The Telephone. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1884. MR. McBETH AND THE KINGITES.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 70, 19 February 1884, Page 2

The Telephone. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1884. MR. McBETH AND THE KINGITES.

Under the above heading, Mr. J. R. Mcßeth lately wrote a letter to the New Zealand Herald, and it is amusing to note the assurance and silly statements made by the self, appointed champion of the Native race. That the gentleman has some motive in pushing himself forward, under the patronage of Sydney Taiwhahga, there is no doubt ; still, it is not exactly clear what his main object is in endeavoring to create a little excitement at this particular time. Mcßeth is, we learn, incompetent to converse with the Natives, and has but little knowledge of Maori ; yet he strives to make it appear that “ he believes himself to be acting in the interests of both races I” Mcßeth is, or would be, an arbitrator in the Maori trouble ! and we can only come to the conclusion that his consummate impudence has been the means of leading this man astray—that, in fact, he is soft enough to imagine he is capable of effecting what Mr. Bbtce and hie friends have, after much trouble, had a difficulty in accomplishing. It is evident that Mr. Mcßeth thinks little of misrepresenting things ; for we find that he discourses thus :— “The admitted object of the New Zealand Government is to obtain the opening of Native lands and the consent of the Maoris to the AucklandWellington Railway. And to this end armed forces of constabulary are maintained all over the North Island at an enormous cost, Wahanui and a few other Maoris, most of whom are not important, are induced to sign an application for the survey of the King Country by misrepresentation and by annual payments to individuals, and an attempt is made to intimidate Bewi, whose name has apparently been attached to an application without his knowledge, by withdrawing his pension. The result of this policy is that the Natives are everywhere opposing the Government. Trigstations are destroyed at Waikato, shots fired over the heads of surveyors on the Wanganui, aud Tawhiao has to exert his authority to prevent bloodshed at Kawhia, etc. It is true that we hear a good deal about progress that has been made by the Native Minister, but who can point out any advance that has been made other than that represented bv the application signed by a few members of a single tribe and repudiated by its chief ? On the other hand, the Maoris offer to grant the Government all that it asks in return for local government and control of their own lands. And the question that I would ask is, shall we continue in this dishonorable policy of bribery and intimidation, or by accepting the reasonable terms offered by the Maoris obtain all that wedesire without cost ?” It will be seen, on a perusal of the foregoing, that Mcßeth is quite capable of making all kinds of wild statements, and that he is either deceitful, or possesses but little knowledge of Native affairs. If Mcßeth had made himself thoroughly conversant with defence matters, he would know that “ armed forces of constabulary” are not “ maintained all over the North Island,” and that the force is only retained for the purpose of guarding against disorder in certain districts, as well as for the carrying out of preventive measures. Then this “friend” of the Maoris, after making strange assertions, wishes to know if “ we shall continue this dishonorable policy of bribery and intimidation ?” Really, we are inclined to ask, can impudence any further go ? This man Mcßeth—lately brought into notice by his consummate impudence—constitutes himself an arbitrator in a case which has baffled the skill of more than one

Native Minister to deal with successfully, and he is treated as a sane person 1 Assuredly, he has a right to express his views on Native affairs; but when a mau deliberately misrepresents important public matters, and takes such action as may have a tendency to instigate a “ breach of the peace,” he is, or should be, amenable to the law. Mcßeth, as an ordinary politician would, assuredly, occupy a very low' position ; but, as an instigator of Maori trouble, he becomes for the time, a person of importance, and will, probably—unless checked in his folly—“have his namehandeddown to posterity” as an aspirant to notoriety. We do not think that the influence of Mcßeth with intelligent Natives is of any great magnitude ; but his agitation is evidently dictated by either a desire fur notoriety, or a wish to profit by the fomentation of a little excitement—unless, indeed, the poor fellow is troubled with softening of the brain to such an extent that his incarceration in an asylum is necessary for the public safety. In any case, Mcßeth is a nuisance, and should be dealt with in a firm and effective manner. If he had the welfare of the Natives at heart, and, while seeking to benefit them, stuck to the truth, we could admire the man ; but a pettifogging, unscrupulous agitator is only worthy of the utter condemnation of every right-thinking person.