CORRESPONDENCE.

Tauranga Record and Bay of Plenty Examiner, Volume 1, Issue 22, 30 November 1867, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

Siue qua

non.

[Our Correspondence cohimns being open to all, we do not lioM oursel ves responsible for the opinionsexpressed therein.]

[To t Ii« Fditor of tlie E^corp• Siu, — The Seuiliern Cross of the ISth i .stant c«>m?nents on the following seutenecs of oue of my lette.s : — " Evidt ntly tlie Crrss wishes to be oue of the cliqne liere wliich cxert ised sucli an ill fate against the district ; a d nex* will show rur comir.ti ity that the Cross nmst not C'une here, btiiig an nccomplicc of tlie cliqne, and c.uiseqnently egga^edin wicke ! deeds ' Oi course, we are about to diseontinue tlie pnblication ot onr newspaper in c nis- qnence of this threat. The military setth*r3 ~-;il 1 v «iot those wh i still clamo for Govemment pay and ratioi V and liave an interest in keeping up a .ute of chroric excitemeot in the Kr.y of Plenty — are very angry witli us for lellin^ the truth about them. However, their wrath will not deter us from discbarging a public duty. We liave ever been the stauwli fri n 1 of the military settl rs, but we have oever closed our eves to their faults. I would simply treat the comment of the Cross with unquilified tlisrespeet and unworthy of my nolice, only iliat the perver.don of ihe literal reading of the seiiteiices quoted hy him is so inanifest th it it shows an overdrawing ima^ination oi d forces a conviction in my mind that the writer of the lines is gui'.ty of insincerity. I did not intimate in the first sentence quoted that the hditor of the »Kouthern Cross should discontinues the pnblieation of his newspaper, but simply informed tlie public that I would do my utmost that the

Cross must not come hare, boii% an accomplice nofainst us by puMisliing fortrnthwh.it wis cnlunmy. I, an 1 rhe bolv >f my regiment d.» not d ;serve ibese h >mh h ic eff i • si >ns of insul ing appellations frun any Edit »r, and icisour privilegn to defend our cliarac er when fhev are uprnidel with foul epithets. I ain also in a pnsition t > pity men wlio writefnm mere iinnrination, for the e litor says in his remarks that we are very au tv with him for telling the truth about us, but the ediror Iut3 n«»t tohi a syll ihle of truth about us, and Hiis if the cuiise of our anger. Tlie Kdiior gives all his truths about us f ro m 'etters and pei 8 ma! cominuuicatinns forvvarded to hi n bv a certain cliqne formed here agairist our idterest, theu he tells the public that he is di.-charijing a public duty when he is inflicting a culumny *>i i onr eharacters «in 1 thit, ^our U'ra t,!i h; y » , »t deter him fry; , accoinpiishiug it. I woul I furtber publi h for hi" iufbrmari.ui that noue of the mili-ary settlers ever kept up a cfiron ic exciteinem in the Bay of Plenty. It was and is contrary to their real iuterest. to do 8 >, f«»t tliey did not cone here for the sake of military piv or r >t i»ns, ImtsoJelv to become military ^ettlersr and tli.it we liave not beconie sucli riv>s us a right to clamor against the G»v. nnnent not for pay or rati >ns, but. for tlie fulfilment of our military eulist-

nient. 1 hen when tlie S'*uthern Cross in its statemeiits brands us wi:h such low an unp litic ?onduct «is it insinuates t«> th*» public, it is for eaeh and cvery oue to know tliat ihe Southeru is in perfect, or perliaps invincible i^norance re.ardino- OUr past and present position in relatiou t » the Goverunient. Il the Lditor of ihe cont!icni C r ss was li^ht'y infouned as t-> thuse militaiy settlers wlio had a iu eiest i ( kteping up ;i >tate of chronic exeitemeut in ihe Bay of P.enty, lie need oilv refer ot tlioe military antlioricies who f 1'ced a wai* on u i ff. nding mitivis i» l-i-L J nun v. I licy have kept up the ehronic excitem nt and Inoe destroyed our inilitarx settlement, aad the iuterest of Tauranga for some firnre yea s. Theu ulhn

tlie t diior of ihe Soutlnrn Cioss siys " U e have ever becu a st iunch frieiid of the military settlers," I give it an uu-qualifi d denial, and when he says that we have never closed our eyes to th. ir f.iults I say that we are d«-v..i 1 . f faults as military settlers. and if ha e\orcises an an autliority to bran 1 us w.th faii t- ;ts sucli, he evideutiy is a t »ol of the diq ie here, for "the suppressioa of our military -etslelneut. In fiiture, if the Editor of the Cross lias auvtiiiuj: t> say against my le tcrs let him coafi.ie himself to disprove anv facts I m iy . make use • f, for I will not aoi'.ce editorial mistvpresentuti »ns and 1 have a light to claim a public ap ilogy for the iusult offere l to us by tlie de^radiiig Jmguaoe of the Southeru Cross, and if th s be b>* de. ied. our Kegimeut v. ill not be wanr i n «r in their du y to tlieir character and lionor to furuish the public with a n emorial askiug their sytnpithies in our regard against c.ilu nn iy vxercised by tlie Southeru Cross towards us tis military settlers. Sir, 1 hui going to see «nv frien ls at the Thanes to asceitiin if I c >tdd better my conditi ut. If i do not return soou you will luar tigaiu from ine, 1 am, SiC.f