Tawhiao Rejects the Government Proposals. Alexandra, Saturday.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1614, 7 November 1882, Page 2

Tawhiao Rejects the Government Proposals. Alexandra, Saturday.

Thk meeting commenced this morning punctually at 11 o'clock, and owing to the inclement state of the weather, it was held in the big rununga house. There were about 300 natives present in the building together with several Europeans. Among the former were Waha* nui, Te Wheoro, and Te Ngakau. Tawhiao took his position beside Te Wheoro, immediately opposite where Mr Bryce was seated. Tawhiao was the first speaker. He said : Hear what my word is. Do not speak at all, only listen (to the people). The best way of speaking is to listen. If this European (Mr Bryce) rises, the best tiling to do is to listen. (Speaking to ,Mr Bryce.) This is my work, hearken you. I approve of you administering the affairs on that side (the European side.) I will jump on that side, and stand there. I will have nothing to say, and my only reason for coming on that side is to hear, I will listen so that I may know. I will remain in the position,ot my ancestors in this island of New Zealand. I will remain here, and as for my proceeding, let me proceed along my own line. I have nothing to say, only to listen so that I may know. And after I have learned I will come back to this side. Say what you have to say. That is why I thought I would remain here in the same place where my ancestors and fathers have trod. If I had tiodden anywhere else then I could have been spoken to. I still adhere to the word which has existed from the commencement of our rule. That word has been obeyed. With me here is no trouble nor darkness. What I have said to you is good, because the sun is shining. Ido not mind falling, if I fall as my coat would fall, and end altogether. I can traverse all the words. I will remain here, and if European's wish to come here, as you (Mr Bryce) have come, what harm is there in that ? Yon can remain on your side and administrate affairs, and I will remain on my side and administrate, and if I desire to go on that side I will go without hesitation. When I have remained there sufficiently long enough I will - retjnrn to my line. Say what you hkve'to say, and speak while the sun is shining, but let me remain here. I will direct imy people this very day as we sit here, I will give them no new directions, but the directions my ancestors have given them. After I have heard what you have'to say I'will' return to my own side. If Ido not see you I will follow you, but I will stand in, the position of my ancestors here. This ' word of mine is gobdj that I will come on to your side, and hear wliat you have to say ; and then return to my own, side, and if I do not understand let that be with you. ' ■ • i i Mr' Bryce, in reply, said : Saturday was to be the day on^higha decided answer was to be returned. Tawhiao has not returned a very decided answer yet. I have made proposals so good Jand liberal that I shall be blamed for doing so in many parts of the colony. I asked Tawhiao for an answer on Thursday la9t. Then in accordance as I thought with,the wish'of the people £ waited until to-day, Saturday. But r if these proposal^ are to be accepted ,ttiey, must be accepted in plain words, and not in dark sayings.., If they aranot accepted to-day'they will be d istinctly and,' absolutely withdrawn. I have mMe'them'becaitscTthough't it was right I should make them, Shall I ever make-them again! I think^ not v I am fwaiting for r an'answer;' buV'th'e time is passing. If Tawhiao's Speech! Milan's that 'he a&HneVttfeij&EftfpbsaUi lI can - tinder- f staritf him' itf MihatFWyj and"'go' tfacte'to Auckland'to'-dayi Birb 'even" if he'fdoes not Bpeak , plainer,"if he refrains ft'oito accepting them T«ijbaU'?take that/as a rejection! !' lii any cisc I shall leave this afternoon for Aue&kn«JU> ran4vif)imy* proposals are-not.a!cc^pted;th^y,sliall gqft&cfc' withtme. I, {liawe.-4 rmMe. proposals. ty> pTalwhiabrthatyveryjfew'people jwoold now ' hay^tmad^JiH^t^ny^i^ rlara en,tjtle4 to :ajprain"ailWeiV Jyes]o"r.no.j t' 5 „^ \' t.Bom.e,| cojntfjler^ble; $lence%lO|#il^ :>whiclii>he'le^uedtat^ainst one of ths* rsup-^ 'porjting^o&ts^siidi^tt i&j-wi'll'; it.43 wjeu/j

&f^k »J^f@Mftl?Bß|pvor. , I speak Jo thfe tribeijand I Speak vb.him and I say, tM no lnist^S^bft^Adfe^ to-day in this vjm^tter. Ifp^'is'^^e^the -end of nty pflposalaj'i^ffl.a day indeed for Tawhiao } ano^ his These projK§als%raiid^jo back by, one Jprlje t«raed^xei^|rd reconsidered ; no!; they are wqSi^ra" and destroyed absolutely. Do you understand the great im-^ portance of the decision which has beep given to-day ? I see it well, and I say that the opportunity of doing good for yourselves is passing away from yoiL People have. called me hard ; but I am' speaking now in love for you. If u. leave now, taking my proposals away with me, I shall leave in deep sorrow for ypw. Do not think,I r am,takinj-L,the proposals away to jturri ; thein\^Ve*<'m mv> own mind to offer them bii'tfy bit. N<f! I withdraw them altogether. If there is man«.ofs' influence "Tawluab^ let'hTm* stand forward now~anjil radvise to apcepir the '.proposals I Mlave made'; otherwise,' I shall 'wave ill . sprrj?w^iind.Xsh3ll l^v^gpod/^use^fqr sorrow behind. ( , . ' . r "' Wahanui then i'o'sVand said : Explain everything you said the first day. Wha.t you said 011 the first day was small talk,and wsja considered ; anu j^lijit you said on the -day -before -yesterday was als r o considered. Through all that was saidjl saw s a. dark object.v though i yp,uf were clear 1 . All thaC/Tawtfiao and you have said to, each other has, in my opinion, been- carefully Considered. But can you not allow Tawhia,q a further' time 1 to consider your proposals.- Will you \ not allow the darkness to remain a -short j time longer,. Wiiatistherew.ronginthis? You 1 said when you'ma'd'e' known your | proposals, **Do not accept some and re-ject-others," but accept them all. ' And if Tawhiao is to accept all, why not give him time to consider them., ..The question is one of authority,' and' all you want to do is to take the authority from Tawhiao. , '.Therefore, I S ay ; let your words be carefully considered, and dp not let darkness come upon.us. The sun is shining 'and does not go ' backwards, but, goes f ovward till thet time. -;Yx>u are an old {meaning experienced) mau. So do not/ eat iv haste, but .deliberate. (Speaking to Tawhiao), if your words are dark, I shall speak to make then) clear. Mr Bryce said : Wahanui sees clearly the main point at issue ; that is to say the question of vumn or sovereignty. But, however, there is one point which, perhaps, he does f not ' sice ; and that is this : that I have never acknowledged a sovereignty in this, island excepting that of the Queen. I ' have never" ' acknowledged the sovereignty of any other person in the days that are passed, in the days of the present, or in the days that are to come. And I cannot do one thing now, nor can -I speak one word now that will acknowledge for one moment the sovereignty of any, other person in New Zealand. What I say is this : that there is a shadow of authority claimed by a person of the native race ; and I see in various ways that that shadow is, slipping away, and you can see this as well as I. Therefore,'! say, if it is to pass away, let it be removed in a proper manner, and not by one and then another falling away until there is nothing left but the memory of it. And I say moreover, that it is well when that shadow of authority is passing away to recognise in some way as far as we can, the position of dignity to which the Maori people elected their chief. Wahanui is a Maori, and I am a pakeha. Wahanui, as a Maori, no doubt, is deeply impressed with the value of tlie M'ord taihon. I do not understand that word very fully. My maxim is, " Work while it is yet day. " I have never heard Wahanui speak before, but I can judge from what he has said that he is a person of knowledge and intelligence. Let him look around and Bee what is going on around him. Does, not he see that the canoe is drifting, and that it .requires to, be steered. And "when I say lam ready to help them to steer that canoe they should take me at my word and not say talftoi. My last word is the same as I said before, "the i sun is' setting." ,It is Wahanui'p place to stand up now, and help to finish the good work ' I, am prepared to do to-day, ' Tawhiao says, Where is the harm ? and Wahanui says, Where is the harm ? Where is the harm when we 3ee that the vesselis drifting on to the rocks ? It is' near time now I should take charge of that vessel, and see that it comes to no harm. That ' is the harm even like on to the old European piovcrb, "Delays are 'dangerous.'' Wahanui replied : These are my last words, let them stop here. My wonl& will follow what you and Tawhiao have said. My reply to Mr Bryce's statement about the rising of the tide is that I will prevent its rising, and Uod will help me. The reason I say that is because where God has fixed the flow of the tide it cannot come beyond that. When the king movement was first inaugurated there was no difference between Potatau and the Queen. 'Difficulties accrued, certainty, "from the king movement. You object to there being two kings in tins island, but ft was said there should be two, and it is only now you attempt to <lo away with Tawhiao's administration. Mr Bryce then said : It seems to me what Wahanui has just now said is inconsistent with what he said at first When lie first spoke I complimented him for laying his finger upon the important point, that of sovereignty. ' I could see then that he saw that point clearly enough.,, But listening to what he ha*> just now said a person may derive that he attaches no importance to th.it point at all. Iv the fist place he places fawhiao's authority in contradistinction to that of the Queen, and in the next place he assumes <■ that the Queen's authority is riot "disputed. It what Wahanui has last said on this m xtter is of any importance, and lie and you are all prepared now to acknowledge the Queen's authority, the whole thing is at an end, and Tawhiao has only to get up and say so. If that is the case, Tawhiao will presently get up and say, I frankly accept your proposals, we are one. Wahanui said : I am talking of the days of the parents and children, when the king power was created. I ask who created the division, between these two authorities. If you consider that what I said was inconsistent, it must have been misinterpreted to you.- ;I ; I do not despise •the' power' nor the sovereignty ;of .the European, but I say" that" these'wdrds should be fully considered. As regards what Mr Bryce said, that the tide would flow, and nobody would prevent it, I say that I shall prevent it, because God will assist me. He having said it would rest at a certain, place. Therefore I ,say do not tefuse some of these proposals and accept others. I think there is one grain of poison iv those wurds. I do not say that I despise the European now, but I am merely following what you and Tawhiao have said. tfSi" 'u -' Mr Bryce said : Wahanui has spoken about old affairs, and he has asked me not to be angry. I should have no objection to discusa matters, as long as Wahanui liked, l>ut fp,r owe reason, and that is, that nothing good could result from such a discussion. Now Wahanui has said, at one time the Queeu's authority was .acknowledged by the 'Maoris 1 ?- I^inkMie'was'alWdirig ttfthe pr^ssnt, but H. e might .have, been alluding to the past. If tlfe Qiiaeh's authority exj1 isted in; that way, at ione i • time; , wuatLe vil would result in its existing in that way .again ? I .have not beard a Jiingle^rea:s6n 'assigned for any* eyir resulfjing from such" an aoceDtande qf, the, Queen*? spv'^el^^f^^yevticadKVresua from suoh an acceptance, .but only -.goods WWfiflirif #7». d«l%^ianui lays !»?#? wUP ,mk ip SBS& ©fffi&fc ;mn^uSb^WrWcfffi#'te^tlie| tJiatuejfclct/hini^tjJroJnis..atT^n^iDn tp/tnc

wonof ibrda^^ilijbiX'itw not fotv ommo MttterpbWiWy^jdthlj;^ I shall go avray not, wowiajl <^OKave^JK jfiy< duty to the col6fty,;ind^ibtfna^i"Ve race, aha I s^alL not m' abJOg ,- jppippJ^JiVfleH aW^{fs& ;l«^oig^ J^s/^pf I not kinder to thpWpepple'Ojhift that burden now'fromiWiy flflonmeni' ott to yours, uan^ ( once,.,inore I'j/iay.j,,! Majlvlorcan answer. ' ' ■'-Wahahu*iaitiiswei < e<l^ I dan'rittt'^bhsider this in the short-time- you allow. I can* fnptfionBid,er,J;hemKWh6o > iI kytifif the'.fesuit of your words jwill bo auger." Mr Bryoe a'gairi i<J foplied : My last wQrd^trmi|Mll"W;^pr^t'lm pot anglyf bWf '^T r MyTast' word to Tawhiao is, i^'tHeffe'jtfd r further reply. It is, right that hergTHhould.hear "TawliWa filial' reply tyj.n^, ~ ~ TawKiad/whondw T 'ly!h]f on the ground beside Te Wheoro, replied : *yahaiitfi?.has*takeliat' oBSQf i Mfr Hands, and it now rests,y;^h,.biin. Mrßryce then "rose,, and bidding all This tennjinatedpthe^meeting. Mr Bryce ana party left; Te.Awamutu by, special, train. ior f i^uckjand /atj,thvee o'cldck^bn Sa'turtlay'afterri&on. • 'Q^wiU return to, Alexandra. to-morr,oWj{ a na proceed 'with the matter of 1 opening up the country. ; j *£ t -1 J/_J /_ J