democracy in america-1-第94章

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f　another　part；　but　I　by　no　means　remarked　this　to　be　the　case：　slavery　has　not　created　interests　in　the　South　contrary　to　those　of　the　North；　but　it　has　modified　the　character　and　changed　the　habits　of　the　natives　of　the　South。

I　have　already　explained　the　influence　which　slavery　has　exercised　upon　the　commercial　ability　of　the　Americans　in　the　South；　and　this　same　influence　equally　extends　to　their　manners。　　The　slave　is　a　servant　who　never　remonstrates；　and　who　submits　to　everything　without　complaint。　　He　may　sometimes　assassinate；　but　he　never　withstands；　his　master。　　In　the　South　there　are　no　families　so　poor　as　not　to　have　slaves。　　The　citizen　of　the　Southern　States　of　the　Union　is　invested　with　a　sort　of　domestic　dictatorship；　from　his　earliest　years；　the　first　notion　he　acquires　in　life　is　that　he　is　born　to　command；　and　the　first　habit　which　he　contracts　is　that　of　being　obeyed　without　resistance。　　His　education　tends；　then；　to　give　him　the　character　of　a　supercilious　and　a　hasty　man；　irascible；　violent；　and　ardent　in　his　desires；　impatient　of　obstacles；　but　easily　discouraged　if　he　cannot　succeed　upon　his　first　attempt。

The　American　of　the　Northern　States　is　surrounded　by　no　slaves　in　his　childhood；　he　is　even　unattended　by　free　servants；　and　is　usually　obliged　to　provide　for　his　own　wants。　　No　sooner　does　he　enter　the　world　than　the　idea　of　necessity　assails　him　on　every　side：　he　soon　learns　to　know　exactly　the　natural　limit　of　his　authority；　he　never　expects　to　subdue　those　who　withstand　him；　by　force；　and　he　knows　that　the　surest　means　of　obtaining　the　support　of　his　fellow…creatures；　is　to　win　their　favor。　　He　therefore　becomes　patient；　reflecting；　tolerant；　slow　to　act；　and　persevering　in　his　designs。

In　the　Southern　States　the　more　immediate　wants　of　life　are　always　supplied；　the　inhabitants　of　those　parts　are　not　busied　in　the　material　cares　of　life；　which　are　always　provided　for　by　others；　and　their　imagination　is　diverted　to　more　captivating　and　less　definite　objects。　　The　American　of　the　South　is　fond　of　grandeur；　luxury；　and　renown；　of　gayety；　of　pleasure；　and　above　all　of　idleness；　nothing　obliges　him　to　exert　himself　in　order　to　subsist；　and　as　he　has　no　necessary　occupations；　he　gives　way　to　indolence；　and　does　not　even　attempt　what　would　be　useful。　

But　the　equality　of　fortunes；　and　the　absence　of　slavery　in　the　North；　plunge　the　inhabitants　in　those　same　cares　of　daily　life　which　are　disdained　by　the　white　population　of　the　South。　　They　are　taught　from　infancy　to　combat　want；　and　to　place　comfort　above　all　the　pleasures　of　the　intellect　or　the　heart。　　The　imagination　is　extinguished　by　the　trivial　details　of　life；　and　the　ideas　become　less　numerous　and　less　general；　but　far　more　practical　and　more　precise。　　As　prosperity　is　the　sole　aim　of　exertion；　it　is　excellently　well　attained；　nature　and　mankind　are　turned　to　the　best　pecuniary　advantage；　and　society　is　dexterously　made　to　contribute　to　the　welfare　of　each　of　its　members；　whilst　individual　egotism　is　the　source　of　general　happiness。

The　citizen　of　the　North　has　not　only　experience；　but　knowledge：　nevertheless　he　sets　but　little　value　upon　the　pleasures　of　knowledge；　he　esteems　it　as　the　means　of　attaining　a　certain　end；　and　he　is　only　anxious　to　seize　its　more　lucrative　applications。　　The　citizen　of　the　South　is　more　given　to　act　upon　impulse；　he　is　more　clever；　more　frank；　more　generous；　more　intellectual；　and　more　brilliant。　　The　former；　with　a　greater　degree　of　activity；　of　common…sense；　of　information；　and　of　general　aptitude；　has　the　characteristic　good　and　evil　qualities　of　the　middle　classes。　　The　latter　has　the　tastes；　the　prejudices；　the　weaknesses；　and　the　magnanimity　of　all　aristocracies。　　If　two　men　are　united　in　society；　who　have　the　same　interests；　and　to　a　certain　extent　the　same　opinions；　but　different　characters；　different　acquirements；　and　a　different　style　of　civilization；　it　is　probable　that　these　men　will　not　agree。　　The　same　remark　is　applicable　to　a　society　of　nations。　Slavery；　then；　does　not　attack　the　American　Union　directly　in　its　interests；　but　indirectly　in　its　manners。

＇Footnote　e：　Census　of　1790；　3；929；328；　1830；　12；856；165；　1860；　31；443；321；　1870；　38；555；983；　1890；　62；831；900。＇

The　States　which　gave　their　assent　to　the　federal　contract　in　1790　were　thirteen　in　number；　the　Union　now　consists　of　thirty…four　members。　　The　population；　which　amounted　to　nearly　4；000；000　in　1790；　had　more　than　tripled　in　the　space　of　forty　years；　and　in　1830　it　amounted　to　nearly　13；000；000。　*e　Changes　of　such　magnitude　cannot　take　place　without　some　danger。

A　society　of　nations；　as　well　as　a　society　of　individuals；　derives　its　principal　chances　of　duration　from　the　wisdom　of　its　members；　their　individual　weakness；　and　their　limited　number。　　The　Americans　who　quit　the　coasts　of　the　Atlantic　Ocean　to　plunge　into　the　western　wilderness；　are　adventurers　impatient　of　restraint；　greedy　of　wealth；　and　frequently　men　expelled　from　the　States　in　which　they　were　born。　　When　they　arrive　in　the　deserts　they　are　unknown　to　each　other；　and　they　have　neither　traditions；　family　feeling；　nor　the　force　of　example　to　check　their　excesses。　　The　empire　of　the　laws　is　feeble　amongst　them；　that　of　morality　is　still　more　powerless。　The　settlers　who　are　constantly　peopling　the　valley　of　the　Mississippi　are；　then；　in　every　respect　very　inferior　to　the　Americans　who　inhabit　the　older　parts　of　the　Union。　　Nevertheless；　they　already　exercise　a　great　influence　in　its　councils；　and　they　arrive　at　the　government　of　the　commonwealth　before　they　have　learnt　to　govern　themselves。　*f

＇Footnote　f：　This　indeed　is　only　a　temporary　danger。　　I　have　no　doubt　that　in　time　society　will　assume　as　much　stability　and　regularity　in　the　West　as　it　has　already　done　upon　the　coast　of　the　Atlantic　Ocean。＇

The　greater　the　individual　weakness　of　each　of　the　contracting　parties；　the　greater　are　the　chances　of　the　duration　of　the　contract；　for　their　safety　is　then　dependent　upon　their　union。　　When；　in　1790；　the　most　populous　of　the　American　republics　did　not　contain　500；000　inhabitants；　*g　each　of　them　felt　its　own　insignificance　as　an　independent　people；　and　this　feeling　rendered　compliance　with　the　federal　authority　more　easy。　　But　when　one　of　the　confederate　States　reckons；　like　the　State　of　New　York；　2；000；000　of　inhabitants；　and　covers　an　extent　of　territory　equal　in　surface　to　a　quarter　of　France；　*h　it　feels　its　own　strength；　and　although　it　may　continue　to　support　the　Union　as　advantageous　to　its　prosperity；　it　no　longer　regards　that　body　as　necessary　to　its　existence；　and　as　it　continues　to　belong　to　the　federal　compact；　it　soon　aims　at　preponderance　in　the　federal　assemblies。　The　probable　unanimity　of　the　States　is　diminished　as　their　number　increases。　At　present　the　interests　of　the　different　parts　of　the　Union　are　not　at　variance；　but　who　is　able　to　foresee　the　multifarious　changes　of　the　future；　in　a　country　in　which　towns　are　founded　from　day　to　day；　and　States　almost　from　year　to　year？　

＇Footnote　g：　Pennsylvania　contained　431；373　inhabitants　in　1790　＇and　5；258；014　in　1890。＇＇

＇Footnote　h：　The　area　of　the　State　of　New　York　is　49；170　square　miles。　＇See　U。　S。　census　report　of　1890。＇＇

Since　the　first　settlement　of　the　British　colonies；　the　number　of　inhabitants　has　about　doubled　every　twenty…two　years。　　I　perceive　no　causes　which　are　likely　to　check　this　progressive　increase　of　the　Anglo…American　population　for　the　next　hundred　years；　and　before　that　space　of　time　has　elapsed；　I　believe　that　the　territories　and　dependencies　of　the　United　States　will　be　covered　by　more　than　100；000；000　of　inhabitants；　and　divided　into　forty　States。　*i　I　admit　that　these　100；000；000　of　men　have　no　ho　hostile　interests。　　I　suppose；　on　the　contrary；　that　they　are　all　equally　interested　in　the　maintenance　of　the　Union；　but　I　am　still　of　opinion　that　where　there　are　100；000；000　of　men；　and　forty　distinct　nations；　unequally　strong；　the　continuance　of　the　Federal　Government　can　only　be　a　fortunate　accident。

＇Footnote　i：　If　the　population　continues　to　double　every　twenty…two　years；　as　it　has　done　for　the　last　two　hundred　years；　the　number　of　inhabitants　in　the　United　States　in　1852　will　be　twenty　millions；　in　1874；　forty…eight　millions；　and　in　1896；　ninety…six　millions。　　This　may　still　be　the　case　even　if　the　lands　on　the　western　slope　of　the　Rocky　Mountains　should　be　found　to　be　unfit　for　cultivation。　　The　territory　which　is　already　occupied　can　easily　contain　this　number　of　inhabitants。　　One　hundred　millions　of　men　disseminated　over　the　surface　of　the　twenty…four　States；　and　the　three　dependencies；　which　constitute　the　Union；　would　only　give　762　inhabitants　to　the　square　league；　this　would　be　far　below　the　mean　population　of　France；　which　is　1；063　to　the　square　league；　or　of　England；　which　is　1；457；　and　it　would　even　be　below　the　population　of　Switzerland；　for　that　country；　notwithstanding　its　lakes　and　mountains；　contains　783　inhabitants　to　the　square　league。　　See　〃Malte　Brun；〃　vol。　vi。　p。　92。

＇The　actual　result　has　fallen　somewhat　short　of　these　calculations；　in　spite　of　the　vast　territorial　acquisitions　of　the　United　States：　but　in　1899　the　population　is　probably　about　eighty…　seven　millions；　including　the　population　of　the　Philippines；　Hawaii；　and　Porto　Rico。＇＇

Whatever　faith　I　may　have　in　the　perfectibility　of　man；　until　human　nature　is　altered；　and　men　wholly　transformed；　I　shall　refuse　to　believe　in　the　duration　of　a　government　which　is　called　upon　to　hold　together　forty　different　peoples；　disseminated　over　a　territory　equal　to　one…half　of　Europe　in　extent；　to　avoid　all　rivalry；　ambition；　and　struggles　between　them；　and　to　direct　their　independent　activity　to　the　accomplishment　of　the　same　designs。　

But　the　greatest　peril　to　which　the　Union　is　exposed　by　its　increase　arises　from　the　continual　changes　which　take　place　in　the　position　of　its　internal　strength。　　The　distance　from　Lake　Superior　to　the　Gulf　of　Mexico　extends　from　the　47th　to　the　30th　degree　of　latitude；　a　distance　of　more　than　1；200　miles　as　the　bird　flies。　　The　frontier　of　the　United　States　winds　along　the　whole　of　this　immense　line；　sometimes　falling　within　its　limits；　but　more　frequently　extending　far　beyond　it；　into　the　waste。　　It　has　been　calculated　that　the　whites　advance　every　year　a　mean　distance　of　seventeen　miles　along　the　whole　of　his　vast　boundary。　*j　Obstacles；　such　as　an　unproductive　district；　a　lake　or　an　Indian　nation　unexpectedly　encountered；　are　sometimes　met　with。　　The　advancing　column　then　halts　for　a　while；　its　two　extremities　fall　back　upon　themselves；　and　as　soon　as　they　are　reunited　they　proceed　onwards。　　This　gradual　and　continuous　progress　of　the　European　race　towards　the　Rocky　Mountains　has　the　solemnity　of　a　providential　event；　it　is　like　a　deluge　of　men　rising　unabatedly；　and　daily　driven　onwards　by　the　hand　of　God。

＇Footnote　j：　See　Legislative　Documents；　20th　Congress；　No。　117；　p。　105。＇

Within　this　first　line　of　conquering　settlers　towns　are　built；　and　vast　States　founded。　　In　1790　there　were　only　a　few　thousand　pioneers　sprinkled　along　the　valleys　of　the　Mississippi；　and　at　the　present　day　these　valleys　contain　as　many　inhabitants　as　were　to　be　found　in　the　whole　Union　i