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。
第32章