THE Manawatu Times SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 1879. THE NATIVE SITUATION.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 30, 29 March 1879, Page 2

THE Manawatu Times

SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 1879. THE NATIVE SITUATION.

." Y»'ordi are things, and a drop of ink falling like - dew upon a thought, produces that which makts , thousand!, perhaps millions think."

Tpb storm, which fa* some time has qvercast the political horison m the North, appears almost to have reached the culminating point, and it requires no gift of prescience to foretel that there |a danger ahead, and trouble to be again anticipated from the Nohle Savage. AH the fond hopes indulged m by the Premier and the Native Minister as to the result of the, several korerqs held, would appear to have Tunis hed like so much smoke, and even the latter seems now to have awakened to the fact that the pleasing arid patting polioy so longf indulged m is a failure, q. mockery, and R delusion. Such a confession, even to himself, must be deeply humiliating to Mr, Shbbhan, whose reputation as ft Minister has been built u/p upon hjs tact m dealing and influence with the Maoris. While the fire of mischief was being quenched amongst the foU low«s of REViri;it would appear to have been daily spreading amongst those over whom the fanatic Tg Whiti holds such dominancy, until it has reached 'suel* proportions as eysn th^t archtrickster seem.s powerless . to curb. The would-be leader and prqphet appears to have gained his asoendancy over h,is credulous admirers by his avowed hostility to the Pa^eha, and now when he seems disinclined to re-, sort, to extremities, he is almost com* p.allel to do so by the force of circumstanoes, Mich a,s another conflict with t^e Natives siipuld be .deplored, there are lengths of forbearance beyond w, hich it Would be criminal to go, and that point would appeal* to have been already reached. There oan be no doubt that the supineness and want of firmness m the Native Minister has emboldened the Natives to a degree that under a different polioy never would hnVe taken. place, and tt|is was most conspicuously ftpptren.t^yith the Maoris located on tiie Waitaki, m the South Inland. There they had squat down upon the property pf the Hon. JiftRBET Campbrli.. killing his cattle, an,d holding his laud as tf they were the lords and masters ..of t^e spjl.. Threats and •promises were alike unavailing,, and m his extremity the owner appealed to Mr. Shbkhan;. He pAid the tribe, one of his pfijcia^l visits,' an,d ordered them £to quit the iand r At;the end^of the year, telling them that if they did not do so thoy should be put 'off by mam force. ■ Tlie old year passed and ihanew year came, but the dusky settlers declined to, move, and although they s^till Ret the^ rights of Mr. QiMpsxth at defiance, they are yet allowed the undisturbjed pos»ession of the land^ If they judge the power- of the Government by th,e emptiness of .pasVthrea.ts, they are not likely to be vasihjy imnressed, ar»d the e.iperie^oo of. those m t^e South is ex;.ac<ly that of the Natives m the North. " A cold-blood,ed t»arde^ei* is; n,o)b only. : provided'with. sanctuary m spite of the deraanjis.made for his. surrender, but tho'scdundrel has the temerity to flaunt defiance m the face of the law's representative m the most insulting manner. A neTJr policy: h,as been qdopfced by the Natives, ridicule talcing the place of resistance, and from the subsequent action of Tk Whiti arid his associates* tfeere can be no doubt Mr. Shebhan w.as inyite^to thie.yfcorer<>;for i^o other purpose tliau-tovgive the prophet an opportunity for glorification by the discomfiture of hia, opponent m t^e. war of w^rd* whi^h appears to be the progranyne. It is scarcely to b^ wondered at that the im,pud,«nt rascal should propose. .. th at |f the Gov««rn,men t wished to see jtlißoici tried 'i,n the Supreme Oourt,, it. should remow to P«nhaka and': th.afe 'I- YTp Wttttß be th'te jj^dge, i(b.en "bath th,e Ptemj'er. a.nd the Native .'.iiitiiitfttiV have been .dancing continual vittfindauce upon the sable rascals ifince the. Vc^os.t* of the Session. T/he, flatyera correspondent pf the Tatajiflhv. Herald^ under date pi T>u,rs.<ia,y, ielegrnpjis : "Te Whiti seems fi!!)ni the Qrst to ha.ye: invited 3^r, . SHeehan tp. b/«ard and. insult 'hjfl^ Ijciorethe whol* Maori pop^latipn on the Coast, and tlj.ns'ga.in foi; l*inisel£ more. pri'stig<» for. lvavinij done so. The .ilabria say tha,t Native Minister. spolfe lik^p a child;; and iHat Te W'hiti idv.ised- him to go and play with, ehilIron. When th,e. natives attempted to. •amove the surveyors some pf ; them, 4^4. ft<j«.t.. 'bjAt wx% M °.w:*-

powered by numbers, and had to submit, much to their disgust. The Maoris are having a grand field day to-day, pulling up all the surveyers pegs m skirmishing order, but I fancy they will find that no easy task, as most of the pegs are driven well home m the earth. The natives openly say that there is to be no fighting over the matter, but it is to be a war of words. The only thing to be feared is that some of the young Maori men may be led by excitement to do some rash act. If such a thing happened, I would not answer for the settlers, as they are too much disgusted with the Government's action with regard to Hiroki to hope for any immediate support from them." By our latest telegrams we learn, that the Government are now showing commendable activity and firmness to command that respect which has been so long set at defiance, and there can be little doubt that the action thus taken Mill have more weight with the disturbers than fifty horeros with Sir George Geky or the Governor as the spokesman. Past experience has taught the rebellious chiefs of the futility of resistance, and the confession of the old warrior, Titokowabp, "that he had tried fighting before, and had found it did not pay," is a very good index pf the state of feeling of a large section of the Maories. A fatal mistake has been made m the past of submitting to the insolence of Te Whiti, and although we would not counsel the firing of the first shot, now that the Government are concentrating a large force m the district, the very first act of aggression, be it made either m good humor or bad blood, should be the signal for that punishment which the fanatic rebel and his followers have been so long courting.