Inthisdivisionoftherightsofsovereignty，theshareoftheUnionseemsatfirstsighttobemoreconsiderablethanthatoftheStates;butamoreattentiveinvestigationshowsittobelessso。TheundertakingsoftheGovernmentoftheUnionaremorevast，buttheirinfluenceismorerarelyfelt。Thoseoftheprovincialgovernmentsarecomparativelysmall，buttheyareincessant，andtheyservetokeepalivetheauthoritywhichtheyrepresent。TheGovernmentoftheUnionwatchesthegeneralinterestsofthecountry;butthegeneralinterestsofapeoplehaveaveryquestionableinfluenceuponindividualhappiness，whilstprovincialinterestsproduceamostimmediateeffectuponthewelfareoftheinhabitants。TheUnionsecurestheindependenceandthegreatnessofthenation，whichdonotimmediatelyaffectprivatecitizens;buttheseveralStatesmaintaintheliberty，regulatetherights，protectthefortune，andsecurethelifeandthewholefutureprosperityofeverycitizen。
TheFederalGovernmentisveryfarremovedfromitssubjects，whilsttheprovincialgovernmentsarewithinthereachofthemall，andarereadytoattendtothesmallestappeal。ThecentralGovernmenthasuponitssidethepassionsofafewsuperiormenwhoaspiretoconductit;butuponthesideoftheprovincialgovernmentsaretheinterestsofallthosesecond—rateindividualswhocanonlyhopetoobtainpowerwithintheirownState，andwhoneverthelessexercisethelargestshareofauthorityoverthepeoplebecausetheyareplacednearesttoitslevel。TheAmericanshavethereforemuchmoretohopeandtofearfromtheStatesthanfromtheUnion;and，inconformitywiththenaturaltendencyofthehumanmind，theyaremorelikelytoattachthemselvestotheformerthantothelatter。Inthisrespecttheirhabitsandfeelingsharmonizewiththeirinterests。
Whenacompactnationdividesitssovereignty，andadoptsaconfederateformofgovernment，thetraditions，thecustoms，andthemannersofthepeopleareforalongtimeatvariancewiththeirlegislation;andtheformertendtogiveadegreeofinfluencetothecentralgovernmentwhichthelatterforbids。
Whenanumberofconfederatestatesunitetoformasinglenation，thesamecausesoperateinanoppositedirection。IhavenodoubtthatifFranceweretobecomeaconfederaterepubliclikethatoftheUnitedStates，thegovernmentwouldatfirstdisplaymoreenergythanthatoftheUnion;andiftheUnionweretoalteritsconstitutiontoamonarchylikethatofFrance，I
thinkthattheAmericanGovernmentwouldbealongtimeinacquiringtheforcewhichnowrulesthelatternation。WhenthenationalexistenceoftheAnglo—Americansbegan，theirprovincialexistencewasalreadyoflongstanding;necessaryrelationswereestablishedbetweenthetownshipsandtheindividualcitizensofthesameStates;andtheywereaccustomedtoconsidersomeobjectsascommontothemall，andtoconductotheraffairsasexclusivelyrelatingtotheirownspecialinterests。
TheUnionisavastbodywhichpresentsnodefiniteobjecttopatrioticfeeling。TheformsandlimitsoftheStatearedistinctandcircumscribed;sinceitrepresentsacertainnumberofobjectswhicharefamiliartothecitizensandbelovedbyall。
Itisidentifiedwiththeverysoil，withtherightofpropertyandthedomesticaffections，withtherecollectionsofthepast，thelaborsofthepresent，andthehopesofthefuture。
Patriotism，then，whichisfrequentlyamereextensionofindividualegotism，isstilldirectedtotheState，andisnotexcitedbytheUnion。Thusthetendencyoftheinterests，thehabits，andthefeelingsofthepeopleistocentrepoliticalactivityintheStates，inpreferencetotheUnion。
Itiseasytoestimatethedifferentforcesofthetwogovernments，byremarkingthemannerinwhichtheyfulfiltheirrespectivefunctions。WheneverthegovernmentofaStatehasoccasiontoaddressanindividualoranassemblyofindividuals，itslanguageisclearandimperative;andsuchisalsothetoneoftheFederalGovernmentinitsintercoursewithindividuals，butnosoonerhasitanythingtodowithaStatethanitbeginstoparley，toexplainitsmotivesandtojustifyitsconduct，toargue，toadvise，and，inshort，anythingbuttocommand。Ifdoubtsareraisedastothelimitsoftheconstitutionalpowersofeachgovernment，theprovincialgovernmentprefersitsclaimwithboldness，andtakespromptandenergeticstepstosupportit。InthemeanwhiletheGovernmentoftheUnionreasons;itappealstotheinterests，tothegoodsense，tothegloryofthenation;ittemporizes，itnegotiates，anddoesnotconsenttoactuntilitisreducedtothelastextremity。Atfirstsightitmightreadilybeimaginedthatitistheprovincialgovernmentwhichisarmedwiththeauthorityofthenation，andthatCongressrepresentsasingleState。
TheFederalGovernmentis，therefore，notwithstandingtheprecautionsofthosewhofoundedit，naturallysoweakthatitmorepeculiarlyrequiresthefreeconsentofthegovernedtoenableittosubsist。ItiseasytoperceivethatitsobjectistoenabletheStatestorealizewithfacilitytheirdeterminationofremainingunited;and，aslongasthispreliminaryconditionexists，itsauthorityisgreat，temperate，andeffective。TheConstitutionfitstheGovernmenttocontrolindividuals，andeasilytosurmountsuchobstaclesastheymaybeinclinedtooffer;butitwasbynomeansestablishedwithaviewtothepossibleseparationofoneormoreoftheStatesfromtheUnion。
IfthesovereigntyoftheUnionweretoengageinastrugglewiththatoftheStatesatthepresentday，itsdefeatmaybeconfidentlypredicted;anditisnotprobablethatsuchastrugglewouldbeseriouslyundertaken。AsoftenasasteadyresistanceisofferedtotheFederalGovernmentitwillbefoundtoyield。ExperiencehashithertoshownthatwheneveraStatehasdemandedanythingwithperseveranceandresolution，ithasinvariablysucceeded;andthatifaseparategovernmenthasdistinctlyrefusedtoact，itwaslefttodoasitthoughtfit。
*z[Footnotez:SeetheconductoftheNorthernStatesinthewarof1812。"Duringthatwar，"saysJeffersoninalettertoGeneralLafayette，"fouroftheEasternStateswereonlyattachedtotheUnion，likesomanyinanimatebodiestolivingmen。"]
ButeveniftheGovernmentoftheUnionhadanystrengthinherentinitself，thephysicalsituationofthecountrywouldrendertheexerciseofthatstrengthverydifficult。*aTheUnitedStatescoveranimmenseterritory;theyareseparatedfromeachotherbygreatdistances;andthepopulationisdisseminatedoverthesurfaceofacountrywhichisstillhalfawilderness。
IftheUnionweretoundertaketoenforcetheallegianceoftheconfederateStatesbymilitarymeans，itwouldbeinapositionveryanalogoustothatofEnglandatthetimeoftheWarofIndependence。
[Footnotea:TheprofoundpeaceoftheUnionaffordsnopretextforastandingarmy;andwithoutastandingarmyagovernmentisnotpreparedtoprofitbyafavorableopportunitytoconquerresistance，andtakethesovereignpowerbysurprise。[Thisnote，andtheparagraphinthetextwhichprecedes，havebeenshownbytheresultsoftheCivilWartobeamisconceptionofthewriter。]]
Howeverstrongagovernmentmaybe，itcannoteasilyescapefromtheconsequencesofaprinciplewhichithasonceadmittedasthefoundationofitsconstitution。TheUnionwasformedbythevoluntaryagreementoftheStates;and，inunitingtogether，theyhavenotforfeitedtheirnationality，norhavetheybeenreducedtotheconditionofoneandthesamepeople。IfoneoftheStateschosetowithdrawitsnamefromthecontract，itwouldbedifficulttodisproveitsrightofdoingso;andtheFederalGovernmentwouldhavenomeansofmaintainingitsclaimsdirectly，eitherbyforceorbyright。InordertoenabletheFederalGovernmenteasilytoconquertheresistancewhichmaybeofferedtoitbyanyoneofitssubjects，itwouldbenecessarythatoneormoreofthemshouldbespeciallyinterestedintheexistenceoftheUnion，ashasfrequentlybeenthecaseinthehistoryofconfederations。
IfitbesupposedthatamongsttheStateswhichareunitedbythefederaltietherearesomewhichexclusivelyenjoytheprincipaladvantagesofunion，orwhoseprosperitydependsonthedurationofthatunion，itisunquestionablethattheywillalwaysbereadytosupportthecentralGovernmentinenforcingtheobedienceoftheothers。ButtheGovernmentwouldthenbeexertingaforcenotderivedfromitself，butfromaprinciplecontrarytoitsnature。Statesformconfederationsinordertoderiveequaladvantagesfromtheirunion;andinthecasejustalludedto，theFederalGovernmentwouldderiveitspowerfromtheunequaldistributionofthosebenefitsamongsttheStates。
IfoneoftheconfederateStateshaveacquiredapreponderancesufficientlygreattoenableittotakeexclusivepossessionofthecentralauthority，itwillconsidertheotherStatesassubjectprovinces，anditwillcauseitsownsupremacytoberespectedundertheborrowednameofthesovereigntyoftheUnion。GreatthingsmaythenbedoneinthenameoftheFederalGovernment，butinrealitythatGovernmentwillhaveceasedtoexist。*bInboththesecases，thepowerwhichactsinthenameoftheconfederationbecomesstrongerthemoreitabandonsthenaturalstateandtheacknowledgedprinciplesofconfederations。
[Footnoteb:ThustheprovinceofHollandintherepublicoftheLowCountries，andtheEmperorintheGermanicConfederation，havesometimesputthemselvesintheplaceoftheunion，andhaveemployedthefederalauthoritytotheirownadvantage。]
InAmericatheexistingUnionisadvantageoustoalltheStates，butitisnotindispensabletoanyoneofthem。Severalofthemmightbreakthefederaltiewithoutcompromisingthewelfareoftheothers，althoughtheirownprosperitywouldbelessened。AstheexistenceandthehappinessofnoneoftheStatesarewhollydependentonthepresentConstitution，theywouldnoneofthembedisposedtomakegreatpersonalsacrificestomaintainit。Ontheotherhand，thereisnoStatewhichseemshithertotohaveitsambitionmuchinterestedinthemaintenanceoftheexistingUnion。Theycertainlydonotallexercisethesameinfluenceinthefederalcouncils，butnooneofthemcanhopetodomineerovertherest，ortotreatthemasitsinferiorsorasitssubjects。
ItappearstomeunquestionablethatifanyportionoftheUnionseriouslydesiredtoseparateitselffromtheotherStates，theywouldnotbeable，norindeedwouldtheyattempt，topreventit;andthatthepresentUnionwillonly...完整阅读请扫描二维码下载丁香书院APP免费看：
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