Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addiclus jurare in verba magistri. THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 1872.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 19, Issue 1349, 14 June 1872, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addiclus jurare in verba magistri. THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 1872.

{Strangers unacquainted with the progress of events in the Colony may well feel much surprise at what to them must appear a very .sudden change in the mind of the native race, Less than one month ago a large party of them weie entertained' in the Town of Napier, sind many and loud were the congratulations, not only of the several speakers a,t that affair, but also, of both our local contemporaries, on the truly loyal feeling of the race, and the wonderfully law-abiding and peaceful attitude that they then sustained—so, different from what had formerly been the case. Now, the changes are rung, and we hear nothing but rumors of disaffection and gloomy forebodings of coming trouble. We have no, doubt that a personal feeling lies at the bottom of much of this, and while there is little, if any, difference in the aspect of the Maori mind towards the Europeans, it has become fi matter of policy to bring prominently forward circumstances that had hitheito been as carefully concealed, and to raise a cry and cast odium on the person referred to.

The cause, however, of the disaffec \\on, of the Maori people lies deeper and extends farther back than the action of that person (whose recent doings have, jn our opinion, fully justified the severe wxm of Mr. Tiuton's late decision), hut who could not have taken the vonrse he has dune hut for a long series mis-legislation on the part of the Government. If it had been the object of the Govemuieiit to create amongst the Maori rfrce a complete contempt for law, as such, it could hardly have pursued a course more directly tending to such a result than it has done. Laws affecting the race from, the time of the foundation of the Colony appear to have been made only that they might be disregarded—the few and paltry attempts \\\ their execution only bringing into greater relief the systematic manner in. which, they have permitted to, lie # ( oj>#ra,t\ve.,

Early in the history of tho Colony two laws were passed for the special protection of the natives. These laws were in themselves the,.embodiment of legislative wisdom. One of them referred to and forbid all .direct dealings by private individual* wii.h them for their lauds, and the other to the supplying tliem with alcoholic liquors. From the however, rboth these laws have been set at naught. Persons directly connected with the Government were amongst the first to rent lands of the natives who themselves werewell enough aware of the iliegitityof the' act; ,and thus the first lesson in holding the. law in contempt was taught them ; and how the law relating to in toxicants has been defied it needs not for us to demonstrate. The impunity with which the first law-breakers in dealing with native lands were treated, had, of course, its natural effect. The practice spread in all directions. Even those officials appointed by' the Government nominally to see to the enforce ment of the law were amongst the most flagrant of the offenders, and at length, instead of puunishing the evil doers, the Government yielded to the pressure of certain covetous persons and repealed the law, thus throwing the lands that. were in esse the property of the English nation into the hands of a class of speculators ; so that at the present time those lands—which, under a proper system of legislation and administration—should be open for settlement, if not already (as they might have been) covered with a thriving population — have passed into the hands of private parties. The sellers, seeing the enormous increase of value acquired by the estates in question, have naturally be come disgusted with the bargains they have made, and seek to repudiate the transactions. All this might hare been foieseen at the time of the passing of the Native L:mds Act. It is but the natural result of that Act, and the responsibility rests with the Government.