THE TE KOOTI AFFAIR.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 284, 9 April 1889, Page 2

THE TE KOOTI AFFAIR.

Oxa or two circumstances of recent occurrence afford us sufficient ground for again referring to the subject of the Te Kooti expedition, at the seme time avoiding a point the further discussion of which can do no good. It has

been stated that Te Kooti has not yet abandoned hie intention of visiting this district, and a Gisborne journal has foolishly reprinted the paragraph without first taking the trouble to make enquiry into the report if they attached any importance to it. We are in a position to say that the report oan be regarded as " moonshine,” and in connection with this the following extract from the Wellington Press has a direct interest: —“ The rumor that Te Kooti has decided to yet visit Poverty Bay with a few followers may fairly be regarded as a canard. Te Kooti has no liking for being arrested, as such degradation interferes in no small degree with his ‘mana,’ and it is quite certain that such a course would be pursued

by the authorities if he attempted to carry out the project attributed to him.” Referring baok to the main subject we see that it is not yet looked upon as a matter of the past. The opportunity is not one to be lost by a few Opposition journals that 'are more active in denouncing anything which the Government may do, than they are concerned in the welfare of the Colony—of course we can now afford to be as much amused at certain caricaturists as they are at their own work, but being on the spot and entering into ell the feelings and interests of the movement, and feeling the great responsibility which the Government was nearly placing upon thia district, wa also wish to say a little more, and for this reason, that it his been stated that the matter is settled until Parliament meets. Now let us look the facts in the face. The Poverty Bay massacre is too well impressed on the minds of all the old settlers of the Bay. After a lapse of twenty years, the leader of that terrible event determines to visit thia district, and, together with a large number of followers, starts on the road. In order to make the event more important, numbers of natives arise to swell the ranks of the arohmurderer, with the view of parading through the district. Now, whether the intention was only a visit oi short duration or not-we do not know, but we do believe that once Te Kooti had arrived he would have been tempted to remain in some part of the Bay, and in that case, to a certainty, a constant feeling of irritation and insecurity would have been the result. But the chances are, long before this had been proved, much more serious events would have taken place, Since the massacre, twenty years have passed, and a new generation of young natives has grown up. Not a few of them have very little to lose by having a row with the settlers, and we do believe that had Te Kooti been allowed to enter the Bay a very large number of this young blood could have been induced to be very troublesome, and would no doubt have been ready to do the bidding of Te Kooti. Whatever that might have been—and we hold the best course was, at all risks, to keep Te Kooti out of the district—with this end in view, the Government were warned what might be the result should he be allowed to pay the intended visit, but the usual reply came to hand of the Free Man, and so on, but all such nonsense had been played out. And on the settlers themselves was forced the responsibility of taking the necessary stand in order to prevent the desecration by the parade of Te Kooti through this district, and right manfully was that stand taken. Again we say all honor to the few who took the stand and infused into others the like feeling of determination. To the few who first conceived and carried out the idea, we may say much kudos is due, and we do believe that a very serious and what might have been a very costly event to the country has been averted; and farther, we believe that before long it will be agreed that what at one time appeared likely to lead to a native rising on this coast will prove of the greatest benefit to the colony, for it is a well known fact that numbers of people outside the colony were in doubt about the natives, and were still of the opinion that before long another war might take plane between the races. However strange this may seem to the settlers here, we know such an idea did exist in many minds. Therefore we hold that the determined

and resolute stand taken by the settlers, and the successful manner in which the whole project was carried out have for ever se'tled the question of a native rising, for the natives now know that both from the North and the South Island men can, at the shortest notice, be moved to any part of the native district. This has been practically demonstrated to them, the smartness with which it was done being to the natives a great surprise. This, together with the successful termination of the affair in every other respect, is worth the whole cost of the expedition many times over, for we claim that the stand taken has once for all set aside any f-ars of a native difficulty in the future, and here we desire to give our worthy Premier, Sir Harry Atkinson, every credit for the practical steps he decided upon immediately after his arrival and realisation of the position. For once the right man turned up at the right time, and we feel it was a fortunate circumstance that Sir Harry Atkinson was in Napier at the time and decided to come upon the spot to judge for himself, the good result of that Judgment being now indisputable. We ean leave the Premier to meet the House, quite assured that he will be able tn make a plain statement that will convince those who are in anv doubt about the matter of the wisdom of the decisive action taken. There is one point might well be referred to In conclusion. Ths other day we re. printed an article from the Wellington Post, on the East Coast triole murder, The Post expressed gratification that the Maoris had so honestly given their evidence, and says “ a few years ago in this district Hairs te Piri would probably have passed among the natives as a kind of hero." This is a most abominable libel upon the Ngatiporou tribe, but let us overlook that and ask what have some of our white brethren being doing ?— what for instance have the Wellington Post and Wellington Press attempted to do ? In plain language to make a hero of Te Kooti, whose redeeming virtue appears to be in his having eluded justice until the foolish action of an administrator made the law in one respect a dead letter, Certainly the Ngatiporou teach the Wellington papers a lesson tn propriety, to use no stronger language.