north america-2-第58章

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onsible。　Such　is　the　nature　of　our　constitution。　　But　there　is　not　on　that　account　any　analogy　between　the　irresponsibility　of　the　Queen　and　that　of　the　President。　　The　Queen　can　do　no　wrong；　but　therefore；　in　all　matters　of　policy　and　governance；　she　must　be　ruled　by　advice。　For　that　advice　her　ministers　are　responsible；　and　no　act　of　policy　or　governance　can　be　done　in　England　as　to　which　responsibility　does　not　immediately　settle　on　the　shoulders　appointed　to　bear　it。　　But　this　is　not　so　in　the　States。　　The　President　is　nominally　responsible。　　But　from　that　every…day　working　responsibility；　which　is　to　us　so　invaluable；　the　President　is　in　fact　free。　I　will　give　an　instance　of　this。　　Now；　at　this　very　moment　of　my　writing；　news　has　reached　us　that　President　Lincoln　has　relieved　General　McClellan　from　the　command　of　the　whole　army；　that　he　has　given　separate　commands　to　two　other　generalsto　General　Halleck；　namely；　and；　alas！　to　General　Fremont；　and　that　he　has　altogether　altered　the　whole　organization　of　the　military　command　as　it　previously　existed。　　This　he　did　not　only　during　war；　but　with　reference　to　a　special　battle；　for　the　special　fighting　of　which　he；　as　ex…officio　commander…in…chief　of　the　forces；　had　given　orders。　　I　do　not　hereby　intend　to　criticise　this　act　of　the　President's；　or　to　point　out　that　that　has　been　done　which　had　better　have　been　left　undone。　　The　President；　in　a　strategetical　point　of　view；　may　have　been；　very　probably　has　been；　quite　right。　　I；　at　any　rate；　cannot　say　that　he　has　been　wrong。　　But　then　neither　can　anybody　else　say　so　with　any　power　of　making　himself　heard。　　Of　this　action　of　the　President's；　so　terribly　great　in　its　importance　to　the　nation；　no　one　has　the　power　of　expressing　any　opinion　to　which　the　President　is　bound　to　listen。　　For　four　years　he　has　this　sway；　and　at　the　end　of　four　years　he　becomes　so　powerless　that　it　is　not　then　worth　the　while　of　any　demagogue　in　a　fourth…rate　town　to　occupy　his　voice　with　that　President's　name。　　The　anger　of　the　country　as　to　the　things　done　both　by　Pierce　and　Buchanan　is　very　bitter。　　But　who　wastes　a　thought　upon　either　of　these　men？　　A　past　President　in　the　United　States　is　of　less　consideration　than　a　past　mayor　in　an　English　borough。　　Whatever　evil　he　may　have　done　during　his　office；　when　out　of　office　he　is　not　worth　the　powder　which　would　be　expended　in　an　attack。　But　the　President　has　his　ministers　as　our　Queen　has　hers。　　In　one　sense　he　has　such　ministers。　　He　has　high　State　servants　who　under　him　take　the　control　of　the　various　departments；　and　exercise　among　them　a　certain　degree　of　patronage　and　executive　power。　　But　they　are　the　President's　ministers；　and　not　the　ministers　of　the　people。　Till　lately　there　has　been　no　chief　minister　among　them；　nor　am　I　prepared　to　say　that　there　is　any　such　chief　at　present。　　According　to　the　existing　theory　of　the　government　these　gentlemen　have　simply　been　the　confidential　servants　of　the　commonwealth　under　the　President；　and　have　been　attached　each　to　his　own　department　without　concerted　political　alliance　among　themselves；　without　any　acknowledged　chief　below　the　President；　and　without　any　combined　responsibility　even　to　the　President。　　If　one　minister　was　in　fault　let　us　say　the　Postmaster…Generalhe　alone　was　in　fault；　and　it　did　not　fall　to　the　lot　of　any　other　minister　either　to　defend　him；　or　to　declare　that　his　conduct　was　indefensible。　　Each　owed　his　duty　and　his　defense　to　the　President　alone　and　each　might　be　removed　alone；　without　explanation　given　by　the　President　to　the　others。　　I　imagine　that　the　late　practice　of　the　President's　cabinet　has　in　some　degree　departed　from　this　theory；　but　if　so；　the　departure　has　sprung　from　individual　ambition　rather　than　from　any　pre…concerted　plan。　　Some　one　place　in　the　cabinet　has　seemed　to　give　to　some　one　man　an　opportunity　of　making　himself　pre…eminent；　and　of　this　opportunity　advantage　has　been　taken。　　I　am　not　now　intending　to　allude　to　any　individual；　but　am　endeavoring　to　indicate　the　way　in　which　a　ministerial　cabinet；　after　the　fashion　of　our　British　cabinet；　is　struggling　to　get　itself　righted。　　No　doubt　the　position　of　Foreign　Secretary　has　for　some　time　past　been　considered　as　the　most　influential　under　the　President。　　This　has　been　so　much　the　case　that　many　have　not　hesitated　to　call　the　Secretary　of　State　the　chief　minister。　　At　the　present　moment；　May；　l862；　the　gentleman　who　is　at　the　head　of　the　War　Department　has；　I　think；　in　his　own　hands　greater　power　than　any　of　his　colleagues。　It　will　probably　come　to　pass　before　long　that　one　special　minister　will　be　the　avowed　leader　of　the　cabinet；　and　that　he　will　be　recognized　as　the　chief　servant　of　the　States　under　the　President。　Our　own　cabinet；　which　now…a…days　seems　with　us　to　be　an　institution　as　fixed　as　Parliament　and　as　necessary　as　the　throne；　has　grown　by　degrees　into　its　present　shape；　and　is　not　in　truth　nearly　so　old　as　many　of　us　suppose　it　to　be。　　It　shaped　itself；　I　imagine；　into　its　present　form；　and　even　into　its　present　joint　responsibility；　during　the　reign　of　George　III。　　It　must　be　remembered　that　even　with　us　there　is　no　such　thing　as　a　constitutional　Prime　Minister；　and　that　our　Prime　Minister　is　not　placed　above　the　other　ministers　in　any　manner　that　is　palpable　to　the　senses。　　He　is　paid　no　more　than　the　others；　he　has　no　superior　title；　he　does　not　take　the　highest　rank　among　them；　he　never　talks　of　his　subordinates；　but　always　of　his　colleagues；　he　has　a　title　of　his　own；　that　of　First　Lord　of　the　Treasury；　but　it　implies　no　headship　in　the　cabinet。　　That　he　is　the　head　of　all　political　power　in　the　nation；　the　Atlas　who　has　to　bear　the　globe；　the　god　in　whose　hands　rest　the　thunderbolts　and　the　showers；　all　men　do　know。　　No　man's　position　is　more　assured　to　him。　But　the　bounds　of　that　position　are　written　in　no　book；　are　defined　by　no　law；　have　settled　themselves　not　in　accordance　with　the　recorded　wisdom　of　any　great　men；　but　as　expediency　and　the　fitness　of　political　things　in　Great　Britain　have　seemed　from　time　to　time　to　require。　　This　drifting　of　great　matters　into　their　proper　places　is　not　as　closely　in　accordance　with　the　idiosyncrasies　of　the　American　people　as　it　is　with　our　own。　　They　would　prefer　to　define　by　words；　as　the　French　do；　what　shall　be　the　exact　position　of　every　public　servant　connected　with　their　government；　or　rather　of　every　public　servant　with　whom　the　people　shall　be　held　as　having　any　concern。　　But　nevertheless；　I　think　it　will　come　to　pass　that　a　cabinet　will　gradually　form　itself　at　Washington　as　it　has　done　at　London；　and　that　of　that　cabinet　there　will　be　some　recognized　and　ostensible　chief。　But　a　Prime　Minister　in　the　United　States　can　never　take　the　place　there　which　is　taken　here　by　our　Premier。　　Over　our　Premier　there　is　no　one　politically　superior。　　The　highest　political　responsibility　of　the　nation　rests　on　him。　　In　the　States　this　must　always　rest　on　the　President；　and　any　minister；　whatever　may　be　his　name　or　assumed　position；　can　only　be　responsible　through　the　President。　　And　it　is　here　especially　that　the　working　of　the　United　States　system　of　government　seems　to　me　deficientappears　as　though　it　wanted　something　to　make　it　perfect　and　round　at　all　points。　　Our　ministers　retire　from　their　offices　as　do　the　Presidents；　and　indeed　the　ministerial　term　of　office　with　us；　though　of　course　not　fixed；　is　in　truth　much　shorter　than　the　presidential　term　of　four　years。　　But　our　ministers　do　not　in　fact　ever　go　out。　　At　one　time　they　take　one　position；　with　pay；　patronage；　and　power；　and　at　another　time　another　position；　without　these　good　things；　but　in　either　position　they　are　acting　as　public　men；　and　are　in　truth　responsible　for　what　they　say　and　do。　　But　the　President；　on　whom　it　is　presumed　that　the　whole　of　the　responsibility　of　the　United　States　government　rests；　goes　out　at　a　certain　day；　and　of　him　no　more　is　heard。　　There　is　no　future　before　him　to　urge　him　on　to　constancy；　no　hope　of　other　things　beyond；　of　greater　honors　and　a　wider　fame；　to　keep　him　wakeful　in　his　country's　cause。　　He　has　already　enrolled　his　name　on　the　list　of　his　country's　rulers；　and　received　what　reward　his　country　can　give　him。　　Conscience；　duty；　patriotism　may　make　him　true　to　his　place。　　True　to　his　place；　in　a　certain　degree；　they　will　make　him。　　But　ambition　and　hope　of　things　still　to　come　are　the　moving　motives　of　the　minds　of　most　men。　　Few　men　can　allow　their　energies　to　expand　to　their　fullest　extent　in　the　cold　atmosphere　of　duty　alone。　　The　President　of　the　States　must　feel　that　he　has　reached　the　top　of　the　ladder；　and　that　he　soon　will　have　done　with　life。　　As　he　goes　out　he　is　a　dead　man。　　And　what　can　be　expected　from　one　who　is　counting　the　last　lingering　hours　of　his　existence？　　〃It　will　not　be　in　my　time；〃　Mr。　Buchanan　is　reported　to　have　said；　when　a　friend　spoke　to　him　with　warning　voice　of　the　coming　rebellion。　　〃It　will　not　be　in　my　time。〃　　In　the　old　days；　before　democracy　had　prevailed　in　upsetting　that　system　of　presidential　election　which　the　Constitution　had　intended　to　fix　as　permanent；　the　Presidents　were　generally　re…elected　for　a　second　term。　　Of　the　first　seven　Presidents　five　were　sent　back　to　the　White　House