The Diggers Did Not
Take Up Arms, Properly Speaking, Against The Government,
But To Defend Themselves Against The Bayonets, Bullets,
And Swords Of The Insolent Officials In Their Unconstitutional
Attack, Who Were A Class That Would Disgrace Any Government,
By Their Mal-Administration Of The Law.
The diggers did not take up arms against British rule,
but against the mis-rule of those who were
Paid to administer
the law properly; and however foolish their conduct might
be, it was an ungenerous libel on the part of one of the
military officers to designate outraged British subjects
as 'foreign anarchists and armed ruffians.'
The diggers were goaded on to take the stand they did
by the 'digger-hunt,' of the 30th November, which, we
are sustained in saying, was a base piece of gold and
silver lace revenge. Facts will no doubt appear by-and-bye,
elucidating and confirming this statement.
We reminded His Excellency of the fact, that the public
had asked for or sanctioned a general amnesty; and although
we were prepared to admit that it was unbecoming the
dignity of any government to give way to what was termed
'popular clamour,' yet, in this case, the good and the
wise amongst all classes, forming a very large proportion
of the inhabitants, had asked for it, and we thought the
general wish should not be lightly treated. His Excellency
observed, "Certainly not." We argued that an amnesty would
restore general confidence, and secure support to the
government in any emergency; and, even supposing there
was any one in the movement who sought to overturn the
government, instead of overturning corruption, and establishing
a better system of administration, a general amnesty would
silence such, as the great majority of the diggers were
content to live under British law, if properly administered;
and every one knows there has been much to condemn in
the administration of the laws, on the Ballaarat gold-fields
especially; and we endeavoured to impress upon the mind
of the Lieutenant-Governor, that it was equally true
that the majority of those who were proud of being British
subjects, were growing tired of waiting for simple justice.
And if the executive wish to secure their confidence
and support, they must give better evidence of their
good intentions of making better laws, or laws better
suited to the wants of the people, and securing 'equal
justice to all.' Their recent conduct has created disaffection
amongst the ranks of the best disposed; in fact, those
who disapproved of the resort to arms on the part of
the diggers, condemn in the most unqualified manner the
conduct of the Ballaarat officials in collecting a tax
(obnoxious at the best) at the bayonet's point, and of
the late Colonial Secretary, who could unblushingly write
to Commissioner Rede (who superintended the digger-hunt
on the 30th November, and, no doubt, counselled the Sunday
morning's butchery), thanking him for his conduct on those
occasions! And that if His Excellency would allow us to
strip the matter of its official colouring, he would see
things in a very different light than they had been officially
represented.
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