The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 1871.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2567, 10 May 1871, Page 2

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 1871.

There must be something most terrible to the mind of a savage like Te Kooti in persistent ■watchfulness over bis actions by his civilised neighbours. He cannot gather around him balf-a-bundred half-starved, ill-armed followers unseen or unknown. The eye of justice is upon his doings, and ho himself has become conscious of it. No sooner is he preparing mischief, than the avenger of blood is upon his trail. Some of the Northern papers exclaim against “the weakness” of the present Government in their treatment of the natives. As far as we can understand our contemporaries, their idea of “ strength is always associated with bullying. They cannot comprehend that consciousness of power can subsist with perfect calmness of demeanour and tolerance of a fellow creature’s ignorance. When the natives evince unwillingness to permit carrying out modern improvements, such as roads and telegraphs, some of the Northern papers would have the works executed although the workmen required the protection of an army of soldiers. This course of action would be both unwise and unjust. It would be unwise, because with savages as with children no position should be taken up from which it is difficult to recede. It is an old saying “A man may take a horse to water, but lie cannot make him drink.” And so it is in dealing with barbarous tribes. It is easy enough to project a liue of road or telegraph, but, if they are determined to oppose their construction it is unwise to commit a government to hostilities to enforce it, unless absolutely required. There is too ready a tendency to treat the Maoris as a race of enemies, instead of letting them feel they are looked upon as fellowsubjects of Her Majesty. lu the Northern newspaper articles the same tone is adopted as would be used towards an acknowledged foe. We do not dwell so much upon the cost of a system of compelling submission, although that would be no slight addition to Middle Island taxation ; and it is a view that ought not to be left out of consideration. There has been too much money spent in endeavoring to overmaster Maori stuhhernness, and with no corresponding advantage. When the project of confiscating the land of the Natives who rebelled was adopted, the wise promoters of the scheme borrowed some millions on the anticipated security, and puffed it as likely lo le a most profitable investment. They never seemed to imagine there would be any difficulty in disposing of the land thus acquired, and the sale of it was to reimburse the Colony with the profit of additional tens of thousands of settlers. But the Government of the day do not seem to have taken into consideration that it costs as much, or perhaps very much more, in the course of years, to hold than it did to acquire the land; and that however venturesome the North Island colonists may be, they are not rash enough to place flocks and herds upon runs off which they are certain to be stolen by some hostile tribe of natives, While, therefore, wo deprecate on every ground that style of treatment that would create enemies where a just and conciliatory power would have secured friends, we hold it to be very different matter when the ends of justice are to be secured. It would he the height of folly and weakness to let the natives imagine that time is allowed to condone such offences as Te Kooti has been guilty of. We are inclined to think that the moral effect of holding such a man liable to he apprehended and tried whenever he can be secured, is greater than would be the sending cf a large military force against him. It is not often that large bodies of troops are sent to arrest a fugitive criminal. It would be making too much of a hero of him, and raise him too highly in the estimation of his countrymen ; whereas to treat him as a proscribed outcast, that sooner or

later will be brought to justice—a criminal with a stain upon his character, that no position nor any length of time can wipe out —if to bring him into bad esteem amongst his fellow-countrymen, and to impress them with a different idea of his character from that which they would surround it, were the risk of battle and the glory even of defeat to give iwesluje to it. With the exception of the hardships endured, Ropata’s expedition does not seem to have been a very hazardous one, nor his victory very glorious. Yet its moral effect will be an advantage : chiefly because it will be felt that justice docs not slumber.