THE Evening Star. SATURDAY, JULY 31, 1869.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1946, 31 July 1869, Page 2

THE Evening Star. SATURDAY, JULY 31, 1869.

The terrible union between the rebel chiefs and the Maori King appears to have been an old wife’s dream. It is the fashion in Europe to keep watch upon the movements of some mighty man, upon whose dictum war or peace is supposed to depend. There Louis Napoleon is the bugbear. He cannot move but some mighty event is predicted to be hatching in his brain. If he is at Biaritz, he has retired from public life to mature his projects. If he visits a crowned head, the two are plotting against the common weal of Europe. In that spirit of imitativeness, so characteristic of the politicians of New Zealand, they too must have their beta noire. Perhaps it is necessary to do a little of outside frightening in order to carry some favorite scheme. The two parties in the House of Representatives have each their separate game to play. One is for going in and crushing what they are pleased to term the rebellion vi ct armis. It is not a sulhcient answer to them to say the policy has been tried for many years, and has proved disastrous. The Maoris ar« not only not crushed, but although dispersed, whenever they find it convenient, they re-as-semble, and all is to do over again. The Wellington Independent, the organ of the opinion of the war party, in no measured terras denounces the tactics of the Fox party. It compares the Ministry with singular infelicity to the “ renowned geese of the Capitol,” whose cackling roused the Roman army to a sense of the danger of the City. It seems to be forgotten that their cackling saved Rome from destruction. The Wellington Independent seems to grieve over the reduction of the war expenditure as over something lost to the North Island. There is a class of men who are never happy unless engaged in dispensing enormous sums of money. They always find greedy helpers in their extravagance. So long as they can succeed in raising the wind, they never seem to imagine it can ever become adverse. The late Ministry seem latterly to have been seized with this mania.' Although Mr Stafford accepted office ostensibly with the purpose of saving the Colony from bankruptcy, he seems to have been playing into the hands «f contractors and others who profit by Northern troubles. The cessation of this expenditure is a sad drawback to the hopes and expectations of this numerous section of our fellowcolonists, and thsir hostility to a policy that deprives them of their anticipated profits, is only natural. The Fox Ministry has had its own game to play. Te Kooti is the little Napoleon of the North Island. His charmed life, and oft-repeated death, have invested him in the eyes of the Europeans with a more dangerous prestige than Titokowaru. Whether the Ministry really believed there was any danger in the Waikato is very doubtful, but they two had their schemes, and Te Kooti was to be the bogle to terrify the whole Colony into acquiescence. Last week, the terrible savage, with his five wives, went on a solemn visit to the Maori king. Down came telegrams of ominous import. The Governmenl had received intelligence of a most alarming character. As we pointed out at the time, it seemed a doubtful peint if it were really alarming, whether the wiser plan would not be to let the country know what danger had to be met. We confess to having suspected some ruse, knowing that it was sought to retain the passive services of the 18th Regiment. But, designedly or not, the mystery that was made of the secretnews had the desired effect. North and South, East and West, everybody was prepared for some dreadful event. In the North Volunteers enrolled themselves; the Militia was called out. In the South men waited anxiously for some new revelation. Where would the murderous band make their next destructive raid ? What unfortunate settlers were to be the next victims 1 What new tale of horror was to be added to the long, long catalogue of atrocities already on record 1 Expectation was on tip-toe perhaps some good old lady or two were kept awake at night in terror at the dismal prospect. But would not do to dally with the situation, the risk of explosion was too great. Te Kooti with his five wives went to take tea with Hewt just at the right time to complete the abandonment of the self-reliant policy. The terribly unknown danger was to be met in the dark, so in a fit of desperation, Dr. Feathekston was shipped eff to Melbourne to negotiate for the retention of the I’egiment. The game is played out, and the Ministry have won. Our telegram last night resolved the mystery, and showed that all the terrible forebodings of Maori murderers ’ making mincemeat of miscr-

able men and women had no other foundation than in the brilliant imaginations of the Fox and Yogel Ministry, who raised the cry of Wolf to secure their political ends. The terrible conclave of savage plotters has broken up. Tawhiao prefers to wear his his sable crown to being driven from his lair, Te Kooti is ordered to the right-about, his men are going potato planting, and it seems not unlikely, Avith tlie abandonment of the aggressive policy, it will he found the Maoris will take to dying natural deaths and leaving their lands in the quiet possession of the European settlers or their descendants.