THE FATE OF TAHI KAKA

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1155, 16 June 1911, Page 6

THE FATE OF TAHI KAKA

MAORI PETITION. i : -'j: "A HIDEOUS ANOMALY,". ' Following is tho translation of a potii tiua ; being largely signed by local Maoris f ior'• presentation to iiis Excellency the ; Governor:— I "0 l'a, wo greet you. We greet you } in :tius tho year and tho monili wlucli | has'., been arranged ior tho Coronation ot our Kind ivrug, George tiie i'litn. jlay [ you.live tor ever, also may our lunglivo ; lor ever under tho protection of our .Groat I iatner in Heaven. ; "(1) 0 l'a, this is a- petition from us, > irolii your Maori people, Irom tlio people I who. aro loytU subjects to tho person and i the'": ilag oi our lung, whom wo love, ! having seen him in our own country, on I behitii of Tahi Kaka, in whoso caso we i Qio 'suirtlec! to hear of the decision ar- ■ lived at by. your Council ot Advisors, ' .that this boy' is to bo put to death. i "(2) It is not, .0 your Excellency, for ; our petition t'o restore him to lile, but ilt is ior you, tor.your love.ior your Maori'people of New.Zealand, that .alone I can'save tho life of this boy who is but : seventeen years, of • age. .. - -- "(3) We entreat vou to reflect', 0 our ; 'Ariki, 0 our . Father,, that quito recently i there have been acts of cold-blooded- murf der committed by the Pakoha, but those murderers were -not-.put to death; they < have been spared—they aro alive now; in • tho'.case of this. Maori boy, lio is to be I. put to death. In'this a hideous anomaly ' presents itself. ... "(i) Wo are in absolute accord witn i tho' good, humane, and loving recommen- ' dat'ion of the jury which tried the case i and:'which was in iv position to know : all the facts. '.The decision of that Jury i is: . That Tahi . Kaka ■" was/guilty of tlio f- crime, but he .was : strongly. l recommended '' to mercy owing t'o his youth, -that ue- ' cisibn, your Excellency, was .based on ; brotherly love—on love which is the most . admirable thing 111 this world. -Ola, I is it to be said that the blood of this I boy' is to lie spilled to add a zest to ■ tho -"Coronation .festivities.?. .Surely not. ; "Your petitioners therefore pray that.tho ! death sentence bo commuted, and that' I ■ this l:oy be recommended to the care of ■ tho Government nnd'placed in some inj stitutioir'i'or it .peTiod, where Ins-.mental ' nud"moral discipline will be for the future i uttemlcd so long as your advisers deem I 'necessary. • Long live tho King; may tho Xord preserve Jiim." ■" : . i PETITION!? TO BE CONSIDERED ; TO-DAY. • i"' "To-day-the Executive will receive, and *! consider the petitions that have been cir- '■ eulated and signed praying for the re- ; prievo of Tahi Kaka. • . > At'a meeting tlio trades Council heldI List night it was decided to send a deputation to wait on tiie Acting-Primo. Mm ; ister at 11.30 o'clock this morning, ask'".? ■ for the reprieve of Talii Kaka. The j council invites any citizens who are interested' in the case to accompany .tho ile- ' pitta tion, in order to make it as repre- ; tentative as' possible. A COUNTER AGITATION. ; i (Dj : Tolejraphi—Sceeial Correspondent.! ... N . Auckland, June 15. The agitation in favour of tiie reprieve ! of Tnhi'"Kaka is meeting with a counter-, ; . agitation. To-night the "Star" publishes > 60me v letters: from - Wllangarei (where1 • tho . mnrdei' took place), of which the followi ing, signed. 1 , by...'A. ,L. Stokes, is a fair ex- ; ampler' of-the protests:— ■ • ' ■■ ' ! "I noticerthat it;ist!iointention.of .tho : ! 'clergy■ and others to circulate,a petition ! praying for •tho'.reiirteV'o'.of Tahi Kaka,.. ■ j the self-confessed liiurderer of poor John < Freeman.'. Should the petition* have 1 tho ' ! effect desired .by the well-intentioned,; but j misguided and. ..emotional, .supplicants,. 1 then,.' sir, Now Zealand can well boast t ; of being the only British country wliero . ; a. man can commit murder in tho most 1 : coldrblooded manner imaginable, and the ( > perjiet'riit'or 1 be allofred to livo. and. be a « , menace to society later on. I happen to 1 ; rpside within an honr's ride of the sccne. : of th'&itoagedjrj and- know' more •or less- * ! of the antecedents of Kaka, and amon<f 'j : the /numerous/Natives and'pakehas with ' ' whom I have discussed the murder. I have J not met ono who considers that Kaka is ; worthy of a reprieve. It ihay be, in ' : fact .it is .claimed, that. Kaka, being a 5 f Maori, and. so young, some excuse ■ should J' ; bo made for him, because ho did not real- J ; iso the enormity of his offence. To such " ■' an argument I can only say that if an a : excuse is needed for -the above reason, a f. then it reflects very, littlo. credit on tho '' clergy ,'ajid others who have been work- '!

• ing among .tho : Maoris for the nast fifty ; years -without imparting to the Ifn6ri the ! ' Miiso-'of right and- wrong. ' I daro say ! that many sentimentalists who may'read : cn'o opinions expressed herein will hold- : «n their'hands with horror, and exclaim: 'But Kaka is so young; to. die;' .-. Just 'so, . but vory■.likely old John Freeman was too ! youngto-die by,the hand of a being who ■ followed like a dop in the trade of' thoi : liarmless old eiimdiEger, and. without the ! least provocation, hustled hirii into eternity. Then, by taking the dead man's : money, caused Freeman to bo buried in :-a pauper's grave. To tho clergy and i- others I would say, suppose the mur- ': tlere.(i man. had Iwen 'your brother,' then ;■ sentiment would yield to justice, '■ and i _ the opinions of our Judges and Executivo Council would not bo outraged"

'A DEPUTATION TO THE' HON. D BDDDO. ■•■

i, (By, Telegraph-Press' Association.) '■ α-o i- , , Au cklancf, June 15. : An influential deputation waited on tho •• -31 mister for Internal Affairs (tho Hoii. ; JJ. Buddo) this afternoon, headed by the .- Anglican Bishop.of Auckland (Dr. Cross- : -ley), to make representations in support ■ ot the-commutation of the death-sentence : under which Tahi Kaka is now lying in Mount Eden Gaol. : Mr. A. Myers, M.P., in introducing tho : deputation, expressed the opinion that ; there" were especial circumstances which would justify Cabinet in reconsideriii" its ! decision; Tho young man had signed a ; confession but for which ho would possibly not havo been convicted,, besides ; which wore ;to be considered his youth and, upbringing. ' . . i , Bish °P Crpssley pointed out that the : deputation did not in any sense desire to • mitigate tho sense of horror that must : attach to such a crime, but they asked that earnest consideration should be "iven I th ° ( l ll «tion,whether so,young n life should..be taken, or that justice .in its truest senso would ho best served by demanding the extreme penalty.of the law. J-nerc was something more than sentiment ; underlying the appeal. At such a time, when:all loyal British subjects wero nmred..m preparing for joyous celebrations, it would be a great and noble act ; of clemency and hope to. the Maori raco which;ho was sure they would never lorget.' ■ ■ ' Mr. Hooking,; of Napier, added a touch- ., ing appeal ,for tho ..extending of the Royal ,■ prerogative of' mercy towards the con- : demned. '.•■'.■ . , ■ • : Mr. Hackelt pointed out that the pro- : Milt case-was tho first on record in thoJJominion'.m which a jury's recommenda- ; tion to mercy, hail been' ignored, i .The Hon., D;. Buddo, in reply,' agreed i that at, was- not a'..question of " clemency ! affecting , tho position;'it ivas rather a ■ question as to tho circumstances snrrouudf ing tho case being sot aside. n.e would be- : pleased to convey tho representations of : the deputation to the Acting-Primo Minis- ■ ter by. telegraph at once, and they might rest fully assured that tho matter would be fully considered in all its bearing 9.