THE Cromwell Argus. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 1870.

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 20, 30 March 1870, Page 4

THE Cromwell Argus. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 1870.

"V sry significant is the action of the Press in reference to the conduct of tho war by the Fox Ministry. Even the stannchest journals that have hitherto supported them find that they cannot honestly approve of the loose and reprehensible manner in which the war has been conducted. The feeling that the true interests of the co lony have been sacrificed by Mr Fox, so that he might not be considered as adopting any of Mr Stafford's plans, is filtering down into the public mind. So much is this the case, that at Mr Brown's election meeting at Tokomairiro, vehement expressions of disapproval of the policy pursued found vent. From all parts ot the colony, excepting Napier, which has so largely profited by the enormous expenditure going on (and not even excepting Auckland), are heard sounds of condemnation. Most of our contemporaries have reviewed the subject at some length, for the history of the treatment the native difficulty has received at the hands of the present cabinet requires much more amplitude of space than we can give it. But as we are bearing our share of the burden without—taking the selfish view of the question—receiving any of the advantages arising from the expenditure, we must also on bfhalf of the community we represent join in the general protest against the extravagant and incapable manner in which the war has been conducted. The Daily Times, the other day, showed that it cost the country something like £ISOO per diem, and yet we have failed for six months to catch Te a?id his hand ai on* to two hundred

JTaork It is not only the misconduct of the war that is an evil. We are earning the contempt of the native population, whom we have h*<m bribing with a profusion of gifts ; and yet the shallowness of onr motives have excited in them feelings of derision. Thus every-proposal forop/m* ing up either lands already acquired, or those required for gold mining purposes, is ignored with a quiet ease that shows how little our position in the colony in re spected. The misconduct also, besides tha costly expenditure, does further hurra in that it blocks up the way of the colony's progress Little attention and kiss consideration is given to measures urgently required by reason of the depressed state of the colony. It is a painful fact to know that this is "the case, and that the suffering inherent upon a state of rebellion or war has in this case been intensely aggravated by culpable neglect and a disorganised policy. The telegraph has been used to confuse and conceal the true state of affairs, but the imposition is now seen through—it can no longer be rn untamed. Te Kooti's clover esoupj affected that much goo 1, at least. It makes no matter if a telegram was received and appeared in another column announcing that that savage had met his deserts, and that the war might be considered as ended. Mr Fox and his colleagues are still blamable for conduit they can find none to justify and few to palliate. They cannot claim from the party they ousted any feelings of consideration. They ascended to power upon a self-defence policy, and the economical management of the war. The Stafford party wished for the vigorous and active prosecution of the war, and they had in a short time done wonders in the way of ending it. 15ut Mr Fox broke through his own polic/, and went to war again. He adopted the old sugar-bag and flour policy, and armed some of the natives who fought against us, and tried to do everything in a different manner to his predecessors. Hence one of many reasons why no consideration will be shown to the Premier. Ttare are others, but we cannot detail them. The lessou we may take from the history of this mismanagement is th.it genuine patriotism does not exist amongst some of the rulers of the tiff tins of this colony ; that personal and party spirit is carried to an extent injurious to all interests ; and that the case in point is an instance of it. And the moral is naturally that those who are guilty ofsneh flagrant conduct deserve to be punished by the colonists upon whose hacks falls the rod. We have therefore felt impelled to-day to join in the general protest, and to let it be known that the people living on the gold-fields feel neither indifferent or unmoved at the ridiculous spectacle they have been compelled to witness.