representative government-第45章

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f　government；　affect　them　in　different　ways；　and　each　fears　more　injury　to　itself　from　the　other　nationalities　than　from　the　common　arbiter；　the　state。　Their　mutual　antipathies　are　generally　much　stronger　than　jealousy　of　the　government。　That　any　one　of　them　feels　aggrieved　by　the　policy　of　the　common　ruler　is　sufficient　to　determine　another　to　support　that　policy。　Even　if　all　are　aggrieved；　none　feel　that　they　can　rely　on　the　others　for　fidelity　in　a　joint　resistance；　the　strength　of　none　is　sufficient　to　resist　alone；　and　each　may　reasonably　think　that　it　consults　its　own　advantage　most　by　bidding　for　the　favour　of　the　government　against　the　rest。　Above　all；　the　grand　and　only　effectual　security　in　the　last　resort　against　the　despotism　of　the　government　is　in　that　case　wanting：　the　sympathy　of　the　army　with　the　people。　The　military　are　the　part　of　every　community　in　whom；　from　the　nature　of　the　case；　the　distinction　between　their　fellow…countrymen　and　foreigners　is　the　deepest　and　strongest。　To　the　rest　of　the　people　foreigners　are　merely　strangers；　to　the　soldier；　they　are　men　against　whom　he　may　be　called；　at　a　week's　notice；　to　fight　for　life　or　death。　The　difference　to　him　is　that　between　friends　and　foes…　we　may　almost　say　between　fellow…men　and　another　kind　of　animals：　for　as　respects　the　enemy；　the　only　law　is　that　of　force；　and　the　only　mitigation　the　same　as　in　the　case　of　other　animals…　that　of　simple　humanity。　Soldiers　to　whose　feelings　half　or　three…fourths　of　the　subjects　of　the　same　government　are　foreigners　will　have　no　more　scruple　in　mowing　them　down；　and　no　more　desire　to　ask　the　reason　why；　than　they　would　have　in　doing　the　same　thing　against　declared　enemies。　An　army　composed　of　various　nationalities　has　no　other　patriotism　than　devotion　to　the　flag。　Such　armies　have　been　the　executioners　of　liberty　through　the　whole　duration　of　modern　history。　The　sole　bond　which　holds　them　together　is　their　officers　and　the　government　which　they　serve；　and　their　only　idea；　if　they　have　any；　of　public　duty　is　obedience　to　orders。　A　government　thus　supported；　by　keeping　its　Hungarian　regiments　in　Italy　and　its　Italian　in　Hungary；　can　long　continue　to　rule　in　both　places　with　the　iron　rod　of　foreign　conquerors。　　　If　it　be　said　that　so　broadly　marked　a　distinction　between　what　is　due　to　a　fellow…countryman　and　what　is　due　merely　to　a　human　creature　is　more　worthy　of　savages　than　of　civilised　beings；　and　ought；　with　the　utmost　energy；　to　be　contended　against；　no　one　holds　that　opinion　more　strongly　than　myself。　But　this　object；　one　of　the　worthiest　to　which　human　endeavour　can　be　directed；　can　never；　in　the　present　state　of　civilisation；　be　promoted　by　keeping　different　nationalities　of　anything　like　equivalent　strength　under　the　same　government。　In　a　barbarous　state　of　society　the　case　is　sometimes　different。　The　government　may　then　be　interested　in　softening　the　antipathies　of　the　races　that　peace　may　be　preserved　and　the　country　more　easily　governed。　But　when　there　are　either　free　institutions　or　a　desire　for　them；　in　any　of　the　peoples　artificially　tied　together；　the　interest　of　the　government　lies　in　an　exactly　opposite　direction。　It　is　then　interested　in　keeping　up　and　envenoming　their　antipathies　that　they　may　be　prevented　from　coalescing；　and　it　may　be　enabled　to　use　some　of　them　as　tools　for　the　enslavement　of　others。　The　Austrian　Court　has　now　for　a　whole　generation　made　these　tactics　its　principal　means　of　government；　with　what　fatal　success；　at　the　time　of　the　Vienna　insurrection　and　the　Hungarian　contest；　the　world　knows　too　well。　Happily　there　are　now　signs　that　improvement　is　too　far　advanced　to　permit　this　policy　to　be　any　longer　successful。　　　For　the　preceding　reasons；　it　is　in　general　a　necessary　condition　of　free　institutions　that　the　boundaries　of　governments　should　coincide　in　the　main　with　those　of　nationalities。　But　several　considerations　are　liable　to　conflict　in　practice　with　this　general　principle。　In　the　first　place；　its　application　is　often　precluded　by　geographical　hindrances。　There　are　parts　even　of　Europe　in　which　different　nationalities　are　so　locally　intermingled　that　it　is　not　practicable　for　them　to　be　under　separate　governments。　The　population　of　Hungary　is　composed　of　Magyars；　Slovaks；　Croats；　Serbs；　Roumans；　and　in　some　districts　Germans；　so　mixed　up　as　to　be　incapable　of　local　separation；　and　there　is　no　course　open　to　them　but　to　make　a　virtue　of　necessity；　and　reconcile　themselves　to　living　together　under　equal　rights　and　laws。　Their　community　of　servitude；　which　dates　only　from　the　destruction　of　Hungarian　independence　in　1849；　seems　to　be　ripening　and　disposing　them　for　such　an　equal　union。　The　German　colony　of　East　Prussia　is　cut　off　from　Germany　by　part　of　the　ancient　Poland；　and　being　too　weak　to　maintain　separate　independence；　must；　if　geographical　continuity　is　to　be　maintained；　be　either　under　a　non…German　government；　or　the　intervening　Polish　territory　must　be　under　a　German　one。　Another　considerable　region　in　which　the　dominant　element　of　the　population　is　German；　the　provinces　of　Courland；　Esthonia；　and　Livonia；　is　condemned　by　its　local　situation　to　form　part　of　a　Slavonian　state。　In　Eastern　Germany　itself　there　is　a　large　Slavonic　population：　Bohemia　is　principally　Slavonic；　Silesia　and　other　districts　partially　so。　The　most　united　country　in　Europe；　France；　is　far　from　being　homogeneous：　independently　of　the　fragments　of　foreign　nationalities　at　its　remote　extremities；　it　consists；　as　language　and　history　prove；　of　two　portions；　one　occupied　almost　exclusively　by　a　Gallo…Roman　population；　while　in　the　other　the　Frankish；　Burgundian；　and　other　Teutonic　races　form　a　considerable　ingredient。　　　When　proper　allowance　has　been　made　for　geographical　exigencies；　another　more　purely　moral　and　social　consideration　offers　itself。　Experience　proves　that　it　is　possible　for　one　nationality　to　merge　and　be　absorbed　in　another：　and　when　it　was　originally　an　inferior　and　more　backward　portion　of　the　human　race　the　absorption　is　greatly　to　its　advantage。　Nobody　can　suppose　that　it　is　not　more　beneficial　to　a　Breton；　or　a　Basque　of　French　Navarre；　to　be　brought　into　the　current　of　the　ideas　and　feelings　of　a　highly　civilised　and　cultivated　people…　to　be　a　member　of　the　French　nationality；　admitted　on　equal　terms　to　all　the　privileges　of　French　citizenship；　sharing　the　advantages　of　French　protection；　and　the　dignity　and　prestige　of　French　power…　than　to　sulk　on　his　own　rocks；　the　half…savage　relic　of　past　times；　revolving　in　his　own　little　mental　orbit；　without　participation　or　interest　in　the　general　movement　of　the　world。　The　same　remark　applies　to　the　Welshman　or　the　Scottish　Highlander　as　members　of　the　British　nation。　　　Whatever　really　tends　to　the　admixture　of　nationalities；　and　the　blending　of　their　attributes　and　peculiarities　in　a　common　union；　is　a　benefit　to　the　human　race。　Not　by　extinguishing　types；　of　which；　in　these　cases；　sufficient　examples　are　sure　to　remain；　but　by　softening　their　extreme　forms；　and　filling　up　the　intervals　between　them。　The　united　people；　like　a　crossed　breed　of　animals　（but　in　a　still　greater　degree；　because　the　influences　in　operation　are　moral　as　well　as　physical）；　inherits　the　special　aptitudes　and　excellences　of　all　its　progenitors；　protected　by　the　admixture　from　being　exaggerated　into　the　neighbouring　vices。　But　to　render　this　admixture　possible；　there　must　be　peculiar　conditions。　The　combinations　of　circumstances　which　occur；　and　which　effect　the　result；　are　various。　　　The　nationalities　brought　together　under　the　same　government　may　be　about　equal　in　numbers　and　strength；　or　they　may　be　very　unequal。　If　unequal；　the　least　numerous　of　the　two　may　either　be　the　superior　in　civilisation；　or　the　inferior。　Supposing　it　to　be　superior；　it　may　either；　through　that　superiority；　be　able　to　acquire　ascendancy　over　the　other；　or　it　may　be　overcome　by　brute　strength　and　reduced　to　subjection。　This　last　is　a　sheer　mischief　to　the　human　race；　and　one　which　civilised　humanity　with　one　accord　should　rise　in　arms　to　prevent。　The　absorption　of　Greece　by　Macedonia　was　one　of　the　greatest　misfortunes　which　ever　happened　to　the　world：　that　of　any　of　the　principal　countries　of　Europe　by　Russia　would　be　a　similar　one。　　　If　the　smaller　nationality；　supposed　to　be　the　more　advanced　in　improvement；　is　able　to　overcome　the　greater；　as　the　Macedonians；　reinforced　by　the　Greeks；　did　Asia；　and　the　English　India；　there　is　often　a　gain　to　civilisation：　but　the　conquerors　and　the　conquered　cannot　in　this　case　live　together　under　the　same　free　institutions。　The　absorption　of　the　conquerors　in　the　less　advanced　people　would　be　an　evil：　these；　must　be　governed　as　subjects；　and　the　state　of　things　is　either　a　benefit　or　a　misfortune；　according　as　the　subjugated　people　have　or　have　not　reached　the　state　in　which　it　is　an　injury　not　to　be　under　a　free　government；　and　according　as　the　conquerors　do　or　do　not　use　their　superiority　in　a　manner　calculated　to　fit　the　conquered　for　a　higher　stage　of　improvement。　This　topic　will　be　particularly　treated　of　in　a　subsequent　chapter。　　　When　the　nationality　which　succeeds　in　overpowering　the　other　is　both　the　most　numerous　and　the　most　improved；　and　especially　if　the　subdued　nationality　is　small；　and　has　no　hope　of　reasserting　its　independence；　then；　if　it　is　governed　with　any　tolerable　justice；　and　if　the　members　of　the　more　powerful　nationality　are　not　made　odious　by　being　invested　with　exclusive　privileges；　the　smaller　nationality　is　gradually　reconciled　to　its　position；　and　becomes　amalgamated　with　the　larger。　No　Bas…Breton；　nor　even　any　Alsatian；　has　the　smallest　wish　at　the　present　day　to　be　separated　from　France。　If　all　Irishmen　have　not　yet　arrived　at　the　same　disposition　towards　England；　it　is　partly　because　they　are　sufficiently　numerous　to　be　capable　of　constituting　a　respectable　nationality　by　themselves；　but　principally　because；　until　of　late　years；　they　had　been　so　atrociously　governed；　that　all　their　best　feelings　combined　with　their　bad　ones　in　rousing　bitter　resentment　against　the　Saxon　rule。　This　disgrace　to　England；　and　calamity　to　the　whole　empire；　has；　it　may　be　truly　said；　completely　ceased　for　nearly　a　generation。　No　Irishman　is　now　less　free　than　an　Anglo…Saxon；　nor　has　a　less　share　of　every　benefit　either　to　his　country　or　to　his　individual　fortunes　than　if　he　were　sprung　from　any　other　portion　of　the　British　dominions。　The　only　remaining　real　grievance　of　Ireland；　that　of　the　State　Church；　is　one　which　half；　or　nearly　half；　the　people　of　the　larger　island　have　in　common　with　them。　There　is　now　next　to　nothing；　except　the　memory　of　the　past；　and　the　difference　in　the　predominant　religion；　to　keep　apart　two　races；　perhaps　the　most　fitted　of　any　two　in　the　world　to　be　the　completing　counterpart　of　one　another。　The　consciousness　of　being　at　last　treated　not　only　with　equal　justice　but　with　equal　consideration　is　making　such　rapid　way　in　the　Irish　nation　as　to　be　wearing　off　all　feelings　that　could　make　them　insensible　to　the　benefits　which　the　less　numerous　and　less　wealthy　people　must　necessarily　derive　from　being　fellow…citizens　instead　of　foreigners　to　those　who　are　not　only　their　nearest　neighbours；　but　the　wealthiest；　and　one　of　the　frees