north america-2-第56章

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　went　on　in　that　practice　which　was　habitual　to　us。　　I　do　not　think　that　the　Americans　could　have　taxed　themselves　with　greater　alacrity　than　they　have　shown。　　Let　us　wait；　at　any　rate；　till　they　shall　have　had　time　for　the　operation；　before　we　blame　them　for　not　making　it。　　It　is　then　argued　that　we　in　England　did　not　borrow　nearly　so　fast　as　they　have　borrowed　in　the　States。　　That　is　true。　　But　it　must　be　remembered　that　the　dimensions　and　proportions　of　wars　now　are　infinitely　greater　than　they　were　when　we　began　to　borrow。　　Does　any　one　imagine　that　we　would　not　have　borrowed　faster；　if　by　faster　borrowing　we　could　have　closed　the　war　more　speedily？　　Things　go　faster　now　than　they　did　then。　　Borrowing　for　the　sake　of　a　war　may　be　a　bad　thing　to　do；　as　also　it　may　be　a　good　thing；　but　if　it　be　done　at　all；　it　should　be　so　done　as　to　bring　the　war　to　the　end　with　what　greatest　dispatch　may　be　possible。　The　only　fair　comparison；　as　it　seems　to　me；　which　can　be　drawn　between　the　two　countries　with　reference　to　their　debts；　and　the　condition　of　each　under　its　debt；　should　be　made　to　depend　on　the　amount　of　the　debt　and　probable　ability　of　the　country　to　bear　that　burden。　　The　amount　of　the　debt　must　be　calculated　by　the　interest　payable　on　it　rather　than　by　the　figures　representing　the　actual　sum　due。　　If　we　debit　the　United　States　government　with　seven　per　cent。　on　all　the　money　borrowed　by　them；　and　presume　that　amount　to　have　reached　in　July；　1863；　the　sum　named　by　Mr。　Spaulding；　they　will　then　have　loaded　themselves　with　an　annual　charge　of　16；800；000　pounds　sterling。　　It　will　have　been　an　immense　achievement　to　have　accomplished　in　so　short　a　time；　but　it　will　by　no　means　equal　the　annual　sum　with　which　we　are　charged。　　And；　moreover；　the　comparison　will　have　been　made　in　a　manner　that　is　hardly　fair　to　the　Americans。　　We　pay　our　creditors　three　per　cent。　now　that　we　have　arranged　our　affairs；　and　have　settled　down　into　the　respectable　position　of　an　old　gentleman　whose　estates；　though　deeply　mortgaged；　are　not　over　mortgaged。　　But　we　did　not　get　our　money　at　three　per　cent。　while　our　wars　were　on　hand　and　there　yet　existed　some　doubt　as　to　the　manner　in　which　they　might　be　terminated。　This　attempt；　however；　at　guessing　what　may　be　the　probable　amount　of　the　debt　at　the　close　of　the　war　is　absolutely　futile。　　No　one　can　as　yet　conjecture　when　the　war　may　be　over；　or　what　collateral　expenses　may　attend　its　close。　　It　may　be　the　case　that　the　government；　in　fixing　some　boundary　between　the　future　United　States　and　the　future　Southern　Confederacy；　will　be　called　on　to　advance　a　very　large　sum　of　money　as　compensation　for　slaves　who　shall　have　been　liberated　in　the　border　States；　or　have　been　swept　down　South　into　the　cotton　regions　with　the　retreating　hordes　of　the　Southern　army。　　The　total　of　the　bill　cannot　be　reckoned　up　while　the　work　is　still　unfinished。　　But；　after　all；　that　question　as　to　the　amount　of　the　bill　is　not　to　us　the　question　of　the　greatest　interest。　Whether　the　debt　shall　amount　to　two；　or　three；　or　even　to　four　hundred　millions　sterling；　whether　it　remain　fixed　at　its　present　modest　dimensions；　or　swell　itself　out　to　the　magnificent　proportions　of　our　British　debt；　will　the　resources　of　the　country　enable　it　to　bear　such　a　burden？　　Will　it　be　found　that　the　Americans　share　with　us　that　elastic　power　of　endurance　which　has　enabled　us　to　bear　a　weight　that　would　have　ruined　any　other　people　of　the　same　number？　　Have　they　the　thews　and　muscles；　the　energy　and　endurance；　the　power　of　carrying　which　we　possess？　　They　have　got　our　blood　in　their　veins；　and　have　these　qualities　gone　with　the　blood？　　It　is　of　little　avail　either　to　us　or　to　the　truth　that　we　can　show　some　difference　between　our　position　and　their　position　which　may　seem　to　be　in　our　favor。　　They　doubtless　could　show　other　points　of　difference　on　the　other　side。　　With　us；　in　the　early　years　of　this　century；　it　was　a　contest　for　life　and　death；　in　which　we　could　not　stop　to　count　the　costin　which　we　believed　that　we　were　fighting　for　all　that　we　cared　to　call　our　own；　and　in　which　we　were　resolved　that　we　would　not　be　beaten　as　long　as　we　had　a　man　to　fight　and　a　guinea　to　spend。　　Fighting　in　this　mind　we　won。　　Had　we　fought　in　any　other　mind　I　think　I　may　say　that　we　should　not　have　won。　　To　the　Americans　of　the　Northern　States　this　also　is　a　contest　for　life　and　death。　　I　will　not　here　stay　to　argue　whether　this　need　have　been　so。　　I　think　they　are　right；　but　this　at　least　must　be　accorded　to　themthat；　having　gone　into　this　matter　of　civil　war；　it　behoves　them　to　finish　it　with　credit　to　themselves。　　There　are　many　Englishmen　who　think　that　we　were　wrong　to　undertake　the　French　war；　but　there　is；　I　take　it；　no　Englishman　who　thinks　that　we　ought　to　have　allowed　ourselves　to　be　beaten　when　we　had　undertaken　it。　To　the　Americans　it　is　now　a　contest　of　life　and　death。　　They　also　cannot　stop　to　count　the　cost；　They　also　will　go　on　as　long　as　they　have　a　dollar　to　spend　or　a　man　to　fight。　It　appears　that　we　were　paying　fourteen　millions　a　year　interest　on　our　national　debt　in　the　year　1796。　　I　take　this　statement　from　an　article　in　The　Times；　in　which　the　question　of　the　finances　of　the　United　States　is　handled。　　But　our　population　in　1796　was　only　sixteen　millions。　　I　estimate　the　population　of　the　Northern　section　of　the　United　States；　as　the　States　will　be　after　the　war；　at　twenty…two　millions。　　In　the　article　alluded　to；　these　Northern　Americans　are　now　stated　to　be　twenty　millions。　　If　then　we；　in　1796；　could　pay　fourteen　millions　a　year　with　a　population　of　sixteen　millions；　the　United　States；　with　a　population　of　twenty　or　twenty…two　millions；　will　be　able　to　pay　the　sixteen　or　seventeen　millions　sterling　of　interest　which　will　become　due　from　them；　if　their　circumstances　of　payment　are　as　good　as　were　ours。　　They　can　do　that；　and　more　than　that；　if　they　have　the　same　means　per　man　as　we　had。　　And　as　the　means　per　man　resolves　itself　at　last　into　the　labor　per　man；　it　may　be　said　that　they　can　pay　what　we　could　pay；　if　they　can　and　will　work　as　hard　as　we　could　and　did　work。　　That　which　did　not　crush　us　will　not　crush　them；　if　their　future　energy　be　equal　to　our　past　energy。　And　on　this　question　of　energy　I　think　that　there　is　no　need　for　doubt。　　Taking　man　for　man　and　million　for　million；　the　Americans　are　equal　to　the　English　in　intellect　and　industry。　　They　create　wealth；　at　any　rate；　as　fast　as　we　have　done。　　They　develop　their　resources；　and　open　out　the　currents　of　trade；　with　an　energy　equal　to　our　own。　　They　are　always　at　workimproving；　utilizing；　and　creating。　　Austria；　as　I　take　it；　is　succumbing　to　monetary　difficulties；　not　because　she　has　been　extravagant；　but　because　she　has　been　slow　at　progress；　because　it　has　been　the　work　of　her　rulers　to　repress　rather　than　encourage　the　energies　of　her　people；　because　she　does　not　improve；　utilize；　and　create。　　England　has　mastered　her　monetary　difficulties　because　the　genius　of　her　government　and　her　people　has　been　exactly　opposite　to　the　genius　of　Austria。　　And　the　States　of　America　will　master　their　money　difficulties；　because　they　are　born　of　England；　and　are　not　born　of　Austria。　　What！　　Shall　our　eldest　child　become　bankrupt　in　its　first　trade　difficulty；　be　utterly　ruined　by　its　first　little　commercial　embarrassment！　　The　child　bears　much　too　strong　a　resemblance　to　its　parent　for　me　to　think　so。

CHAPTER　XIII。　THE　POST…OFFICE。

Any　Englishman　or　Frenchman　residing　in　the　American　States　cannot　fail　to　be　struck　with　the　inferiority　of　the　post…office　arrangements　in　that　country　to　those　by　which　they　are　accommodated　in　their　own　country。　　I　have　not　been　a　resident　in　the　country；　and　as　a　traveler　might　probably　have　passed　the　subject　without　special　remark；　were　it　not　that　the　service　of　the　post…office　has　been　my　own　profession　for　many　years。　　I　could　therefore　hardly　fail　to　observe　things　which　to　another　man　would　have　been　of　no　material　moment。　　At　first　I　was　inclined　to　lean　heavily　in　my　judgment　upon　the　deficiencies　of　a　department　which　must　be　of　primary　importance　to　a　commercial　nation。　　It　seemed　that　among　a　people　so　intelligent；　and　so　quick　in　all　enterprises　of　trade；　a　well…arranged　post…office　would　have　been　held　to　be　absolutely　necessary；　and　that　all　difficulties　would　have　been　made　to　succumb　in　their　efforts　to　put　that　establishment；　if　no　other；　upon　a　proper　footing。　　But　as　I　looked　into　the　matter；　and　in　becoming　acquainted　with　the　circumstances　of　the　post…office　learned　the　extent　of　the　difficulties　absolutely　existing；　I　began　to　think　that　a　very　great　deal　had　been　done；　and　that　the　fault；　as　to　that　which　had　been　left　undone；　rested　not　with　the　post…office　officials；　but　was　attributable　partly　to　political　causes　altogether　outside　the　post…office；　and　partlyperhaps　chieflyto　the　nature　of　the　country　itself。　It　is　I　think　undoubtedly　true　that　the　amount　of　accommodation　given　by　the　post…office　of　the　States　is　small；　as　compared　with　that　afforded　in　some　other　countries；　and　that　that　accommodation　is　lessened　by　delays　and　uncertainty。　　The　point　which　first　struck　me　was　the　inconvenient　hours　at　which　mails　were　brought　in　and　dispatched。　　Here　in　England　it　is　the　object　of　our　post…office　to　carry　the　bulk　of　our　letters　at　night；　to　deliver　them　as　early　as　possible　in　the　morning；　and　to　collect　them　and　take　them　away　for　dispatch　as　late　as　may　be　in　the　day；　so　that　the　merchant　may　receive　his　letters　before　the　beginning　of　his　day　business；　and　dispatch　them　after　its　close。　　The　bulk　of　our　letters　is　handled　in　this　manner；　and　the　advantage　of　such　an　arrangement　is　manifest。　　But　it　seemed　that　in　the　States　no　such　practice　prevailed。　　Letters　arrived　at　any　hour　in　the　day　miscellaneously；　and　were　dispatched　at　any　hour；　and　I　found　that　the　postmaster　at　one　town　could　never　tell　me　with　certainty　when　letters　would　arrive　at　another。　　If　the　towns　were　distant；　I　would　be　told　that　the　conveyance　might　take　about　two　or　three　days；　if　they　were　near；　that　my　letter　would　get　to　hand　〃some　time　to…morrow。〃　　I　ascertained；　moreover；　by　painful　experience　that　the　whole　of　a　mail　would　not　always　go　forward　by　the　first　dispatch。　　As　regarded　myself　this　had　reference　chiefly　to　English　letters　and　newspapers。　〃Only　a　part　of　the　mail　has　come；〃　the　clerk　would　tell　me。　　With　us　the　owners　of　that　part　which　did　not　〃come；〃　would　consider　themselves　greatly　aggrieved　and　make　loud　complaint。　　But　in　the　States　complaints　made　against　official　departments　are　held　to　be　of　little　moment。　Letters　also　in　the　States　are　subject　to　great　delays　by　irregularities　on　railways。　　One　train　does　not　hit　the　town　of　its　destination　before　another　train；　to　which　it　is　nominally　fitted；　has　been　started　on　its　journey。　　The　mail　trains　are　not　bound　to　wait；　and　thus；　in　the　large　cities；　far　distant　from　New　York；　great　irregularity　prevails。　　It　is　I　think　owing　to　thisat　any　rate　partly　to　thisthat　the　system　of　telegraphing　has　become　so　prevalent。　　It　is　natural　that　this　should　be　so　between　towns　which　are　in　the　due　course　of　post　perhaps　forty…eight　hours　asunder；　but　the　uncertainty　of　the　post　increases　the　habit；　to　the