi>ki "ftcttlfrs I w?" nrrticiriptfd with I'vely terror by the excited ima?'DatioTi of the i?norart public. Mr Brvcp 'hjil his way (2 1 ). A «lpmonsf~ition in forre ""a* '" ninde io overswe thn nr.tivrg end Te Whiti wa» to he cP a t ir'o prison a.fitl so accorded th* mertyrdom lie cpnrtcd. An "»rny" o f 1703 Artr-fti Cons'lbulorT »id citizen-soldiers, recruited froro rII ♦■•itU cf tie colony, was "mobilized" at Pwr-pk*.. In c«""r mniw morn< of November StK 1891. thp "I'niv" ntdrclipd ci to Parih"»k" ; in commnnd "•<•« Tike a p! the Jfaori v.ra <9fl); ai itj '»p«<\ rode Mr Eryce on nn o'd white hcr;e. which, ?pvs an «vs-p-witne««. "s fi uriharpv et i*s rider. Tbe soldiers, Ihev opproi"'hed the enemv'e canw. were "=traini"" oi the le»»h." en?er *o rover tJ-ejnsf'rec w' c'nn , .. Td re'urn. if they .returned at all. "<J*«-hed with drops of rmset." There met *-her". at the ou f s!rris of the r :1 - Hffp. not »n Tifrrdn of warrior* nrmH t-o thfl t-p*'li. the wi'd hpke f"i\ hnr?'ne , wed« "wr? o~ but two hi'idred lrtt'p children, dancing with mic w-ice n dsnc<» of welcome. ar.A '"jth \h" lieartv «r;d cr"cl >umoar l*»n(?\in<r in n f*ev* n' th- TeV-<-p«{«<l P'rar,<rer» m\\ !Wn "OtT"» tV*'"r nc'Wa Ke«r-'mr flvo 'i-'ver o ! b'»-"l w' ; .ch T c TChiti h--\ b:d them l; P V« f» food i^ , " invadir? hf** !Wl Mr Bryce did rot *pprfciatn e>>her frf hnmenr c-r pathfs of the sitn+icn. He expected bullets, ar<l tViey ?ave him brp;id. Hβ F?r<"nrjt"rily orde'e<l tht> m«>r. to rpfn«e tr«> tvos€r<Hl ppac-offering; arc! Proceeding into «h" vil'fl??. w-hio , ' the "army" novr eur- ,- r<«iTid?e. ordered the Fict Act to b*> roid. Tt V«d no terrors ev«n v\.en ♦rrtsl&Wl, t*~ *V« ' ,7 51. Tohu, Te Wb>"*i's pTiief r.'lftrp»=t>tl the p*opV: "L»* iho Jen wb - * ho' wer ,}„ },i" s w o»ithis doy. Bo rmtient. O rrvv pcof.>. sr-1 even if * v « bayonet coaifs to ycur bress't. resist rot." A pickftl party of nicety-fir-e men. armrf with revolvers and handcuff*, *rrested the nnresiftins: Te Whiti and Tofcu and they

used by the M&crij in pig-hunting, were confiscated (27). The natives from other districts were ordt-red to return 10 their hom«a (23). and when they refused, arrested. Te Whiti and Tohu were "tried" before a local roa=t;strate. ?nd committed to the commen gaol at New Plymouth They «.re clothed in convict 'gsub and for a time deniad tho solace of their pipes. Early in the Now Year they were taken to Christchurch, Mid there a healthier public opinion compeilod the Government, to treat them more humiae\y. They were relieved from the monstrous indignity of prison olotbes; were taken 10 visit an Industrial Exhibition th«n in prasrrcs3, and afterwards sent on t. visit to t'.o Sound* (30). After sixteen mon'.ha thoy were restored to their people; the i«":ig promised Tee<>rvoa were given to the natives, and Parihaka is now- a peaceful and pr Bperous community. Thu3 did the pitia'-.f tragedy of the Maori Wara conclude with, ar equally pitiable farce.