north america-2-第15章

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　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　conflict；　though　other　small　collateral　issues　may　now　be　put　forward　to　bear　the　blame。　　Those　other　issues　have　arisen　from　this　question　of　slavery；　and　are　incidental　to　it　and　a　part　of　it。　　Massachusetts；　as　we　all　know；　is　democratic　in　its　tendencies；　but　South　Carolina　is　essentially　aristocratic。　　This　difference　has　come　of　slavery。　　A　slave　country；　which　has　progressed　far　in　slavery；　must　be　aristocratic　in　its　nature　aristocratic　and　patriarchal。　　A　large　slaveowner　from　Georgia　may　call　himself　a　democrat；　may　think　that　he　reveres　republican　institutions；　and　may　talk　with　American　horror　of　the　thrones　of　Europe；　but　he　must　in　his　heart　be　an　aristocrat。　　We；　in　England；　are　apt　to　speak　of　republican　institutions；　and　of　universal　suffrage；　which　is　perhaps　the　chief　of　them；　as　belonging　equally　to　all　the　States。　　In　South　Carolina　there　is　not　and　has　not　been　any　such　thing。　　The　electors　for　the　President　there　are　chosen　not　by　the　people；　but　by　the　legislature；　and　the　votes　for　the　legislature　are　limited　by　a　high　property　qualification。　　A　high　property　qualification　is　required　for　a　member　of　the　House　of　Representatives　in　South　Carolina；　four　hundred　freehold　acres　of　land　and　ten　negroes　is　one　qualification。　　Five　hundred　pounds　clear　of　debt　is　another　qualification；　for；　where　a　sum　of　money　is　thus　named；　it　is　given　in　English　money。　　Russia　and　England　are　not　more　unlike　in　their　political　and　social　feelings　than　are　the　real　slave　States　and　the　real　free…soil　States。　　The　gentlemen　from　one　and　from　the　other　side　of　the　line　have　met　together　on　neutral　ground；　and　have　discussed　political　matters　without　flying　frequently　at　each　other's　throats；　while　the　great　question　on　which　they　differed　was　allowed　to　slumber。　　But　the　awakening　has　been　coming　by　degrees；　and　now　the　South　had　felt　that　it　was　come。　Old　John　Brown；　who　did　his　best　to　create　a　servile　insurrection　at　Harper's　Ferry；　has　been　canonized　through　the　North　and　West；　to　the　amazement　and　horror　of　the　South。　　The　decision　in　the　〃Dred　Scott〃　case；　given　by　the　Chief　Justice　of　the　Supreme　Court　of　the　United　States；　has　been　received　with　shouts　of　execration　through　the　North　and　West。　　The　Southern　gentry　have　been　Uncle…Tommed　into　madness。　　It　is　no　light　thing　to　be　told　daily　by　your　fellow…　citizens；　by　your　fellow…representatives；　by　your　fellow…senators；　that　you　are　guilty　of　the　one　damning　sin　that　cannot　be　forgiven。　All　this　they　could　partly　moderate；　partly　rebuke；　and　partly　bear　as　long　as　political　power　remained　in　their　hands；　but　they　have　gradually　felt　that　that　was　going；　and　were　prepared　to　cut　the　rope　and　run　as　soon　as　it　was　gone。　Such；　according　to　my　ideas；　have　been　the　causes　of　the　war。　　But　I　cannot　defend　the　South。　　As　long　as　they　could　be　successful　in　their　schemes　for　holding　the　political　power　of　the　nation；　they　were　prepared　to　hold　by　the　nation。　　Immediately　those　schemes　failed；　they　were　prepared　to　throw　the　nation　overboard。　　In　this　there　has　undoub