The Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 746, 29 March 1877, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatever scate or persuasion, religious or political . " #. # # # « Here shall the, Preso the People's right maintain, Unawed by influence and imbribed by gain.

TIJIfRSDAY^MABOE 29, 1877.

When we look at the results of .the. Native. Minister's several visits to Waikato and of the final visit to Taupo as the outcome of all previous nose-rubbing on lesser occasions, we are obliged to confess that the game was scarce worth ohe candle. Trae, the lute meeting at Taupo, has shown that the Ngatira;kawa are not content to let the Kino 1 , /or Rewifor him, 'exercise a control over their lands, but the meeting, though it showed such • a state of things to exist, m no way contributed to bring it about. Clearly, the King's influence is on the wane, audit is the true ; interest of the Go. vernment to do nothing that shall assist m sustaining it. Yet this is just what the periodical, holding of these diplomatic conferences either with the, King himself or with those immediately representing him is calculated to effect. The Government attaches a weight and importance Jo the Kingship whichit otherwise would not possess, or possessing would, but' for such recognition, fail to maiirtaiu. ' By acknowledging the the symbol' of unity' and power ampng. the:, King Natives, we give reality , to what would otherwise soon .come to be looked upon as a sham even bf the Maoris themselves. Our true policy is not. to deal with the King as representing the Maori people, as a whole, but wherever practicable with the individual chiefs or people immediately concerned m the matter m hand.

~; The real point of difference between the two races narrows itself, we believe, into the simple question of land. It was the land sale, question which produced the King mo.yementin the first instance ; it is the injustice of the Native Lands Acts which still keeps that movement alive. The natives can very well see the injustice of a law which gives the Government the power of securing to itself the preemptive right, and' thus shuts out the seller from making the fair value of his property. The prohibition of the sale and leasing of land may come with a political object from the head-quarters of Maoridom, and though individual hapus and owners of land may care 'out very little for the political object oi the edict they will no 1 - to resist it when the temptation to do so is so small, involving as it would do, a certain amount of bad citizenship. If, however, free trade m land were the law of the Colony, we should soon see a different state of things, and other tribes and bapus, like the Ngatirakawa, at Taupo, would resent an interference which stood so largely m the light of their direct interests. We should take away the corner stone from the Maori temple of obstruction — we should' "do "what Sir George Grey threatened the natives he. would do full fifteen years ago-— dig round the King's flagstaff till it fell.

We have not got a copy of the Newgate Calendar, but, had we, we doubt very much if we should find that m a single instance a criminal hud been executed on Easter Monday. Yet this is just the exhibition that is about to be j^spwrnted to the citizens ot. that Ikrge and populous centre of commerce m the Waikato, Ohaupo, on Monday next. The Counties Act m Waipa is to die on that day. Sentence of death was virtually recorded against it when the people of Ngaruawahia, at the

public meeting of the 15th instant, turned down their thumbs ; and again, that sentence was confirmed at the election on Thursday, when they returned Mr E. V. EitzPatrick, pledged to " kang up" the Act. The execution will take place m Host Edwards' back parlour, m the presence of the assembled Councillors and the members of the press, on Monday next, the day to which the meeting of the 2nd instant was adjourned, and will doubtless be preceded by the mere formality of a trial, conducted on the Judge Jeffries' principle of "hang- him first, and try him afterwards." There are some who say that the hemp is not grown that will hang up the Act m Waipa, . but we scarcely think that the condemned can hope for a reprieve. Seriously speaking, the return of Mr FitzFatrick gives to the Council of seven a majority of four pledged to the hanging up of the Act.