WhatIhavehithertosaidappliestoallnations,buttheremarkIamnowabouttomakeispeculiartotheAmericansandtodemocraticpeoples。Ihavealreadyobservedthatindemocraciesthemembersofthelegalprofessionandthemagistratesconstitutetheonlyaristocraticbodywhichcanchecktheirregularitiesofthepeople。Thisaristocracyisinvestedwithnophysicalpower,butitexercisesitsconservativeinfluenceuponthemindsofmen,andthemostabundantsourceofitsauthorityistheinstitutionoftheciviljury。Incriminalcauses,whensocietyisarmedagainstasingleindividual,thejuryisapttolookuponthejudgeasthepassiveinstrumentofsocialpower,andtomistrusthisadvice。Moreover,criminalcausesareentirelyfoundedupontheevidenceoffactswhichcommonsensecanreadilyappreciate;uponthisgroundthejudgeandthejuryareequal。Such,however,isnotthecaseincivilcauses;thenthejudgeappearsasadisinterestedarbiterbetweentheconflictingpassionsoftheparties。Thejurorslookuptohimwithconfidenceandlistentohimwithrespect,forinthisinstancetheirintelligenceiscompletelyunderthecontrolofhislearning。Itisthejudgewhosumsupthevariousargumentswithwhichtheirmemoryhasbeenweariedout,andwhoguidesthemthroughthedeviouscourseoftheproceedings;hepointstheirattentiontotheexactquestionoffactwhichtheyarecalledupontosolve,andheputstheanswertothequestionoflawintotheirmouths。Hisinfluenceupontheirverdictisalmostunlimited。
IfIamcalledupontoexplainwhyIambutlittlemovedbytheargumentsderivedfromtheignoranceofjurorsincivilcauses,Ireply,thatintheseproceedings,wheneverthequestiontobesolvedisnotamerequestionoffact,thejuryhasonlythesemblanceofajudicialbody。Thejurysanctionsthedecisionofthejudge,theybytheauthorityofsocietywhichtheyrepresent,andhebythatofreasonandoflaw。*h[Footnoteh:SeeAppendix,R。]
InEnglandandinAmericathejudgesexerciseaninfluenceuponcriminaltrialswhichtheFrenchjudgeshaveneverpossessed。Thereasonofthisdifferencemayeasilybediscovered;theEnglishandAmericanmagistratesestablishtheirauthorityincivilcauses,andonlytransferitafterwardstotribunalsofanotherkind,wherethatauthoritywasnotacquired。
Insomecases(andtheyarefrequentlythemostimportantones)
theAmericanjudgeshavetherightofdecidingcausesalone。*iUpontheseoccasionstheyareaccidentallyplacedinthepositionwhichtheFrenchjudgeshabituallyoccupy,buttheyareinvestedwithfarmorepowerthanthelatter;theyarestillsurroundedbythereminiscenceofthejury,andtheirjudgmenthasalmostasmuchauthorityasthevoiceofthecommunityatlarge,representedbythatinstitution。Theirinfluenceextendsbeyondthelimitsofthecourts;intherecreationsofprivatelifeaswellasintheturmoilofpublicbusiness,abroadandinthelegislativeassemblies,theAmericanjudgeisconstantlysurroundedbymenwhoareaccustomedtoregardhisintelligenceassuperiortotheirown,andafterhavingexercisedhispowerinthedecisionofcauses,hecontinuestoinfluencethehabitsofthoughtandthecharactersoftheindividualswhotookapartinhisjudgment。
[Footnotei:TheFederaljudgesdecideupontheirownauthorityalmostallthequestionsmostimportanttothecountry。]
Thejury,then,whichseemstorestricttherightsofmagistracy,doesinrealityconsolidateitspower,andinnocountryarethejudgessopowerfulasthere,wherethepeoplepartakestheirprivileges。ItismoreespeciallybymeansofthejuryincivilcausesthattheAmericanmagistratesimbueallclassesofsocietywiththespiritoftheirprofession。Thusthejury,whichisthemostenergeticmeansofmakingthepeoplerule,isalsothemostefficaciousmeansofteachingittorulewell。
ChapterXVII:PrincipalCausesMaintainingTheDemocraticRepublic—PartI
PrincipalCausesWhichTendToMaintainTheDemocraticRepublicInTheUnitedStatesAdemocraticrepublicsubsistsintheUnitedStates,andtheprincipalobjectofthisbookhasbeentoaccountforthefactofitsexistence。SeveralofthecauseswhichcontributetomaintaintheinstitutionsofAmericahavebeeninvoluntarilypassedbyoronlyhintedatasIwasbornealongbymysubject。OthersIhavebeenunabletodiscuss,andthoseonwhichIhavedweltmostare,asitwere,buriedinthedetailsoftheformerpartsofthiswork。Ithink,therefore,thatbeforeIproceedtospeakofthefuture,Icannotdobetterthancollectwithinasmallcompassthereasonswhichbestexplainthepresent。InthisretrospectivechapterIshallbesuccinct,forIshalltakecaretoremindthereaderverysummarilyofwhathealreadyknows;andIshallonlyselectthemostprominentofthosefactswhichI
havenotyetpointedout。
AllthecauseswhichcontributetothemaintenanceofthedemocraticrepublicintheUnitedStatesarereducibletothreeheads:—
I。ThepeculiarandaccidentalsituationinwhichProvidencehasplacedtheAmericans。
II。Thelaws。
III。Themannersandcustomsofthepeople。
AccidentalOrProvidentialCausesWhichContributeToTheMaintenanceOfTheDemocraticRepublicInTheUnitedStatesTheUnionhasnoneighbors—Nometropolis—TheAmericanshavehadthechancesofbirthintheirfavor—Americaanemptycountry—HowthiscircumstancecontributespowerfullytothemaintenanceofthedemocraticrepublicinAmerica—HowtheAmericanwildsarepeopled—AvidityoftheAnglo—AmericansintakingpossessionofthesolitudesoftheNewWorld—InfluenceofphysicalprosperityuponthepoliticalopinionsoftheAmericans。
Athousandcircumstances,independentofthewillofman,concurtofacilitatethemaintenanceofademocraticrepublicintheUnitedStates。Someofthesepeculiaritiesareknown,theothersmayeasilybepointedout;butIshallconfinemyselftothemostprominentamongstthem。
TheAmericanshavenoneighbors,andconsequentlytheyhavenogreatwars,orfinancialcrises,orinroads,orconquesttodread;theyrequireneithergreattaxes,norgreatarmies,norgreatgenerals;andtheyhavenothingtofearfromascourgewhichismoreformidabletorepublicsthanalltheseevilscombined,namely,militaryglory。Itisimpossibletodenytheinconceivableinfluencewhichmilitarygloryexercisesuponthespiritofanation。GeneralJackson,whomtheAmericanshavetwiceelectedtotheheadoftheirGovernment,isamanofaviolenttemperandmediocretalents;noonecircumstanceinthewholecourseofhiscareereverprovedthatheisqualifiedtogovernafreepeople,andindeedthemajorityoftheenlightenedclassesoftheUnionhasalwaysbeenopposedtohim。ButhewasraisedtothePresidency,andhasbeenmaintainedinthatloftystation,solelybytherecollectionofavictorywhichhegainedtwentyyearsagounderthewallsofNewOrleans,avictorywhichwas,however,averyordinaryachievement,andwhichcouldonlyberememberedinacountrywherebattlesarerare。Nowthepeoplewhichisthuscarriedawaybytheillusionsofgloryisunquestionablythemostcoldandcalculating,themostunmilitary(ifImayusetheexpression),andthemostprosaicofallthepeoplesoftheearth。
Americahasnogreatcapital*acity,whoseinfluenceisdirectlyorindirectlyfeltoverthewholeextentofthecountry,whichIholdtobeoneofthefirstcausesofthemaintenanceofrepublicaninstitutionsintheUnitedStates。Incitiesmencannotbepreventedfromconcertingtogether,andfromawakeningamutualexcitementwhichpromptssuddenandpassionateresolutions。Citiesmaybelookeduponaslargeassemblies,ofwhichalltheinhabitantsaremembers;theirpopulaceexercisesaprodigiousinfluenceuponthemagistrates,andfrequentlyexecutesitsownwisheswithouttheirintervention。
[Footnotea:TheUnitedStateshavenometropolis,buttheyalreadycontainseveralverylargecities。Philadelphiareckoned161,000inhabitantsandNewYork202,000intheyear1830。ThelowerorderswhichinhabitthesecitiesconstitutearabbleevenmoreformidablethanthepopulaceofEuropeantowns。Theyconsistoffreedblacksinthefirstplace,whoarecondemnedbythelawsandbypublicopiniontoahereditarystateofmiseryanddegradation。TheyalsocontainamultitudeofEuropeanswhohavebeendriventotheshoresoftheNewWorldbytheirmisfortunesortheirmisconduct;andthesemeninoculatetheUnitedStateswithallourvices,withoutbringingwiththemanyofthoseinterestswhichcounteracttheirbanefulinfluence。Asinhabitantsofacountrywheretheyhavenocivilrights,theyarereadytoturnallthepassionswhichagitatethecommunitytotheirownadvantage;thus,withinthelastfewmonthsseriousriotshavebrokenoutinPhiladelphiaandinNewYork。
Disturbancesofthiskindareunknownintherestofthecountry,whichisnowisealarmedbythem,becausethepopulationofthecitieshashithertoexercisedneitherpowernorinfluenceovertheruraldistricts。Nevertheless,IlookuponthesizeofcertainAmericancities,andespeciallyonthenatureoftheirpopulation,asarealdangerwhichthreatensthefuturesecurityofthedemocraticrepublicsoftheNewWorld;andIventuretopredictthattheywillperishfromthiscircumstanceunlessthegovernmentsucceedsincreatinganarmedforce,which,whilstitremainsunderthecontrolofthemajorityofthenation,willbeindependentofthetownpopulation,andabletorepressitsexcesses。
[ThepopulationofthecityofNewYorkhadrisen,in1870,to942,292,andthatofPhiladelphiato674,022。Brooklyn,whichmaybesaidtoformpartofNewYorkcity,hasapopulationof396,099,inadditiontothatofNewYork。ThefrequentdisturbancesinthegreatcitiesofAmerica,andtheexcessivecorruptionoftheirlocalgovernments—overwhichthereisnoeffectualcontrol—areamongstthegreatestevilsanddangersofthecountry。]]
Tosubjecttheprovincestothemetropolisisthereforenotonlytoplacethedestinyoftheempireinthehandsofaportionofthecommunity,whichmaybereprobatedasunjust,buttoplaceitinthehandsofapopulaceactingunderitsownimpulses,whichmustbeavoidedasdangerous。Thepreponderanceofcapitalcitiesisthereforeaseriousblowupontherepresentativesystem,anditexposesmodernrepublicstothesamedefectastherepublicsofantiquity,whichallperishedfromnothavingbeenacquaintedwiththatformofgovernment。
Itwouldbeeasyformetoadduceagreatnumberofsecondarycauseswhichhavecontributedtoestablish,andwhichconcurtomaintain,thedemocraticrepublicoftheUnitedStates。
ButIdiscerntwoprincipalcircumstancesamongstthesefavorableelements,whichIhastentopointout。IhavealreadyobservedthattheoriginoftheAmericansettlementsmaybelookeduponasthefirstandmostefficaciouscausetowhichthepresentprosperityoftheUnitedStatesmaybeattributed。TheAmericanshadthechancesofbirthintheirfavor,andtheirforefathe...完整阅读请扫描二维码下载丁香书院APP免费看:
第24章