MR CARDWELL’S DESPATCH.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 6, Issue 317, 23 October 1865, Page 1

MR CARDWELL’S DESPATCH.

(From the Wellington Independent.) Tile the receipt of the despatch from Mr Cardwell, which is reprinted elsewhere, we did not fully realise that New Zealand had been left to struggle unaided with her difficulties. When it was resolved upon to dispense with the Imperial troops in order to get rid of Imperial interference, and to rely upon ourselves to maintain the Queen’s peace by means of a Colonial Force, it was thought that the Colony had a right to expect some temporary money help from the Imperial Government at the worst of the difficulty. This expectation was founded on right and justice. The past war, which had been the result of Imperial action, was carried on under Imperial control, and stopped when it suited Imperial ends, Then the Colonial policy of 1863, after being assented to by the Imperial Government, and called “ my policy” by Sir George Grey, was arrested midway by instructions from Downingstreet, with its objects unattained, leaving the Colony with damaged credit aud a drained Treasury, to overcome an evil, aggravated by the foolish and vacillating means which had been employed in dealing with it. When, therefore, the present Ministy in April last explained to the Imperial Government the financial condition of the Colony, and indicated that the policy they intended to pursue in dealing with the Native rebelion, was to depend entirely on a Colonial Force, they were fairly entitled to ask “that it would extend its aid to the Colony, either by covering the remainder of the three milion loan by an Imperial guarantee or by making the Colony an annual grant in aid of extraordinary expenditure during the next four or five years.” Mr Cardwell’s despatch shows how futile were these He altogether ignores the justice of the case, meets the request with a curt refusal, and favors Sir George Grey with a condensation of the arguments which would be used by Parliament against granting it. In those argu ments there is neither honor nor fairness, but only the special pleading of selfish men, who button up tiieir pockets instinctively whenever they think a detpand is going to be made, which they are pot legally compelled to acknowledge. Mr 4 Cardwell either will not, or cannot, see that some obligations, like debts of honor, are even more binding than ordinary liabilities. Such is the claim of New Zealand on the Mother country. The latter has produced all the difficulties that have arisen. The Imperial Government has tried to deal with Native Affairs, and disasterously failed leaving the Colony a legacy jof debt and difficulty. The Colony accepts this. It says :—“ We will take this responsibility upon ourselves, we will relieve you from the expense of partially maintaining an army here, aud we will try aud succeed where you have failed. But as your action in the past has rendered the difficulty more formidable and lessened our resources; as we expended blood and treasure fruitlessly on the faith that you would have curried on the last war till its objects had been attained, and as you have broken faith, we now ask you to lend us a helping hand ; —to afford ns the means of obtaining the loan of money in the English market at a moderate rate, till better times come. This will cost you nothing, and be of the greatest value to us. If you think of doing more than this, then we will take what other aid you will give—which we do not ask as a favor, but demand as a light.” Such is the case of the Colony, —such the demand which has been contemptuously rejected. This unjust treatment will rankle in our hearts and widen the existing breach between the Colony and the Mother country. There are other matters in this despatch to which we may briefly allude. A cool official expression of regret is the only reference made to the atrocious murders of Voikner and Hewett. while almost in the same sentence a most hopeful view is taken of the state of affairs on the East Coast. Mr Card--7/gllj \viishsd his hsnd? o£ ths is of course disposed to look cheerfully at difficulties he has not to deal with. With pleasing

frankness he tells His Excellency that he heartily approves of the policy of the Ministry, and loudly exhorts them to go on and prosper. There is a sincerity about this part of the despatch which is remarkable in such documents. “ Her Majesty’s Government entirely concur in the policy of your advisers,” —of course, because that policy gets them out of a terrible mess—but Her Majesty’s Government will not put forth a finger to help those on whom they have placed such grievous burdens. Selfishness, indeed, is developed in every sentence of this despatch. It is selfishness which makes Mr Cardwell take the part of General Cameron and rebuke Sir George Grey. What matters it that the Governor was right and the General wrong, in the dispute, in face of the fact that the former for the time took the part of the Colony, and the latter that of the Imperial Government. Mr Cardwell mis-states the matters in dispute, for the sake of snubbing the Governor. It was not so much on the question whether or not the WanganuiTaranaki campaign should take place, that the quarrel arose, as on the manner in which, once commenced, it was to be carried out. The General began the campaign, and carried it on in a fashion such as never was heard of before in any other war. He would not fight, be refused to attack the natives who threatened him on every side, and he systematically avoided going near their pahs. It was this ridiculous and mischievous system of action of which Sir George Grey complained; and those complaints, with their rejoinders, made up much of the correspondence. We have little doubt that when the whole case is known, the Colonial Office, however unwillingly, will be compelled to atone for its injustice to Sir George Giey in this matter. But it must be admitted tiiat according to the Dowuing-street code of ethics, his offence has been very grave. He actually took the part of the Colonial Ministry against the General because the former were right. We can remember that in the long struggle between Sir George Grey and the last Ministry, Mr Cardwell backed him throughout, though he was clearly in the wrong. The reason of this is not far to seek. At that time Sir George Grey was blindly carrying out the behests of Mr Cardwell and ruining the Colony ; while in the more recent instance he was attempting, by taking a commonsense view of bis orders, to give effect to a policy which would, if properly executed, have retrieved the disasters of the past. General Cameron was wiser than this. He saw that the Imperial Government were sick of the war, so he did every thing to prevent it. Therefore from the Colonial Office point of view, the General was right and the Governor wrong. The only assertion in this despatch which can be read with satisfaction, is “ that the Colonial Government will receive the support of the Imperial Government in maintaining the unity of the Colony.” That this would be the case no thinking man has ever doubted. It was the interest of the Imperial Government to oppose to the utmost the demand for Separation, because only by united effort could an independent policy succeed. Out of evil good may come, and the injustice of England may prove the salvation of the Colony. We now know beyond doubt, that no help will be forthcoming and that we have to rely on ourselves alone. Let us accept the decision of the Mother country, and forgetting all petty jealousies between one province and another, forgetting everything but that we are one people, sprung from the same stock, and bound together by the tie of a common interest—let us with stout hearts and strong arms begin the great work which has now to he done. This is not the time for wretched political squabbles, for factious opposition, or unfair criticism. The day for that has passed away, and we trust the remainder of the session will be occupied with real work instead of useless talk. The men who at such a crisis are the opposition in the Assembly should be ready to form a Ministry and lay a policy before the country, or they should cease to cavil. We know that they are not ready to do this, and it is, therefore, treason to the country to continue their present course any longer. To suppress rebellion, and to ensure peace at the cost of the natives themselves, by the confiscation and

sale of rebels’ lands, is the policy that has to be pursue!, and the men who will do this are those who should be kept at the helm of State,