THE Marlborough Express. SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 1868.

Marlborough Express, Volume III, Issue 128, 1 August 1868, Page 2

THE Marlborough Express.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 1868.

“ Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above ail other liberties.” —Milton.

The news we have published in our recent issues, respecting the proceedings of the Maoris in various parts of the North Island, must have been sufficient to raise grave doubts in the minds of our readers as to the wisdom of the course that has been pursued by the Government to make the natives feel the power of British rule. The great mistake throughout the whole of the lingering Maori war has been to treat the rebellious natives as civilised beings, instead of barbarous cannibals as they really are. Every “ mild art of peace ” has been tried upon them; they have been furnished with flour, sugar, and blankets ; a greater consideration has been shown them in our Courts of Law than would be shown to any otherrace, with what result from these propitiatory measures, may be learnt from their recent outbreaks. When they were overpowered and overawed they became servile enough, and were ready to lick the hands of those befriending them ; but a short period of repose was sufficient to destroy in their minds any feeling of gratitude for the favours they had received, and in the warmth of fancied power they retaliated by murdering the people who had succoured them in the hour of need. With the knowledge of these facts before us, it is impossible that we should counsel any half measures in any proceedings that must be taken to make the Maoris feel that we are bound to occupy the land we have acquired in spite of their efforts to dislodge us. At present large portions of land, lawfully belonging to the occupiers, is only held on sufferance of the Maoris, and they too often have the power and will to make this a very unstable tenure. Such a condition as this must not be permitted to exist in a British Colony ; either the Maoris or the British must rule, and there can be no doubt which ultimately will hold the absolute power. Had any other nation than the British colonised New Zealand, the question of supremacy would have been settled long since, but the Exeter Hall element is engrafted so strongly in our natures that we cannot punish a savage even for his own good. This feeling must now be thoroughly eliminated, and as the natives refused to be conquered by fair means, we must use the power we possess to bring them to submission on our own terms. Nothing but a sharp and severe lesson is likely to teach them, and this lesson must be taught at any hazard and all risks. The method adopted by the Americans in subduing the Indians might be followed by advantage in New Zealand —make the head of each rebel Maori worth a certain sum of money, give the settlers power to shoot any one known to be in

arms against the State, and the Maoris would soon understand that they were being fought with their own weapons, and knowing the odds against them, would quickly retire from the unequal contest. Until some such plan be adopted, there is no chance of a permanent peace; the natives may be beaten by the Volunteers and submit for a time, but only sufficiently long to recruit their shattered forces, when they will again commence their old system of murder and cannabalism. The problem that many are anxious to see solved is, how can this best be done? We believe it can be done by adopting some such plan as we have indicated, because the savageness and avariciousness of the Maoris is about on a par, and if one thought he would gain by shooting his brother and obtaining the head money, disunion would prevail amongst them, and each would be afraid to trust the other. The Imperial Government have signified their intention of leaving us to our own resources in subduing the savage propensities of the Maori, and nothing remains for us but to do this in the manner most likely to be effectual. Open honorable warfare, as observed among civilised nations, has proved unable to cope with the barbarous instincts implanted in the breasts of the savages with whom we have to deal, and though Exeter Hallites may thunder at our unchristian-like mode of dealing with them, we on the spot suffering from their excesses are bound to adopt some method to protect our goods from seizure, and ourselves from being murdered.