首页 >出版文学> Democracy In America>第32章
  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;andthatthepresentUnionwillonlylastaslongastheStateswhichcomposeitchoosetocontinuemembersoftheconfederation。Ifthispointbeadmitted,thequestionbecomeslessdifficult;andourobjectis,nottoinquirewhethertheStatesoftheexistingUnionarecapableofseparating,butwhethertheywillchoosetoremainunited。
  AmongstthevariousreasonswhichtendtorendertheexistingUnionusefultotheAmericans,twoprincipalcausesarepeculiarlyevidenttotheobserver。AlthoughtheAmericansare,asitwere,aloneupontheircontinent,theircommercemakesthemtheneighborsofallthenationswithwhichtheytrade。
  Notwithstandingtheirapparentisolation,theAmericansrequireacertaindegreeofstrength,whichtheycannotretainotherwisethanbyremainingunitedtoeachother。IftheStatesweretosplit,theywouldnotonlydiminishthestrengthwhichtheyarenowabletodisplaytowardsforeignnations,buttheywouldsooncreateforeignpowersupontheirownterritory。Asystemofinlandcustom—houseswouldthenbeestablished;thevalleyswouldbedividedbyimaginaryboundarylines;thecoursesoftheriverswouldbeconfinedbyterritorialdistinctions;andamultitudeofhindranceswouldpreventtheAmericansfromexploringthewholeofthatvastcontinentwhichProvidencehasallottedtothemforadominion。Atpresenttheyhavenoinvasiontofear,andconsequentlynostandingarmiestomaintain,notaxestolevy。
  IftheUnionweredissolved,alltheseburdensomemeasuresmighterelongberequired。TheAmericansarethenverypowerfullyinterestedinthemaintenanceoftheirUnion。Ontheotherhand,itisalmostimpossibletodiscoveranysortofmaterialinterestwhichmightatpresenttemptaportionoftheUniontoseparatefromtheotherStates。
  WhenwecastoureyesuponthemapoftheUnitedStates,weperceivethechainoftheAlleghanyMountains,runningfromthenortheasttothesouthwest,andcrossingnearlyonethousandmilesofcountry;andweareledtoimaginethatthedesignofProvidencewastoraisebetweenthevalleyoftheMississippiandthecoastoftheAtlanticOceanoneofthosenaturalbarrierswhichbreakthemutualintercourseofmen,andformthenecessarylimitsofdifferentStates。ButtheaverageheightoftheAlleghaniesdoesnotexceed2,500feet;theirgreatestelevationisnotabove4,000feet;theirroundedsummits,andthespaciousvalleyswhichtheyconcealwithintheirpasses,areofeasyaccessfromseveralsides。Besideswhich,theprincipalriverswhichfallintotheAtlanticOcean—theHudson,theSusquehanna,andthePotomac—taketheirrisebeyondtheAlleghanies,inanopendistrict,whichbordersuponthevalleyoftheMississippi。
  Thesestreamsquitthistractofcountry,maketheirwaythroughthebarrierwhichwouldseemtoturnthemwestward,andastheywindthroughthemountainstheyopenaneasyandnaturalpassagetoman。NonaturalbarrierexistsintheregionswhicharenowinhabitedbytheAnglo—Americans;theAlleghaniesaresofarfromservingasaboundarytoseparatenations,thattheydonotevenserveasafrontiertotheStates。NewYork,Pennsylvania,andVirginiacomprisethemwithintheirborders,andtheyextendasmuchtothewestastotheeastoftheline。Theterritorynowoccupiedbythetwenty—fourStatesoftheUnion,andthethreegreatdistrictswhichhavenotyetacquiredtherankofStates,althoughtheyalreadycontaininhabitants,coversasurfaceof1,002,600squaremiles,*cwhichisaboutequaltofivetimestheextentofFrance。Withintheselimitsthequalitiesofthesoil,thetemperature,andtheproduceofthecountry,areextremelyvarious。ThevastextentofterritoryoccupiedbytheAnglo—AmericanrepublicshasgivenrisetodoubtsastothemaintenanceoftheirUnion。Hereadistinctionmustbemade;
  contraryinterestssometimesariseinthedifferentprovincesofavastempire,whichoftenterminateinopendissensions;andtheextentofthecountryisthenmostprejudicialtothepoweroftheState。Butiftheinhabitantsofthesevastregionsarenotdividedbycontraryinterests,theextentoftheterritorymaybefavorabletotheirprosperity;fortheunityofthegovernmentpromotestheinterchangeofthedifferentproductionsofthesoil,andincreasestheirvaluebyfacilitatingtheirconsumption。
  [Footnotec:See"Darby’sViewoftheUnitedStates,"p。435。
  [In1890thenumberofStatesandTerritorieshadincreasedto51,thepopulationto62,831,900,andtheareaoftheStates,3,602,990squaremiles。ThisdoesnotincludethePhilippineIslands,Hawaii,orPortoRico。AconservativeestimateofthepopulationofthePhilippineIslandsis8,000,000;thatofHawaii,bythecensusof1897,wasgivenat109,020;andthepresentestimatedpopulationofPortoRicois900,000。TheareaofthePhilippineIslandsisabout120,000squaremiles,thatofHawaiiis6,740squaremiles,andtheareaofPortoRicoisabout3,600squaremiles。]]
  ItisindeedeasytodiscoverdifferentinterestsinthedifferentpartsoftheUnion,butIamunacquaintedwithanywhicharehostiletoeachother。TheSouthernStatesarealmostexclusivelyagricultural。TheNorthernStatesaremorepeculiarlycommercialandmanufacturing。TheStatesoftheWestareatthesametimeagriculturalandmanufacturing。IntheSouththecropsconsistoftobacco,ofrice,ofcotton,andofsugar;intheNorthandtheWest,ofwheatandmaize。Thesearedifferentsourcesofwealth;butunionisthemeansbywhichthesesourcesareopenedtoall,andrenderedequallyadvantageoustotheseveraldistricts。
  TheNorth,whichshipstheproduceoftheAnglo—Americanstoallpartsoftheworld,andbringsbacktheproduceoftheglobetotheUnion,isevidentlyinterestedinmaintainingtheconfederationinitspresentcondition,inorderthatthenumberofAmericanproducersandconsumersmayremainaslargeaspossible。TheNorthisthemostnaturalagentofcommunicationbetweentheSouthandtheWestoftheUnionontheonehand,andtherestoftheworldupontheother;theNorthisthereforeinterestedintheunionandprosperityoftheSouthandtheWest,inorderthattheymaycontinuetofurnishrawmaterialsforitsmanufactures,andcargoesforitsshipping。
  TheSouthandtheWest,ontheirside,arestillmoredirectlyinterestedinthepreservationoftheUnion,andtheprosperityoftheNorth。TheproduceoftheSouthis,forthemostpart,exportedbeyondseas;theSouthandtheWestconsequentlystandinneedofthecommercialresourcesoftheNorth。TheyarelikewiseinterestedinthemaintenanceofapowerfulfleetbytheUnion,toprotectthemefficaciously。TheSouthandtheWesthavenovessels,buttheycannotrefuseawillingsubsidytodefraytheexpensesofthenavy;forifthefleetsofEuropeweretoblockadetheportsoftheSouthandthedeltaoftheMississippi,whatwouldbecomeofthericeoftheCarolinas,thetobaccoofVirginia,andthesugarandcottonwhichgrowinthevalleyoftheMississippi?EveryportionofthefederalbudgetdoesthereforecontributetothemaintenanceofmaterialinterestswhicharecommontoalltheconfederateStates。
  Independentlyofthiscommercialutility,theSouthandtheWestoftheUnionderivegreatpoliticaladvantagesfromtheirconnectionwiththeNorth。TheSouthcontainsanenormousslavepopulation;apopulationwhichisalreadyalarming,andstillmoreformidableforthefuture。TheStatesoftheWestlieintheremotestpartsofasinglevalley;andalltheriverswhichintersecttheirterritoryriseintheRockyMountainsorintheAlleghanies,andfallintotheMississippi,whichbearsthemonwardstotheGulfofMexico。TheWesternStatesareconsequentlyentirelycutoff,bytheirposition,fromthetraditionsofEuropeandthecivilizationoftheOldWorld。TheinhabitantsoftheSouth,then,areinducedtosupporttheUnioninordertoavailthemselvesofitsprotectionagainsttheblacks;andtheinhabitantsoftheWestinordernottobeexcludedfromafreecommunicationwiththerestoftheglobe,andshutupinthewildsofcentralAmerica。TheNorthcannotbutdesirethemaintenanceoftheUnion,inordertoremain,asitnowis,theconnectinglinkbetweenthatvastbodyandtheotherpartsoftheworld。
  ThetemporalinterestsofalltheseveralpartsoftheUnionare,then,intimatelyconnected;andthesameassertionholdstruerespectingthoseopinionsandsentimentswhichmaybetermedtheimmaterialinterestsofmen。
  ChapterXVIII:FutureConditionOfThreeRaces—PartVII
  TheinhabitantsoftheUnitedStatestalkagreatdealoftheirattachmenttotheircountry;butIconfessthatIdonotrelyuponthatcalculatingpatriotismwhichisfoundeduponinterest,andwhichachangeintheinterestsatstakemayobliterate。NordoIattachmuchimportancetothelanguageoftheAmericans,whentheymanifest,intheirdailyconversations,theintentionofmaintainingthefederalsystemadoptedbytheirforefathers。Agovernmentretainsitsswayoveragreatnumberofcitizens,farlessbythevoluntaryandrationalconsentofthemultitude,thanbythatinstinctive,andtoacertainextentinvoluntaryagreement,whichresultsfromsimilarityoffeelingsandresemblancesofopinion。Iwillneveradmitthatmenconstituteasocialbody,simplybecausetheyobeythesameheadandthesamelaws。Societycanonlyexistwhenagreatnumberofmenconsideragreatnumberofthingsinthesamepointofview;
  whentheyholdthesameopinionsuponmanysubjects,andwhenthesameoccurrencessuggestthesamethoughtsandimpressionstotheirminds。
  TheobserverwhoexaminesthepresentconditionoftheUnitedStatesuponthisprinciple,willreadilydiscover,thatalthoughthecitizensaredividedintotwenty—fourdistinctsovereignties,theyneverthelessconstituteasinglepeople;andhemayperhapsbeledtothinkthatthestateoftheAnglo—AmericanUnionismoretrulyastateofsocietythanthatofcertainnationsofEuropewhichliveunderthesamelegislationandthesameprince。
  AlthoughtheAnglo—Americanshaveseveralreligioussects,theyallregardreligioninthesamemanner。Theyarenotalwaysagreeduponthemeasureswhicharemostconducivetogoodgovernment,andtheyvaryuponsomeoftheformsofgovernmentwhichitisexpedienttoadopt;buttheyareunanimousuponthegeneralprincipleswhichoughttorulehumansociety。FromMainetotheFloridas,andfromtheMissouritotheAtlanticOcean,thepeopleisheldtobethelegitimatesourceofallpower。Thesamenotionsareentertainedrespectinglibertyandequality,thelibertyofthepress,therightofassociation,thejury,andtheresponsibilityoftheagentsofGovernment。
  Ifweturnfromtheirpoliticalandreligiousopinionstothemoralandphilosophicalprincipleswhichregulatethedailyactionsoflifeandgoverntheirconduct,weshallstillfindthesameuniformity。TheAnglo—Americans*dacknowledgetheabsolutemoralauthorityofthereasonofthecommunity,astheyacknowledgethepoliticalauthorityofthemassofcitizens;andtheyholdthatpublicopinionisthesurestarbiterofwhatislawfulorforbidden,trueorfalse。Themajorityofthembelievethatamanwillbeledtodowhatisjustandgoodbyfollowinghisowninterestrightlyunderstood。Theyholdthateverymanisborninpossessionoftherightofself—government,andthatnoonehastherightofconstraininghisfellow—creaturestobehappy。Theyhaveallalivelyfaithintheperfectibilityofman;theyareofopinionthattheeffectsofthediffusionofknowledgemustnecessarilybeadvantageous,andtheconsequencesofignorancefatal;theyallconsidersocietyasabodyinastateofimprovement,humanityasachangingscene,inwhichnothingis,oroughttobe,permanent;andtheyadmitthatwhatappearstothemtobegoodto—daymaybesupersededbysomethingbetter—to—morrow。Idonotgivealltheseopinionsastrue,butIquotethemascharacteristicoftheAmericans。
  [Footnoted:ItisscarcelynecessaryformetoobservethatbytheexpressionAnglo—Americans,Ionlymeantodesignatethegreatmajorityofthenation;foracertainnumberofisolatedindividualsareofcoursetobemetwithholdingverydifferentopinions。]
  TheAnglo—Americansarenotonlyunitedtogetherbythesecommonopinions,buttheyareseparatedfromallothernationsbyacommonfeelingofpride。ForthelastfiftyyearsnopainshavebeensparedtoconvincetheinhabitantsoftheUnitedStatesthattheyconstitutetheonlyreligious,enlightened,andfreepeople。Theyperceivethat,forthepresent,theirowndemocraticinstitutionssucceed,whilstthoseofothercountriesfail;hencetheyconceiveanoverweeningopinionoftheirsuperiority,andtheyarenotveryremotefrombelievingthemselvestobelongtoadistinctraceofmankind。
  ThedangerswhichthreatentheAmericanUniondonotoriginateinthediversityofinterestsorofopinions,butinthevariouscharactersandpassionsoftheAmericans。ThemenwhoinhabitthevastterritoryoftheUnitedStatesarealmostalltheissueofacommonstock;buttheeffectsoftheclimate,andmoreespeciallyofslavery,havegraduallyintroducedverystrikingdifferencesbetweentheBritishsettleroftheSouthernStatesandtheBritishsettleroftheNorth。InEuropeitisgenerallybelievedthatslaveryhasrenderedtheinterestsofonepartoftheUnioncontrarytothoseofanotherpart;butIbynomeansremarkedthistobethecase:slaveryhasnotcreatedinterestsintheSouthcontrarytothoseoftheNorth,butithasmodifiedthecharacterandchangedthehabitsofthenativesoftheSouth。
  IhavealreadyexplainedtheinfluencewhichslaveryhasexerciseduponthecommercialabilityoftheAmericansintheSouth;andthissameinfluenceequallyextendstotheirmanners。
  Theslaveisaservantwhoneverremonstrates,andwhosubmitstoeverythingwithoutcomplaint。Hemaysometimesassassinate,butheneverwithstands,hismaster。IntheSouththerearenofamiliessopoorasnottohaveslaves。ThecitizenoftheSouthernStatesoftheUnionisinvestedwithasortofdomesticdictatorship,fromhisearliestyears;thefirstnotionheacquiresinlifeisthatheisborntocommand,andthefirsthabitwhichhecontractsisthatofbeingobeyedwithoutresistance。Hiseducationtends,then,togivehimthecharacterofasuperciliousandahastyman;irascible,violent,andardentinhisdesires,impatientofobstacles,buteasilydiscouragedifhecannotsucceeduponhisfirstattempt。
  TheAmericanoftheNorthernStatesissurroundedbynoslavesinhischildhood;heisevenunattendedbyfreeservants,andisusuallyobligedtoprovideforhisownwants。Nosoonerdoesheentertheworldthantheideaofnecessityassailshimoneveryside:hesoonlearnstoknowexactlythenaturallimitofhisauthority;heneverexpectstosubduethosewhowithstandhim,byforce;andheknowsthatthesurestmeansofobtainingthesupportofhisfellow—creatures,istowintheirfavor。Hethereforebecomespatient,reflecting,tolerant,slowtoact,andperseveringinhisdesigns。
  IntheSouthernStatesthemoreimmediatewantsoflifearealwayssupplied;theinhabitantsofthosepartsarenotbusiedinthematerialcaresoflife,whicharealwaysprovidedforbyothers;andtheirimaginationisdivertedtomorecaptivatingandlessdefiniteobjects。TheAmericanoftheSouthisfondofgrandeur,luxury,andrenown,ofgayety,ofpleasure,andaboveallofidleness;nothingobligeshimtoexerthimselfinordertosubsist;andashehasnonecessaryoccupations,hegiveswaytoindolence,anddoesnotevenattemptwhatwouldbeuseful。
  Buttheequalityoffortunes,andtheabsenceofslaveryintheNorth,plungetheinhabitantsinthosesamecaresofdailylifewhicharedisdainedbythewhitepopulationoftheSouth。
  Theyaretaughtfrominfancytocombatwant,andtoplacecomfortaboveallthepleasuresoftheintellectortheheart。Theimaginationisextinguishedbythetrivialdetailsoflife,andtheideasbecomelessnumerousandlessgeneral,butfarmorepracticalandmoreprecise。Asprosperityisthesoleaimofexertion,itisexcellentlywellattained;natureandmankindareturnedtothebestpecuniaryadvantage,andsocietyisdexterouslymadetocontributetothewelfareofeachofitsmembers,whilstindividualegotismisthesourceofgeneralhappiness。
  ThecitizenoftheNorthhasnotonlyexperience,butknowledge:neverthelesshesetsbutlittlevalueuponthepleasuresofknowledge;heesteemsitasthemeansofattainingacertainend,andheisonlyanxioustoseizeitsmorelucrativeapplications。ThecitizenoftheSouthismoregiventoactuponimpulse;heismoreclever,morefrank,moregenerous,moreintellectual,andmorebrilliant。Theformer,withagreaterdegreeofactivity,ofcommon—sense,ofinformation,andofgeneralaptitude,hasthecharacteristicgoodandevilqualitiesofthemiddleclasses。Thelatterhasthetastes,theprejudices,theweaknesses,andthemagnanimityofallaristocracies。Iftwomenareunitedinsociety,whohavethesameinterests,andtoacertainextentthesameopinions,butdifferentcharacters,differentacquirements,andadifferentstyleofcivilization,itisprobablethatthesemenwillnotagree。Thesameremarkisapplicabletoasocietyofnations。
  Slavery,then,doesnotattacktheAmericanUniondirectlyinitsinterests,butindirectlyinitsmanners。
  [Footnotee:Censusof1790,3,929,328;1830,12,856,165;1860,31,443,321;1870,38,555,983;1890,62,831,900。]
  TheStateswhichgavetheirassenttothefederalcontractin1790werethirteeninnumber;theUnionnowconsistsofthirty—fourmembers。Thepopulation,whichamountedtonearly4,000,000in1790,hadmorethantripledinthespaceoffortyyears;andin1830itamountedtonearly13,000,000。*eChangesofsuchmagnitudecannottakeplacewithoutsomedanger。
  Asocietyofnations,aswellasasocietyofindividuals,derivesitsprincipalchancesofdurationfromthewisdomofitsmembers,theirindividualweakness,andtheirlimitednumber。
  TheAmericanswhoquitthecoastsoftheAtlanticOceantoplungeintothewesternwilderness,areadventurersimpatientofrestraint,greedyofwealth,andfrequentlymenexpelledfromtheStatesinwhichtheywereborn。Whentheyarriveinthedesertstheyareunknowntoeachother,andtheyhaveneithertraditions,familyfeeling,northeforceofexampletochecktheirexcesses。
  Theempireofthelawsisfeebleamongstthem;thatofmoralityisstillmorepowerless。ThesettlerswhoareconstantlypeoplingthevalleyoftheMississippiare,then,ineveryrespectveryinferiortotheAmericanswhoinhabittheolderpartsoftheUnion。Nevertheless,theyalreadyexerciseagreatinfluenceinitscouncils;andtheyarriveatthegovernmentofthecommonwealthbeforetheyhavelearnttogovernthemselves。*f[Footnotef:Thisindeedisonlyatemporarydanger。IhavenodoubtthatintimesocietywillassumeasmuchstabilityandregularityintheWestasithasalreadydoneuponthecoastoftheAtlanticOcean。]
  Thegreatertheindividualweaknessofeachofthecontractingparties,thegreaterarethechancesofthedurationofthecontract;fortheirsafetyisthendependentupontheirunion。When,in1790,themostpopulousoftheAmericanrepublicsdidnotcontain500,000inhabitants,*geachofthemfeltitsowninsignificanceasanindependentpeople,andthisfeelingrenderedcompliancewiththefederalauthoritymoreeasy。
  ButwhenoneoftheconfederateStatesreckons,liketheStateofNewYork,2,000,000ofinhabitants,andcoversanextentofterritoryequalinsurfacetoaquarterofFrance,*hitfeelsitsownstrength;andalthoughitmaycontinuetosupporttheUnionasadvantageoustoitsprosperity,itnolongerregardsthatbodyasnecessarytoitsexistence,andasitcontinuestobelongtothefederalcompact,itsoonaimsatpreponderanceinthefederalassemblies。TheprobableunanimityoftheStatesisdiminishedastheirnumberincreases。AtpresenttheinterestsofthedifferentpartsoftheUnionarenotatvariance;butwhoisabletoforeseethemultifariouschangesofthefuture,inacountryinwhichtownsarefoundedfromdaytoday,andStatesalmostfromyeartoyear?
  [Footnoteg:Pennsylvaniacontained431,373inhabitantsin1790
  [and5,258,014in1890。]]
  [Footnoteh:TheareaoftheStateofNewYorkis49,170squaremiles。[SeeU。S。censusreportof1890。]]
  SincethefirstsettlementoftheBritishcolonies,thenumberofinhabitantshasaboutdoubledeverytwenty—twoyears。
  IperceivenocauseswhicharelikelytocheckthisprogressiveincreaseoftheAnglo—Americanpopulationforthenexthundredyears;andbeforethatspaceoftimehaselapsed,IbelievethattheterritoriesanddependenciesoftheUnitedStateswillbecoveredbymorethan100,000,000ofinhabitants,anddividedintofortyStates。*iIadmitthatthese100,000,000ofmenhavenohohostileinterests。Isuppose,onthecontrary,thattheyareallequallyinterestedinthemaintenanceoftheUnion;butIamstillofopinionthatwherethereare100,000,000ofmen,andfortydistinctnations,unequallystrong,thecontinuanceoftheFederalGovernmentcanonlybeafortunateaccident。