The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Tuesday, June 1, 1890. POLITICAL TRICKERY.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 474, 1 July 1890, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning.

Tuesday, June 1, 1890. POLITICAL TRICKERY.

Be just and fear not; Let all the ends thou aiin’at at be thy country’s, Thy God's, and truth’s. ;

A private letter from Wellington gives the following precise information : “When the question was raised in the House on Tuesday night respecting Mr Edwards’ appointment as Commissioner, Mr Hutchison, member for Waitotara, said that last session when the Commission clauses were agreed to, it was understood between the Government and the Committee that Judge Barton was so be the person who should be appointed as the Commissioner, and he asked Mr Mitchelson whether that was not the fact. . Mr Mitchelson admitted that such was the fact, and explained that Judge Barton’s administration of his Court had been of the highest character, and had proved highly satisfactory to both races, but that just on the eve of his appointment as Commissioner he had unfortunately resigned his office, and the Government had great trouble in inducing him to withdraw his resignation.” This letter is from a gentleman who was present at the debate, and heard the above statement made ; therefore it may be relied on as correct.

Mr Mitchelson distinctly implies that the Government did feel bound by the pledge they gave to the Committee on passing the Commission clauses; and that throughout the seven months’ delay in making the appointment, they were all along intending to offer it to Judge Barton butthat Judge Barton himself frustrated their intention by resigning. Now let us see how these statements tally with what took place during the recess. Shortly after the close of the session certain influential persons here were communicated with from Wellington. They were asked whether it would not be detrimental to the interests of this district to take Judge Barton off the Poututu case, on which he was then engaged, and whether it would not be well to appoint some other person as Commissioner. The reply from these gentlemen was That the people of this coast were very anxious for the immediate appointment of a Commissioner, but that no appointment except that of Judge Barton would be satisfactory to them.

Notwithstanding this strong statement the Government did nothing further for some time, and therefore toward the end ci November certain persona interested

in Native lands, stirred up Mr Carroll, M.H.R., and on the 29th November he sent a telegram to Mr Mitchelson on their behalf, urging the appointment of Judge Barton as Commissioner. The reply was evasive. It stated that all the arrangements were complete andtheNative Commissioner selected, but that the Government found great difficulty in obtaining a suitable European as Commissioner. On the 6th December the Chairman of the Cook County Council, at the request of a number of residents in town and country, forwarded the following telegram to Mr Mitchelson

“The Hon. the Native Minister, Wellington.—l have the honor to convey to you the request of residents in this county that you would be pleased to take into favorable consideration the absolute necessity of Judge Barton’s appointment as Commissioner under the Native Land Act. The residents feel grateful to theGovernmentjin sending here such a painstaking and impartial Judge, whose decisions are admitted by Europeans and Natives to be fair and just, and in whom, from his high sense of honesty, his legal training, and undoubted ability, they have all implicit confidence. His appointment as Commissioner, with instructions to proceed after the Poututu is disposed of, would tend to restore confidence in the minds of Natives and Europeans, and show that your Government intend to promote the interests of both races in this county by settling once and for ever land transactions over which tens of thousands of pounds have been expended in useless litigation, and Europeans and Natives reduced to pauperism. I sincerely hope the Government will comply with this request.—John Clark, County Chairman.” Next day (Dec. 7) came the answer, evasive again, as follows : “ Thanks for telegram. The Government fully recognise'' the importance of the work to be done by the Commission, and are desirous that when the appointment is made, it will be one that will give entire satisfaction throughout the colony, the question being one of such great importance, and so many interests involved, has rendered the delay unavoidable. You may however rest assured that the matter will now soon be settled.” For along timealterthe date of this telegram, nothing was done (so far as was publicly known) in reference to the appointment of a Commissioner, except that it was hinted in the Press telegrams that “ a Mr Edwards, of Wellington, would probably be the man.” The next step taken by the Government was to take Judge Barton from the Poututu case, then halfway through, and put him beside Judge Wtlson to carry through a batch of rehearing cases that would occupy at least 18 months. Our readers will remember the result of the first of these cases —the Waipiro. _ Judge Wilson disapproving of something in Judge Barton’s judicial conduct, publicly threatened to report him, and then leave the Bench. Thereupon Judge Barton telegraphed his resignation, and retired from the Waipiro case. The Government refused to accept the resignation, and ordered an enquiry, and immediately, without waiting for the result of that enquiry, thus solved their hitherto insuperable difficulty in finding the “ suitable European” as a Commissioner, by appointing Mr Edwards as Judge of the Supreme Court and Commissioner. On the 24th February (two days before the enquiry began) it was telegaphed from Wellington that Mr Edwards had been offered the Commissionership. No one has ever heard the result of the enquiry. It had served its purpose 1 Surely Mr Mitchelson must have forgotten all these things when he asked the public to believe that the Government had, at any time from the very beginning, intended to redeem the pledge they had given to the House (and by which they obtained the passage of the Commission clauses of the Act), z.A, that Judge Barton should be the President of the Commission. Had the Government, when they directed that enquiry, been really, actuated by a desire to ascertain whether Judge Barton’s action in resigning was such as to prevent their appointing him, they would have waited for the report of the Chief Judge. They not only did not await that report, but appointed Mr Edwards two days before the enquiry even commenced !