"HANDS OFF!"

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 664, 15 November 1909, Page 11

"HANDS OFF!"

t t —i —♦ , THE KING COUNTRY AND LIQUOR. , HYPOCRISY 6r "BROKEN I'AITHS."

'" >'.' (By W.M., To Kuito.)

From tno ago of Lycmgps, tb.o {athsr of Spartan oino and sumptuary law, until today, it has 'boon recognised that, lvhen certain la* a are for pcrastcnt infraction, and all otMnrs cheerfclly obeyed, thopo laws press with Kurt on tho community, and ought to bo altan?(i. This reasoning is good, sound sense, applies with forco to u* lavr-breakors of the Jjohe Totae, when tto consistently defy the sinister liquor legislation iniquitonsly imposed upon us, -srhich callously deprives ui of those voluntary acts and enjoyments practised Jby oar brethren just over the border. Hence our infractions aro rather political than ' criminal hausgressions, and ought to bo dismrlmiiiated at such. Unman naturo inherontly objects to oppression, and, if this objection takes the form of nassive resistance, of disreBortl, of acting as Tf those laws did not exist, it .is fair to infer, that not monotary profit nlbn6>ha,s urged certain persons to commit acts corainonly—and, in very doggerel English— called- "sly grog-selling," but is an open disavowal of tho authontv which imposed that legislation. Whether they were within their rights 'thus to defy the impost, is answered by thfc' reply to theUuestion; "Is revolt tieaBon;'and en immct.U act?" Naturally, erery revolt-against powors in being, depends for , on the j reason lor tho revolt. If tha''rebellion is an opposition to injustice, to tyranny, to compulsory enforcements afjunst personal'freedom of actiotij."tho rebel isfjust'ned -in his resistance. Tltis being so, lot uu examine its application to us of the Itpho Potae: As is well known, tho trend of recent 'egis latlon/has been in: the direction of cm tail ingthe consumption ot intoxicants; but, recog nising the dissatisfaction that might ensue if a fow'made laws antagonistic to the desutb of do viiried components, tho legislatvjti wisely deeidid that the units, of each shonlJ, by ii majority vote of three fifths, elect ii which of threo regulations should be the' rule of their community in tho mattoi of intoxicants (1) Whether a continuance of existing conditions; (2) a reduction of tho eatnej or (3) a complete extinction of licensed • ealo.i. But, as the minority also has rights, which must not be ignored, tho legislatuie madd. it possible, undpr certain restrictions, that these might bo onioyt<d and yet not offend or 'impair tho majority ( decision. And, to ensure, its universal application, every electorate in the Dominion—excepting that part of the Tannjarnnni, known as the Hoho Potae—wh)ch (bedause;of an alleged d.es'iro of the Katives, and made the purport of an alleged covenant) was.Specially exempted—might practise tho privilege. Here we enter a phase of this subject, purposely involved in some obscuntj. it is allcgSl that tho Maori granted tho pakeha paruiljsion to enter the Kohc Potao, purchase and _'(«cnpy its lands, together with othei privilt'eee, on condition that we abstained from introducing licensed houses for the sale of intoxicants. As will bo shown, no such stipulanftn 1 69 alleged was exacted. But lot us grant 1 rP a J?thiS pretended Maori prayer was real, 'and { tnat, becanse of its being a district in which at thit, time no Urown dominance had ob tained, and was Native land—every part of it — ddes„it not seem a laboured and stupid subvention of plain common sense (and contrary to j notoriously keen Maori intelligence) that neishquld make it a condition of pakeha occuthat 'pakoh* laws, ordinances, institutions, privileges, and custonib, should bo excluded from these so alienated lands' Aid does lit not logically follow that, on aret.s where 1 pakeha State dominance is established, »nd! their lands occupied-with homes, aud municipal raachin«ry, the same laws and pro> leges,, extant in other State areas, liave nn inalienab o right to became similarly domicile I there? Und, without a doubt, it was a full realisation of thes-e'conditions which induced the chairman of the Taumaruiiui Licensing Comiplttee, by his casting vote, to grant bottlo licenses ,to those who applied lor thtni. ,\*• • » « \ This preamble has been necessary lo iotroluco what follows, and I mil now epitomnc iow the Bohe Potae, by u series of misreprecntationa and distortions, bocamo. dqnicd the •igh« and pnvifegesr-universalJy'i mSami irith the free subjects of tho Imperial Crown and its dependencies— ,< > - ir Ourselves and Nabolh's- VinoyaMfr -{-» ->~ - Tho Ngahmamapoto section of the Maorin, durlrig andi after the Taraaaki and Woikato War, by threat,of death, excluded all Europeans, except those married to Native wives, Irom their boundaries. Bnt a passage for the Main: v lrunk railway between Auckland and Wellington demanding a Tight-of-vvav, much paswd between tho State and thi,Maoris before it was granted. This being ™mf£i ( ?f on t . ho sR L °", gth of ll,an y benefit promlj&s) (Obtained, verbal provisos were arf? n ili ''*$ fallhle M ,T "mitted from tho final K P / ovis ?, s were: -(a) All travellers of roads granted i (b) no land to be applied for SLwiiE *X 8 1F TC >' ors , CT Prospectors to roam away from the lines indicated, excepting road surveyors or railway line engineers. These iWMgsjma of the leading conditions npon which sine paramount chiefs would grant their permission. But when tho engineers and road surveyors reported on tho vast rich areas f^ o Tifiii W T lch J > ? th ths ™* '" Taranaki and coveted.Ttfaon Naboth's yinejard with intolerJS lS T 3 ,IMt - Bnt J« wwo oS;'„Jf i ng r t ooinpHcations. followed our .usual practice of exciting their cupiditv with-exlnbAs of shoddy pew-gaws; of dwremt a ? d p v ?. ra '» ne f spnko and tyie-s : ck bS of-Berhn-backed, bighly-polisned, but infenor rf«»1 V„ii n 1 then ,Vo "'to his capacious, (credulous ears "Kanui to pai; ncra?" and, .when he canted his head and hesitated wo produced a bottle of chemical rwS!" !££ npon, v and after several absorptions, he saw ' T„ i I„t r t- M l , tllo »S ht so too. And The Fraud of Our Chemical Rum. J a » d -P«<!hase,officers among n,pf i^rif^,,er^ tu »?i°Mhools ior his children;' ot attvances 'unon S&ftt&i ?h g " Udy fwnitur tf ;Td entrapped the younge-r generations with racecourse exploits, and crammed their heads with " lld ?* m thenl Princelets and orepared their wuls for tternai ruin- And tnew r< f Ti h t' r th J M W °hiefs-looked on and saw th* trend of a strain »i,.u l! uu impotent to deflect or dam and ii \ h ,E, T" ination.of tho race, vet wire „f n't J dccl " ' in, one instance performed y« *L i, konei" (sign here), and he signed aw av his he i,^fL aud hw i and P awd 'o the pakehal 'A'Sw.Ti 10 ? c V lca the P old prophetit chiefs had heard of, for great was th« white man's fame! So thev m-idr, it ~™i,ti land purchases were neeotiatprl «» 7«£>» liqpor should be inSced. d ' TM"wSFSS , raetwu no sooner conceded by us than agg P re^ gdn .into a total exclusion from the Maniapoto Roh I Fotae boundaries, to tvluch tho old cluefs without understanding or consultation w,fh tho tribe) agreed. This in Itself was an immoral act of policy they were not authorised inherently or by to plcd'o the tribesmen; they Mm authority as chfefs, in any period of Maori history, .tb.mako social or sumptuary ordinance such were the privileges of all, chiefs, and heads of families in runanga assembled, to enact; tho head chiefs as pait of the communal authority, could only deliver individual opinions, which were of no moro governmental value than thoso of the rest. 1 his is a factor totally unknown to theso agititors for recognition 'of Maori dosircsnt least, only whon it falls m with their Prohibition gospel. v - * Oe'.opus, < , When the rank and'fil* s discovered how, and for what, their freedom was pledged they with ono Voice repudiated the concession with the ntmoilt indignation, aud with suth emphasis ncoentuated their'disapproval ,that all who could raise sufficient funds' inipanncd their (by now) chattonng nut-sick chariots, and trailed for To Awnmutn, laid in a stock of'liquor, and upon their return openly retailed it in presence ot the chieisl. Who,"seeing, that—"Kua kopi to nngn ito pakeha (tha whito man's hand has clutched noon us)—desisted from further offort at restraint. Some oven entered the trade themselves, and one or two of these I can jave the names of \t reana«u<L Ot, whoa th«

policeehtersd tho precincts of the pa actually assisted the delinquents to escapo with their wares; and !thus the sale, beenrco, dispersed to creating this anomalous position: that .had licensed houses (hedged with precautions and restrictions), been -permitted-: tho awful wavo of 'intemperance and illicit- sale, which.surged like.a pestilence across the land, with'consequent .'debaucheries and deaths,'had probably not happened! And, further, the pretence of excluding licensed • houses to savo tho race, only failed of its object, but was the diroct and immediate cause of its dissemination, ~and a partial extermination of tho tribes. Par, left to his own devices, tho Maori is no drunkard, and when not incited to drink is (with a few excoptipns) the'most abstemious croature of all aboriginal races. His innate sense of dignity and- dread •of ridicule. alono prevents the sottish appetite of'the wastrel pakeha, and the sooner.this truth is. apprehended,' and the inisconcoptioh thot tho Maori '.is naturally; -.'. a , drunkard ' scornfully refuted, the sooner ho is'treated as a man with feelings like onr own ( and his. status as a citizen respected; <thfc sooner; will ho emulate what is most'•ostiiiiablo',, in' tho pakobn. It not— no liquor restrictions will save the race! .:., After.the revolt against.au enforced sumptur ary lnw, ; petition followed petition, graying that it be annulled, but without avail. Appeals,that local option bo extended to his people .were ignored. Thus, with intermediate spaces of passive! resistance and secret sales, the years have gone; The old chiefs aro dead; : their lands alienated 'to the pakeha j the promised -schools;.(because' of the speedy, increase, of the white man's children) have been tardily erected;'and those alive, of tho early revolts, clamour; still - that. all' restrictions, whether of land or liquor, bo removed, and they be granted the privilege to local- option whether licenses shall enter, this.forco-distracteS:land.

The Cry for No-License. I But there is another aspect of this bareassumption of sumptuary authority: The plea is lccurreutlj presented that licenses, il whatever sort, foi tho sale of liquor within tut Rohe Potao would "break faith with the I Maori!" Wo have seen the sort of "faith" the I breach is supposed to damage. Thora is no suuiptuiry "faith" to break. Not s only > tl>»t. they draw attention to covenants, wherein tho Maori piD rely upon the whito man'j "faith." Theso also we havo casually examined, found honoy-conihea with breaches, and are compelled to appiaite as decayed to the core! What of thea.' Who I among tho-o agitators has risen to condemn atrocities too vile for history' Atrocur 1 of falsehood, fraudulcnce in land transaction*• I callous indifference to the dying crealur»--I plaints, and tho multitude of disabilities »li?<i< the vicioua strong impose upon the weak' When 1 applied tor a Native school at Ormuire, near To Kuiti, that my fiity brown and jellow lad and lassie friends might rccoivo 1 that education so glibly promised the r grandfolk and applied in vain; and, in my desperate perplexit), appcalod for moial support in tho press, there ensued a silence, as it can en out of stone. And it was only aftei two years' persistent urging and correspondence that that 1 UTH was grudgingly redeemed! Breaking "faith" with the Maori, forsooth! VVhen we, without a "By-your-leavc," stocked their lakes and nvors with sporting trout, and forbade them to fish in theso lakes and rivers —a privilege guaranteed, to tliem- inviolate on tho iaith of tho greatest Sovereigns in historydid these alleged followers of tho Nazarene and bawlers of "faith" arise and protest against the breath of faith! When it mooted openly, in the press and elsewhere, that tho Maori lands shall be forcibly brought under the provisions of the Lands for Settlement Act, that tho pakeha may enjoy and occupy its fatness, do these aggressive mouths fry "Stay your hands, despoilers' A covenant not yet mutually cancelled, and known as the Treaty of Waitnngi, which conserves to them fhc right to hold, or sell, as p!casc3 them, will .hereby be imperilled." Is the assertive gag of "broken faith" heard in this case? Is their protesting voice heard at all, unless their particular social or sumptuary fad bo touched?

; Has''L^t':Tos'^'V : ;'-.:' % ; S;]< ;*Ther6 is v yet ahother: aspect of. tho situation, to view- vvhicli' has' becomb imperative :—Granted that the iiaori is completely uominated, that his voice'.-"can;be.'suppressed,.-then' w'hat about !tho-'white'man-settler, w : bo has-replaced thp Maori? Shall -he 'also-;; bo. forcibly! denied '. his .roce'B rights? .Shall.we, the pioneers, who/arc bcar-iug-itho.heat„and. burden of.the vobr-treckcr's hardships and disabilities, be relused the'liquid comforts -for. nourishment, or' 1 medicine,-and niOßkly- -, accept the, .doriifneering: lordship' of; jthev ■ -fevir. . , Are,. 'we .'submissively to/,' ; i,qj|r:(u lqc^joption. ' p'rivilSge to .proxies. sucn'-'aSvthese?;.- A'hd'" I .if we 1 refute, will,tbe- great mo.derato backbone, of the nation stand by -aud see .US'' maltreated'by this assbm-. •blara ,whof<arryi their,"rights" at the poirltiof the ucgi'slativd! bayonet?' Have" we—wo-, out; pickets of 'tho- -Roh'o '■. Potao ; wildemesses-iho heritago.of, "faiths,"-sacred, because thoy were our .mothers', to preserve.- intact?. ■ By, what authority but■' that of force,/ callously ■ applied; aro.vvo .subjected''to'-indiguities.;.\rhich. a.-Kajfir-:would resent,'.--but" directly WE move to regain .ourvlegal status are denounced as contumacious frocturei's'-of, =By .what mana but that of conteinptiblp'assertion, contemptuously' asserted,- must we submit to degrading espionage; to. public OAposnra of 'our, private kit, at the., curiosity or v spito' of. .our. -servants, -,-: the police,- and by an affixed'label: "This.parcel contains whisky," invite'tho'ribald badinage of tho! basor.'sort,! and,; with : sllame-stainedche'ek, ; , declare on '.. oath pocket-flask -(which aii innocence of .criind. riot; to hide) was not .bronght.'in.for'merchandise? -S. And it has come to.- this: Should an,honest citizen desire. a magnum>6f liquid nutriment,, he must resort to "'• subterfuges ■ and .-.expedients,'. at which', his cloan-li'ved soul,.revolts. .' 'V .;■'

-,It has been assort<!d that.alroftly.the:licenses granted : in : , tho," Roho' 'Potae -have increased (Maori drunkenness. 'What are tho facts? -To "ascertain the .worth .ot. this-, report,-T-Tiaye -inquired of tho districts concerned. To-mysdr-priso I am; told, that',there»is 'absolutely less! And that by,; pejrsons,: rather,: antagonistic to the. trade. And'it'ii> of-'.the 'samo., piece from, which',otlierVlcngths' , of 'perverted -imagery have been cut; that outsidb centres,'who if they .were' challenged;, io explain Potae" ("King Country") meant, and give a' true compendium of their history,■■,would at: once link ;up.Vtlio tissue,'- of .corruptions hero. iri\ lim refnted." If has yet .tb'bo recognisod ; that tho great moderate independents refuse to supinely submitto, and will employ overy legal medium' ' to'. upset' their cherished fantasy. ' .! ;: -,