north america-2-第12章

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ouri；　a　slave　State；　and　is　contiguous　to　no　other　State。　　If　the　free…soil　party　could；　in　the　days　of　Pierce　and　Buchanan；　carry　the　day　in　Kansas；　it　is　not　likely　that　they　would　be　beaten　on　any　new　ground　under　such　a　President　as　Lincoln。　　We　have　all　heard　in　Europe　how　Southern　men　have　ruled　in　the　White　House；　nearly　from　the　days　of　Washington　downward；　or　if　not　Southern　men；　Northern　men；　such　as　Pierce　and　Buchanan；　with　Southern　politics；　and　therefore　we　have　been　taught　to　think　that　the　South　has　been　politically　the　winning　party。　They　have；　in　truth；　been　the　losing　party　as　regards　national　power。　　But　what　they　have　so　lost　they　have　hitherto　recovered　by　political　address　and　individual　statecraft。　　The　leading　men　of　the　South　have　seen　their　position；　and　have　gone　to　their　work　with　the　exercise　of　all　their　energies。　　They　organized　the　Democratic　party　so　as　to　include　the　leaders　among　the　Northern　politicians。　　They　never　begrudged　to　these　assistants　a　full　share　of　the　good　things　of　official　life。　　They　have　been　aided　by　the　fanatical　abolitionism　of　the　North　by　which　the　Republican　party　has　been　divided　into　two　sections。　　It　has　been　fashionable　to　be　a　Democrat；　that　is；　to　hold　Southern　politics；　and　unfashionable　to　be　a　Republican；　or　to　hold　anti…Southern　politics。　　In　that　way　the　South　has　lived　and　struggled　on　against　the　growing　will　of　the　population；　but　at　last　that　will　became　too　strong；　and　when　Mr。　Lincoln　was　elected；　the　South　knew　that　its　day　was　over。　It　is　not　surprising　that　the　South　should　have　desired　secession。　It　is　not　surprising　that　it　should　have　prepared　for　it。　　Since　the　days　of　Mr。　Calhoun　its　leaders　have　always　understood　its　position　with　a　fair　amount　of　political　accuracy。　　Its　only　chance　of　political　life　lay　in　prolonged　ascendency　at　Washington。　　The　swelling　crowds　of　Germans；　by　whom　the　Western　States　were　being　filled；　enlisted　themselves　to　a　man　in　the　ranks　of　abolition。　What　was　the　acquisition　of　Texas　against　such　hosts　as　these？　　An　evil　day　was　coming　on　the　Southern　politicians；　and　it　behooved　them　to　be　prepared。　　As　a　separate　nationa　nation　trusting　to　cotton；　having　in　their　hands；　as　they　imagined；　a　monopoly　of　the　staple　of　English　manufacture；　with　a　tariff　of　their　own；　and　those　rabid　curses　on　the　source　of　all　their　wealth　no　longer　ringing　in　their　ears；　what　might　they　not　do　as　a　separate　nation？　　But　as　a　part　of　the　Union；　they　were　too　weak　to　hold　their　own　if　once　their　political　finesse　should　fail　them。　　That　day　came　upon　them；　not　unexpected；　in　1860；　and　therefore　they　cut　the　cable。　And　all　this　has　come　from　slavery。　　It　is　hard　enough；　for　how　could　the　South　have　escaped　slavery？　　How；　at　least；　could　the　South　have　escaped　slavery　any　time　during　these　last　thirty　years？　And　is　it；　moreover；　so　certain　that　slavery　is　an　unmitigated　evil；　opposed　to　God's　will；　and　producing　all　the　sorrows　which　have　ever　been　produced　by　tyranny　and　wrong？　　It　is　here；　after　all；　that　one　comes　to　the　difficult　question。　　Here　is　the　knot　which　the　fingers　of　men　cannot　open；　and　which　admits　of　no　sudden　cutting　with　the　knife。　　I　have　likened　the　slaveholding　States　to　the　drunken　husband；　and　in　so　doing　have　pronounced　judgment　against　them。　　As　regards　the　state　of　the　drunken　man；　his　unfitness　for　partnership　with　any　decent；　diligent；　well…to…do　wife；　his　ruined　condition；　and　shattered　prospects；　the　simile；　I　think；　holds　good。　　But　I　refrain　from　saying　that　as　the　fault　was　originally　with　the　drunkard　in　that　he　became　such；　so　also　has　the　fault　been　with　the　slave　States。　　At　any　rate　I　refrain　from　so　saying　here；　on　this　page。　　That　the　position　of　a　slaveowner　is　terribly　prejudicial；　not　to　the　slave；　of　whom　I　do　not　here　speak；　but　to　the　owner；　of　so　much　at　any　rate　I　feel　assured。　　That　the　position　is　therefore　criminal　and　damnable；　I　am　not　now　disposed　to　take　upon　myself　to　assert。　The　question　of　slavery　in　America　cannot　be　handled　fully　and　fairly　by　any　one　who　is　afraid　to　go　back　upon　the　subject；　and　take　its　whole　history　since　one　man　first　claimed　and　exercised　the　right　of　forcing　labor　from　another　man。　　I　certainly　am　afraid　of　any　such　task；　but　I　believe　that　there　has　been　no　period　yet；　since　the　world's　work　began；　when　such　a　practice　has　not　prevailed　in　a　large　portion；　probably　in　the　largest　portion；　of　the　world's　work　fields。　　As　civilization　has　made　its　progress；　it　has　been　the　duty　and　delight；　as　it　has　also　been　the　interest　of　the　men　at　the　top　of　affairs；　not　to　lighten　the　work　of　the　men　below；　but　so　to　teach　them　that　they　should　recognize　the　necessity　of　working　without　coercion。　　Emancipation　of　serfs　and　thrals；　of　bondsmen　and　slaves；　has　always　meant　thisthat　men　having　been　so　taught；　should　then　work　without　coercion。　In　talking　or　writing　of　slaves；　we　always　now　think　of　the　negro　slave。　　Of　us　Englishmen　it　must　at　any　rate　be　acknowledged　that　we　have　done　what　in　us　lay　to　induce　him　to　recognize　this　necessity　for　labor。　　At　any　rate　we　acted　on　the　presumption　that　he　would　do　so；　and　gave　him　his　liberty　throughout　all　our　lands　at　a　cost　which　has　never　yet　been　reckoned　up　in　pounds；　shillings；　and　pence。　　The　cost　never　can　be　reckoned　up；　nor　can　the　gain　which　we　achieved　in　purging　ourselves　from　the　degradation　and　demoralization　of　such　employment。　　We　come　into　court　with　clean　hands；　having　done　all　that　lay　with　us　to　do　to　put　down　slavery　both　at　home　and　abroad。　　But　when　we　enfranchised　the　negroes；　we　did　so　with　the　intention；　at　least；　that　they　should　work　as　free　men。　　Their　share　of　the　bargain　in　that　respect　they　have　declined　to　keep；　wherever　starvation　has　not　been　the　result　of　such　resolve　on　their　part；　and　from　the　date　of　our　emancipation；　seeing　the　position　which　the　negroes　now　hold　with　us；　the　Southern　States　of　America　have　learned　to　regard　slavery　as　a　permanent　institution；　and　have　taught　themselves　to　regard　it　as　a　blessing；　and　not　as　a　curse。　Negroes　were　first　taken　over　to　America　because　the　white　man　could　not　work　under　the　tropical　heats；　and　because　the　native　Indian　would　not　work。　　The　latter　people　has　been；　or　soon　will　be；　exterminatedpolished　off　the　face　of　creation；　as　the　Americans　saywhich　fate　must；　I　should　say；　in　the　long　run　attend　all　non…　working　people。　　As　the　soil　of　the　world　is　required　for　increasing　population；　the　non…working　people　must　go。　　And　so　the　Indians　have　gone。　　The　negroes；　under　compulsion；　did　work；　and　work　well；　and　under　their　hands　vast　regions　of　the　western　tropics　became　fertile　gardens。　　The　fact　that　they　were　carried　up　into　northern　regions　which　from　their　nature　did　not　require　such　aid；　that　slavery　prevailed　in　New　York　and　Massachusetts；　does　not　militate　against　my　argument。　　The　exact　limits　of　any　great　movement　will　not　be　bounded　by　its　purpose。　　The　heated　wax　which　you　drop　on　your　letter　spreads　itself　beyond　the　necessities　of　your　seal。　　That　these　negroes　would　not　have　come　to　the　Western　World　without　compulsion；　or　having　come；　would　not　have　worked　without　compulsion；　is；　I　imagine；　acknowledged　by　all。　　That　they　have　multiplied　in　the　Western　World　and　have　there　become　a　race　happier；　at　any　rate　in　all　the　circumstances　of　their　life；　than　their　still　untamed　kinsmen　in　Africa；　must　also　be　acknowledged。　Who；　then；　can　dare　to　wish　that　all　that　has　been　done　by　the　negro　immigration　should　have　remained　undone？　The　name　of　slave　is　odious　to　me。　　If　I　know　myself　I　would　not　own　a　negro　though　he　could　sweat　gold　on　my　behoof。　　I　glory　in　that　bold　leap　in　the　dark　which　England　took　with　regard　to　her　own　West　Indian　slaves。　　But　I　do　not　see　the　less　clearly　the　difficulty　of　that　position　in　which　the　Southern　States　have　been　placed；　and　I　will　not　call　them　wicked；　impious；　and　abominable；　because　they　now　hold　by　slavery；　as　other　nations　have　held　by　it　at　some　period　of　their　career。　　It　is　their　misfortune　that　they　must　do　so　nownow；　when　so　large　a　portion　of　the　world　has　thrown　off　the　system；　spurning　as　base　and　profitless　all　labor　that　is　not　free。　　It　is　their　misfortune；　for　henceforth　they　must　stand　alone；　with　small　rank　among　the　nations；　whereas　their　brethren　of　the　North　will　still　〃flame　in　the　forehead　of　the　morning　sky。〃　When　the　present　Constitution　of　the　United　States　was　writtenthe　merit　of　which　must　probably　be　given　mainly　to　Madison　and　Hamilton；　Madison　finding　the　French　democratic　element；　and　Hamilton　the　English　conservative　elementthis　question　of　slavery　was　doubtless　a　great　trouble。　　The　word　itself　is　not　mentioned　in　the　Constitution。　　It　speaks　not　of　a　slave；　but　of　a　〃person　held　to　service　or　labor。〃　　It　neither　sanctions　nor　forbids　slavery。　　It　assumes　no　power　in　the　matter　of　slavery；　and　under　it；　at　the　present　moment；　all　Congress　voting　together；　with　the　full　consent　of　the　legislatures　of　thirty…three　States；　could　not　constitutionally　put　down　slavery　in　the　remaining　thirty…fourth　State。　　In　fact　the　Constitution　ignored　the　subject。　But；　nevertheless；　Washington；　and　Jefferson　from　whom　Madison　received　his　inspiration；　were　opposed　to　slavery。　　I　do　not　know　that　Washington　ever　took　much　action　in　the　matter；　but　his　expressed　opinion　is　on　record。　　But　Jefferson　did　so　throughout　his　life。　　Before　the　Declaration　of　Independence　he　endeavored　to　make　slavery　illegal　in　Virginia。　　In　this　he　failed；　but　long　afterward；　when　the　United　States　was　a　nation；　he　succeeded　in　carrying　a　law　by　which　the　further　importation　of　slaves　into　any　of　the　States　was　prohibited　after　a　certain　year1820。　　When　this　law　was　passed；　the　framers　of　it　considered　that　the　gradual　abolition　of　slavery　would　be　secured。　　Up　to　that　period　the　negro　population　in　the　States　had　not　been　self…maintained。　　As　now　in　Cuba；　the　numbers　had　been　kept　up　by　new　importations；　and　it　was　calculated　that　the　race；　when　not　recruited　from　Africa；　would　die　out。　　That　this　calculation　was　wrong　we　now　know；　and　the　breeding…grounds　of　Virginia　have　been　the　result。　At　that　time　there　were　no　cotton　fields。　　Alabama　and　Mississippi　were　outlying　territories。　　Louisiana　had　been　recently　purchased；　but　was　not　yet　incorporated　as　a　State。　　Florida　still　belonged　to　Spain；　and　was　all　but　unpopulated。　　Of　Texas　no　man　had　yet　heard。　Of　the　slave　States；　Virginia；　the　two　Carolinas；　and　Georgia　were　alone　wedded　to　slavery。　　Then　the　matter　might　have　been　managed。　But　under　the　Constitution　as　it　had　been　framed；　and　with　the　existing　powers　of　the　separate　States；　there　was　not　even　then　open　any　way　by　which　slavery　could　be　abolished　other　than　by　the　separate　action　of　the　States；　nor　has　there　been　any　such　way　opened　since。　　With　slavery　these　Southern　States　have　grown　and　become　fertile。　　The　planters　have　thriven；　and　the　cotton　fields　have　spread　themselves。　　And　then　came　emancipation　in　the　British　islands。　　Under　such　circumstances　and　with　such　a　lesson；　could　it　be　expected　that　the　Southern　States　should　learn　to　love　abolition？　It　is　vain　to　say　that　slavery　has　not　caused　secession；　and　that　slavery　has　not　caused　the　war。　　That；　and　that　only；　has　been　the　real　cause　of　this　co