NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Wednesday, September 8, 1858. IS DR. FEATHERSTON TO HAVE HIS OWN WAY?

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume XIII, Issue 1367, 8 September 1858, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Wednesday, September 8, 1858. IS DR. FEATHERSTON TO HAVE HIS OWN WAY?

It is a curious question to have to ask, in a small community of about twelve thousand souls, —“ Shall Dr. Featherston have it all his own way?" It would be a curious question to ask respecting any one person. Why is lie to dictate to us all, what we ought to do with regard to public affairs ? Why should we pay taxes, and agree to repay a loan of £lOO,OOO and he spend it all as he likes, without any control by us ’ “Oh!” says he, “ I fought the battle of the Constitution!” And, if you would believe him, he did it all himself. It is true that he took an active part in the direction of what was called the "Settlers’ Constitutional Asso. ciation;’’ the result of which was a petition or two to Parliament and the Home Government, asking for representative institutionsBut others took their share in the work of obtaining them. The “Monster petition,” as it was called, from Cook’s Strait, —which alone of all others sent home, attracted much attention from leading men there, on account of the superiority of its composition—was drawn up by Mr. Domett, then a Nelson settler, and now Secretary of that Province, without any help from Dr. Featherston. It was not Dr. Featherston's “struggles’’here which drew the attention of the British Parliament to the necessity for giving New Zealand a free Constitution. Several events combined to gain that end. In the first place, the New Zealand Company contained several leading Directors, who belonged to it, not for mere money-making purposes, but with the hope of founding a prosperous colony, where men who were pushed for room at home might live and flourish. Among those men of noble minds, were many members of Parliament, most of them belonging to the liberal party in English politics. They supported the cry of the colonists for free institutions ; and did not cease to do so when the Company had ceased to found settlements. The colonies of Otago and Canterbury were then founded. Men of great mark at home took a prominent part in those works. The Canterbury Association, especially, comprised in its ranks Peers,

Bishops, and leading members of the House of Commons, enough to make the wants of the colonists heard by any Government. They asked the Home Government to give free institutions to the Colony, whither so promising a body of settlers was going under their auspices. At about the same time, Sib George Grey, then Governor of the colony, was writing home to England, recommending that a Constitution of a certain character should be granted to the colony. All these things together at last obtained the end. We do not say but that Dr. Featherston may have had a hand in it, He spoke at meetings of the Association, —wrote articles in the Independent (or got others to write them when we wasn’t up to the subject himself),exercised the same malignant vindictiveness towards persons not of his own opinion then, as he does now. But then, not being in power, his spite was harmless. His “ struggles” did nobody much harm. Nor did they do anybody much good. But although h° had not much to do with making the Constitution, it had a good deal to do with making him. It was the grant of a Constitution to New Zealand, which placed Dr. Featherston in power five years ago. He immediately declared " the battle of the Constitution

to have been “ fought and won.” His “ thunder” had done it nil! He then made a great fuss about Responsible Govuiinment : and pretended that he should exercise his power according to that system : that is to say, that he should always act by the advice of persons having the confidence of the majority of the people’s representatives. Solemnly, and on repeated occasions, did he pledge himself to this, die then appointed, as his nominal advisers, Messrs, FtTziiEnbeht, Brandon, and Revans. Mr. Fitziiek itEitT acted as Secretary, and kept the Treasury warm till Mr. Fox camo from England, when he too was helped to “ a nest," which he has taken care never to quit since, except to exchange it for a warmer one whenever he got a chance. These men soon shewed that, either of their own nature, or inspired by their leader, they Were unfit to be trusted as servants of the public. They made laws in their closet, got them passed by a Council containing a large majority of Government officers and other interested persons, and then tried to thrust them down the people's throats. The laws were most of them useless, or hurtful when brought into use. But they hit upoti the device of borrowing £ 100,000, and leaving it to be repaid ten years afterwards. With that money to spend on public works, and the labourers thus employed possessing votes, they reckoned that nobody would be likely to complain of their other doings. They despised the warnings of a small minority of independent men—Wakefield, ALlbn, Carpenter, Milne, and two or three others, who vainly opposed them in the Council of 1857. They bought Holdsworth, who had begun by voting against them, with a warm “nest"which he has stuck tight to ever since;—crowing as loudly in their favor as he did against them before. They had already bought Woodward in the same Way. Dr. Featherston felt secureoffouryears more, with no opposition of any consequence. Ho shouted out immediately’, that “ the battle of the Constitution was fought and won."! All of a sudden Dr. Welch, an almost unknown man, started forth, and denounced the evils of Dr. Featherston’s Closet government. He ran the hero of all these wonderful “ struggles ” a pretty sharp race. And he enabled the people to see how much Dr. Featherston and his little knot of obedient servants feared public investigation of their doings. Many’ remained neutral. Dr. Featherston got some 810 votes, out of 1800 who could have voted. He immediately declared himself elected by “ a vast majority of the Province," and shouted that “ the battle of the Constitution was fought and won!”' He jumped about in a political war-dance, of which the chorus was, that anybody who opposed him was a rogue and a thief, and that no such vagabonds ought to be elected. To his surprise, without any preparation or organization, the people returned 22 out of 30 members pledged to vote for a thorough Reform of his system. He left off “ struggling" for a while. But he delayed, as long as he could, meeting the Reform Council. He went on spending the money without any legal authority. When they met, he pretended to keep his word about “Responsible Government.” He pretended that lie would be advised by Mr. Wakefield and others, who possessed the confidence of the Reform majority. But it was a mere pretence : as was shewn by his rejection of the Bill which would have enabled the Government to have been carried on without a Provincial Solicitor, whenever one could not be found whom the Council would trust. He approved of the Bill before it was intro duced, and rejected it after it was passed. Then he resigned, and declared he was going to “ fight the battle of the Constitution!” But he kept tight hold of the money, and went on spending it in such a manner as to secure votes. He played a dishonest and unlawful game at pea-and-thimble-rig with fSOOO of it, and then accused his opponents of dishonesty. He was threatened with a prosecution. The Judge arrived ; and he was ejected from the illegal hold which he had kept of the public offices. He handed back the £SOOO to the custody of those whom he had accused of dishonesty, but who were going to punish him for his. Then came the election: and with all the influence of Government money, and all the canvassing of Government officers, he was reelected by 880 votes out of the 1800 who could have voted.- He immediately declared that “the battle of the Constitution was fought and won 1” He had resigned his, seat in the General Assembly without saying anything about it, in order slyly to create a vacancy which he might contest whenever it should chime in with his Provincial “struggles." He had never done anything in the General Assembly but betray, or neglect, the interests of Wellington. When he could not maintain Fox in power at Auckland, by means of a Compact which was to keep the Seat of Government away from Wellington, he came home and left Wellington to take its chance. But he thought he could turn the Town from ' its desire for Provincial Reform by getting elected as Member of a General Assembly which is not to meet for two years to come. He threw to the dogs all questions of principle, by dragging in with him the largest land-monopolist, except himself, in the Province,—namely, Captain Rhodes. He thus defied the electors. He said “ you shall have me, and anybody I like to name !” All the Government influence and money; all the exertions, and spare money of those who fawn on Dr. Featherston for the crumbs which he drops off the public loaf; and grog without limit: all these were used unsparingly. Voters

who remain on the Roll by accident were brought seventy miles, with all their expenses paid. Even then, the two largest land-mono-polists in the Province got in by a squeak only. Dr, Featherston immediately declared that “ the battle of the Constitution was fought and won!” But these “ struggles" appear to be exhausting. Through the midst of the fume and froth, and the clouds of dust which he raises in his convulsive war-dances, he looks “blown." He sees the reformers refreshed by the last round, strengthened by Union, gathering fresh numbers, information, and moans of every kind. He fears that he may have to

meet a Reform Council, just as powerful as before. Soho says he’s “had enough" for tho present; and closes the ring by proroguing the Council. He will go on spending the money without their control! He defies the people. He will have a general election ! Who cares for law, or moderation ? Not he I Who dare say ‘ banes" when ho says “ pnsc ? ’ If any one does, Dr. Featherston will flourish his celebrated shillelagh, (made by Marriott out of the handle of an old warniin"pan) and “ fight the battle of the Constitution !” But if he has the pugnaciousness of Don nybrook fair, he combines with it the cunning, as well as the spite, of a Hindoo. The an nouncemenl that he will not oppose Messrs. Wakefield and Hunter may be tine. The preparations of the Radical Reformers mny have convinced him that he can’t win. But that he desists on principle, no one believes for a moment. If so, he and his party would not have opposed Mr. Boki.ase for the Wairarapa. But on Monday, at the hustings at Greytown, Captain Smith was put up against Mr. Borlase as a Government candidate. It is therefore quite possible that, to-morrow, ii he thinks the Reformers can be taken unawares, Dr. Featherston will put somebody forward for the City. Let them, then, attend at the Nomination at noon to morrow: and, if a poll be necessary, let them work zealously in the good cause on Friday.