ADJOURNED PUBLIC MEETING.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 575, 5 February 1851, Page 3

ADJOURNED PUBLIC MEETING.

I The adjourned meeting for the discussion of | the Report submitted by the Committee appointed at a public meeting in November last, suggesting a form of constitution to the Home Government for adoption in New Zealand, took place on Monday evenin" at the Britannia Saloon. At seven o’clock the ..doors were thrown open to a considerable number of settlers who, on entering, found |the platform occupied by Dr. Dojset, who |had assumed the office of chairman, and |Qther members of the Association, who had J taken their seats round him. A heavy horse--man’s whip lay before the chairman, which -appeared to be used as the symbol of office. ' The meeting was a stormy one. Dr. Featherston, who first addressed the meeting, . experienced an interruption which was ; quickly put down, but with this exception - and the disapprobation shewn by the meet- ’ ingathis attack on the editor of Spectator,' . he received a patient hearing ; but although ■, the chairman requested that order should be | preserved, the meeting was afterwards dis- : turbed by frequent interruptions; a party at | the further end of the room was headed by j v av ’ s * Nelson Hotel, who made • himself conspicuous by his disorderly con- ? duct, and his frequent interruption of those ; speakers opposed to the Faction, while a ■ party from the Hutt, near the platform, apj peared to be under the direction of Mr. > Buck of the Taiti. It was obvious that the i Faction had drilled their forces and organi ized their plan of action. A meeting had : r aken on Saturday night at. Barrett’s iotel when it was understood the parts were distributed to the different performers. A Here was a very fair assemblage at the commencement of the proceedings, and, as the evening advanced, the room was filled to f ' Wln £’ The business of the evening as commenced by

Dr. Featherston, who in moving the adoption of the resolutions, alluded to the great interest taken by the British public in colonial affairs, as evinced by the appointment of Committees of the House of Commons, by the establishment of the Colonial Reform Society, and more particularly by the long Report of the Privy Council on Colonial Reform. He observed that the principal argument made use of by the Ministers in passing the Australian Colonies Bill was, that the Bill, as far as could be ascertained, was in accordance, with the wishes of the colonists, — that great complaints had been made in the House of Commons and by the British public of the want of accurate information from Governors of colonies, and from the colonists themselves, of their wishes as to the form of government they desired ; and that, in framing this Report, the Committee had endeavoured to supply the British Government with accurate information as to the form of Constitution the settlers wished to have introduced into this colony. He said that, in the appointment of the Committee, they had not been unfettered by instructions, the Report having been founded on resolutions passed at the meeting in last November, at which it was determined that they should not struggle for Representative Institutions, but for political power, and contended that the Committee, in framing the Report, had acted agreeably with the resolutions that had then been passed. He then entered into a long argument with reference to the principles’ of the British Constitution, with the view of shewing that, in the different suggestions contained in the report, the Committee had only asked for the application of similar principles in the Government of this colony. In vindicating himself from the imputation of unworthy motives, from the insinuations by the editor of the Spectator that he wanted a place under Government. He (Dr. F.) said that Sir George Grey had sent for him and had pressed him to accept office under Government, asking what office or emolument he could offer him, and that he had indignantly refused to hold office under a despotic Government; that he had refused an appointment to the Magistracy and a seat in the Nominee Council when offered by Sir George Grey, being determined to accept no office except from the election of the settlers. He then concluded a very long address of which the above is a brief outline, by moving that the resolutions be read seriatim.

The Resolution was seconded by Captain Daniell.

Mt. Carpenter,enter, in referring to the first part of the report, observed that it would in effect reduce the whole Executive Government, from the Governor-in-Chief to the lowest clerks, to the condition of mere slaves of the Council whose despotism would be rendered more galling by the sham name of liberty, and that such resolutions were framed with a view to give certain patriots a scramble for the loaves and fishes of office. He considered the Governor should have power to dissolve the Council whenever required by two thirds of the electors, and he pointed out that no provision had been made to protect the interests of the natives, who must either be considered as British subjects having equal political rights with the settlers, or as independent people who ought not to be coerced by our laws or taxed to support our government. If taxation without representatation was slavery, the power sought by the framers of the resolutions to make laws which besides taxing might affect the personal liberty of the natives, or deprive them of their freeholds under the specious name of waste lands, would be the most intolerable tyranny. If the British Government were insane enough to allow its power to be used for the purpose of robbing the natives, victory in such a contest would be dishonour, whih defeat would be ruin. He would therefore move that the Report he rejected.

The Amendment was seconded by Mr. Harding.

Mr. Stokes supported Mr. Carpenter’s Amendment for the rejection of the report on the ground that the demands made were so extravagant, the suggestions contained in it were so impracticable that, if the Report were to be adopted as the deliberate act of the settlers, it would have the effect of retarding rather than of accelerating the introduction of Responsible Government in tbiscolony. The xveport appeared to be almost a transcript of Sir William Molesworth’s amendments on the Australian Colonies Bill, and to shew how small a chance existed of obtaining these demands, out of 650 members which composed the House of Commons, representing the intelligence of the British Empire, only forty could be found to vote for those amendments, and of those members many were influenced by feelings of personal consideration towards the hon. baronet. The report asked for nothing less than the absolute control of the internal affairs of the colony without any interference whatever on the part of the British Government. The Governor was to be paid by the

nritish Government, but it was sought tj place both the Governor and Judges under the control of the majority of the Council, and to make them removable on an address by two thirds of that body. While they were to be protected from external dangers and the evils of internal discord at the expeoce of the heavily taxed people of Great Britain, they claimed to be virtually independent of the British Empire. But as long as New Zealand was a colony, a dependency of Great Britain, they could not expect that such powers would be entrusted to them. They could not expect to be protected by the power and at the expense of the British people, and yet that the British Governmentshould have no control over the affairs of the colonv. Neither could they suppose that privileges would be granted to New Zealand which were denied to the neighbouring colonies, some of which, as Port Phillip and Adelaide particularly the latter, were free from the stain of convictism, and all of them exceeding New Zealand in the amount of their European population, their revenues, amount of exports, and trade. In the neighbouring colonies also, the native tribes were few and scattered, while the European inhabitants formed the bulk of the population, but in New Zealand the natives would, for many years to come, greatly outnumber the settlers. Mr. S. commented on other resolutions in the Report, particularly those relating to the franchise, and showed that when they proposed to confer the right of voting on every white settler and virtually to withhold it from the natives, who were equally British subjects, such manifest injustice would ensure the rejection by the British Government of their request. The Report spoke of the facility with which the natives might be used to influence elections, but were the white voters altogether independent of external influence? If they did not fear to be subject to sinister influence, why did they ask for vote by ballot? After a few other remarks Mr. S. concluded by alluding to the attack made by a preceding speaker on the Editor of the Spectator, and observed that this was not the place for the discussion of personal questions, but he had no hesitation in asserting before the assembled meetin sjthat, when an opposition was so unscrupulously conducted, when any assertion was made to serve a partv purpose, the conduct of such persons might well be suspected of being actuated by selfish and personal objects.

Mr. Hart came forward disowning any participation in the matters which had appeared in print on either side on the subject of the last meeting; he did not think the Home Government, or any considerable section of the House of Commons, would support a scheme giving the entire management and control of a territory equal in size to Great Britain to a population not exceeding in numbers those of some country parishes in England. How to deal with the interests of the natives was confessedly the great difficulty to be met by those who would frame a constitution for New Zealand, and with this difficulty, after two years’ deliberation, these gentlemen had confessed their inability to deal, by referring the matter to the Home Government. A parallel had been drawn by a previous speaker between the British Constitution, and the proposed scheme. This would not hold good even with regard to the House of Commons. He had no fear that the proposed measure would be adopted at home, buthe was apprehensive that a demand so unreasonable would prejudice the claims of the settlers to those institutions which were necessary for their proper government.

After a Mr. Beauchamp, who was turned off the platform by Dr. Dorset, Captain Daniell, and others of that party, by mistake, as be afterwards explained it, had addressed a few rambling observations in reply to Mr. Stokes’s observations.

Mr D. Munn said that the Committee of the Constitutional Association were in a great measure self-nominated, and not elected by the unanimous voice of the people ; that if they (the Association) would meet Str George Grey in a manly way they would much sooner gain the end sought for than by the course they were now pursuing. Instead of sending their Report to Parliament through the Governor, the better way would be first to address his Excellency on the subject, who had come prepared to give them Representative Institutions, v. ben the Provincial Councils Bill was printed, the Association’s Oracle gave out to the Public—Glorious News 1 — but in the very next number it was found the bill would not suit their (the Ass.’s) views ; and yet they had the audacity to suppose the sensible settlers would pass by acclamation the resolutions they had concocted without their (the settlers) having ever heard them distinctly read, or having seen them in print. When they could not makeup their minds after having carefully studied Sir George Grey's measure, how could they expect the settlers, in a matter so deeply affecting their interests and those that would come after them, to pass their resolutions without first reading them. He

then exposed the absurdity of their supposing the British Government was to be excluded from any interference in the management of the affairs of the colony, when a vote had this year been passed by the House of Commons of £41,000 for improvements in this their adopted country. In referring to the native question, he said he believed he had had better opportunities of judging of the native character than the framers of the resolutions ; he had often seen meetings of the native chiefs on subjects affecting their common interests ; one man would address the meeting at a time while the rest would sit quietly and listen patiently to the speaker, and bethought the present meeting might profit by the example which, in this respect, the nat IV6S offer, ed them. After some observations on the waste lands, Mr. M. concluded by admitting a reduction might be made in the Government expenditure, and that the money saved would be well spent in building and maintaining a good Lighthouse at Pencarrow Head, which would save the weary mariner many an anxious night in Cook’s Strait, when running from the southward in a thick south-easter in a long winter’s night.

Mr. Fox said that at the adjournment of the meeting, on the previous occasion, it had been determined to consider the resolutions seriatim, but the preceding speakers had entered into a general discussion of the principles of the Report. He then alluded to a letter he had received from the Secretary of the Colonial Reform Association, but which he regretted he had left'at home, complaining of the want of information on colonial subjects. In alluding to the argument, used by a preceding speaker, of the small number who voted in the Honse of Commons for Sir W. Molesworth’s amendment, he would remind the meeting that thirty years ago only six members had voted for the repeal of the corn laws and that three years ago the corn laws were abolished. It was said by one of the speakers that we were to be defended at the expense of the heavily taxed people of the British Empire, but while the inhabitant of the mother country was taxed at the rate of £2 Bs. a-head, poor Pillgarlic in New Zealand was taxed at the rate the rate of £4 a-head. After a few more general observations he concluded by _saying that the resolutions, if th - QpiATidrnpr: t was lost, would be put to the meeting seriatim and reasons offered for their adoption. Mr. Carpenter’s amendment was then put to the meeting and was lost by a large majority, but there was a considerable number of persons in the room who were opposed to the adoption of the Report. The resolutions were then put seriatim to the meeting, but the greater part of those opposed to the Report withdrew from the meeting. Several alterations were however made ; Mr. Kelham suggested that the currency of the colony should be a metallic, not a paper currency. Mr. Brown (of Kapiti) suggested that the Governor should have the power of dissolving the Council. Mr. Harding, that the period for re-election nf the Lower House should be one year, for the Upper House three, which was lost though a considerable show of hands was held up in its favour. Kxr holing nrnnnc'oJ Kt» ATr A ILn ’ MJ XTA X • JIHCUj Of conded by Mr. Buckle in a speech which appeared to make considerable impression, was received by acclamation. Mr. Clifford proposed, seconded by Captain Daniell, that a copy of the Report be forwarded to Earl Grey through his Excellency the Governor-in-Chief, and that copies of the Report be furnished to Mr. Fox for distribution among the different members of Parliament. A vote of thanks to the chairman closed the proceedings, which did not terminate till past eleven o’clock.