THE HAWKE’S BAY TIMES. NAPIER, THURSDAY, OCT. 16, 1862.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 68, 16 October 1862, Page 4

THE HAWKE’S BAY TIMES. NAPIER, THURSDAY, OCT. 16, 1862.

Progressively from concession to concession lias the woeful Native policy of the Governor and his late Ministers advanced, and in precisely the same proportion have the difficulties of the native question increased. Those who best knew the native character were not at any time backward in predicting that such would of necessity be the result of the proposed course. Mr. Fox had long before given us his unbiassed judgment through the press, at a time when there existed no premiership to tempt him to disguise his real views for the sake of political power. Sir George Grey himself knew the native race far too well to have ever had any faith in its success, and now that its failure is so complete, we cannot regard him as in any way disappointed at the results he must have pretty well foreseen. From the first, his conduct has been a mystery to us, as to others who have always believed him far too acute to be so misled by the Fox-Hadfield clique, as seriously to have believed that the concession policy would satisfy the demands of the time, pacify the discontented natives, reclaim to their allegiance the disloyal, confirm the wavering, and bless the Colony with a true and lasting peace and prosperity—but mysterious as his course has hitherto been, it is none the less mysterious at the present time, when the difficulties surrounding his path have so increased and multiplied that those which existed at the time of the departure of the late Governor vanish and leave the question as it stood then almost simplicity itself, as compared with its present aspect. The execution of a vigorous policy at that time was comparatively an easy task—the rebels were weakened by the twelve mouths’ struggle ; in effect subdued—the terms, (inglorious as they were) proposed for their acceptance by Governor Browne were virtually accepted by them—they without doubt expected that others, far more severe than these, would have been offered—and that these, at

ail events, would be strictly enforced. Other tribes, which held a neutral position during the rebellion would have acquiesced in the enforcement of (he terms, if vigorous action had been taken then. Now, lapse of time lias given a fancied impunity to the rebels—so much so that any action taken against them would savor of injustice, and be most certainly resisted by the very people who would then have lent their aid. Further, — the absurd forbearance of the authorities in

neglecting to execute what had been officially threatened against the rebels, has had its natural effect of causing the wavering tribes to forsake their loyal professions, and join their rebellious brethren, from a feeling of absolute contempt towards a Government that did not even try to execute its threats—and from that time to the present every act of the Government in relation to the natives has been regarded by them as but another proof of its weakness as compared with their strength. Remarkably striking are the words of W. Tako, ere while a loyal chief, who with his tribe has been found with the Governor’s troops, fighting, as he says, against the rebellious Maoris “without staying to enquire if they were his friends or brothersand from whose influence such great results were expected to flow, in dissuading the West Coast natives from their disloyal course, and inducing them to accept the benefits the Governor is so anxious to bestow upon them. His words were :

“.Listen to me friend B idler. It is now only that I understand, and have found out, the strength and importance of the king movement, and the weakness of the Queen’s Government. Let the Governor come here to Tainui, and let us discuss all our proceedings in this new work.”

These words are quite to the point, and, what is more, the whole proceedings of the Government have, during the entire term of Sir George Grey’s administration, tended to produce and confirm tire conviction expressed by W. Tako, of the weakness of the pakeha and the strength of the Maori, as much as if they had been undertaken with this end. Full well we know that such has been the impression on the mind of the natives of Hawke’s Bay. One sole principle seems to have guided the Government in all their dealings with them, and that has been a fear of giving them any ground of offence, real or imaginary. Does a pakeha openly defy the laws cl the colony by entering into illegal arrangements for the occupancy of unalienated land—he must not be prosecuted, lest the natives be offended. Do the natives make any aggression on the property or the rights of the settler—still they enjoy their impunity, lest we give them cause of offence, and so in all cases. Thus they have been taught by those in authority that they are above the law, or beyond its.reach, that it is of less consequence that the law should appear as dead, than that they should be annoyed by its execution. Time would fail to enter on the consideration of a mere fractional part of the number of cases that have occurred in various parts of the Colony tending to confirm the Maori in his idea of the weakness of the Government, but one of the latest, though not the least, has been the action taken in the matter of the wreck of the Lord Worsley, we allude to the purchasing of the wreck and cargo, to all appearance, that a collision between the native wreckers and any private purchaser might be avoided. Another cause for the conviction in their minds of our weakness is to be found in the special legislation for their benefit that has recently taken place in the General Assembly, and particularly that of the “ Native Lands Bill,” of which so much has been made by the Philo-Maori party as a means by which the Government may secure the cooperation of the native race in its measures for their benefit. It was on some such fallacious ground as this that Mr. Colenso, member for Hawke’s Bay recorded his vote in favor of the bill. It is fondly supposed that the enactment of this measure will give them confidence in the good intentions of the Government towards them. Will it not rather confirm them in their idea of its weakness—that it has done this being powerless to enforce existing laws ? It will further teach them that those tribes that have to this time submitted to the Government and sold their lands to it, have been the victims of a system of injustice (and this is probably one of the aims of the Maori party). It will cause such to bring no end of claims for compensation, and should it fail to receive the Loyal assent, a by no means improbable contingency, it will give them a further plausible excuse for dissatisfaction and consequent rebellion.