north america-1-第29章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



CHAPTER　VIII。　NORTH　AND　WEST。

From　Niagara　we　determined　to　proceed　Northwestas　far　to　the　Northwest　as　we　could　go　with　any　reasonable　hope　of　finding　American　citizens　in　a　state　of　political　civilization；　and　perhaps　guided　also　in　some　measure　by　our　hopes　as　to　hotel　accommodation。　Looking　to　these　two　matters；　we　resolved　to　get　across　to　the　Mississippi；　and　to　go　up　that　river　as　far　as　the　town　of　St。　Paul　and　the　Falls　of　St。　Anthony；　which　are　some　twelve　miles　above　the　town；　then　to　descend　the　river　as　far　as　the　States　of　Iowa　on　the　west　and　Illinois　on　the　east；　and　to　return　eastward　through　Chicago　and　the　large　cities　on　the　southern　shores　of　Lake　Erie；　from　whence　we　would　go　across　to　Albany；　the　capital　of　New　York　state；　and　down　the　Hudson　to　New　York；　the　capital　of　the　Western　World。　　For　such　a　journey；　in　which　scenery　was　one　great　object；　we　were　rather　late；　as　we　did　not　leave　Niagara　till　the　10th　of　October；　but　though　the　winters　are　extremely　cold　through　all　this　portion　of　the　American　continentfifteen；　twenty；　and　even　twenty…five　degrees　below　zero　being　an　ordinary　state　of　the　atmosphere　in　latitudes　equal　to　those　of　Florence；　Nice；　and　Turinnevertheless　the　autumns　are　mild；　the　noonday　being　always　warm；　and　the　colors　of　the　foliage　are　then　in　all　their　glory。　　I　was　also　very　anxious　to　ascertain；　if　it　might　be　in　my　power　to　do　so；　with　what　spirit　or　true　feeling　as　to　the　matter　the　work　of　recruiting　for　the　now　enormous　army　of　the　States　was　going　on　in　those　remote　regions。　　That　men　should　be　on　fire　in　Boston　and　New　York；　in　Philadelphia　and　along　the　borders　of　secession；　I　could　understand。　　I　could　understand　also　that　they　should　be　on　fire　throughout　the　cotton；　sugar；　and　rice　plantations　of　the　South。　　But　I　could　hardly　understand　that　this　political　fervor　should　have　communicated　itself　to　the　far…off　farmers　who　had　thinly　spread　themselves　over　the　enormous　wheat…growing　districts　of　the　Northwest。　　St。　Paul；　the　capital　of　Minnesota；　is　nine　hundred　miles　directly　north　of　St。　Louis；　the　most　northern　point　to　which　slavery　extends　in　the　Western　States　of　the　Union；　and　the　farming　lands　of　Minnesota　stretch　away　again　for　some　hundreds　of　miles　north　and　west　of　St。　Paul。　　Could　it　be　that　those　scanty　and　far…off　pioneers　of　agriculturethose　frontier　farmers；　who　are　nearly　one…half　German　and　nearly　the　other　half　Irish；　would　desert　their　clearings　and　ruin　their　chances　of　progress　in　the　world　for　distant　wars　of　which　the　causes　must；　as　I　thought；　be　to　them　unintelligible？　　I　had　been　told　that　distance　had　but　lent　enchantment　to　the　view；　and　that　the　war　was　even　more　popular　in　the　remote　and　newly…settled　States　than　in　those　which　have　been　longer　known　as　great　political　bodies。　　So　I　resolved　that　I　would　go　and　see。　It　may　be　as　well　to　explain　here　that　that　great　political　Union　hitherto　called　the　United　States　of　America　may　be　more　properly　divided　into　three　than　into　two　distinct　interests；　In　England　we　have　long　heard　of　North　and　South　as　pitted　against　each　other；　and　we　have　always　understood　that　the　Southern　politicians；　or　Democrats；　have　prevailed　over　the　Northern　politicians；　or　Republicans；　because　they　were　assisted　in　their　views　by　Northern　men　of　mark　who　have　held　Southern　principlesthat　is；　by　Northern　men　who　have　been　willing　to　obtain　political　power　by　joining　themselves　to　the　Southern　party。　　That；　as　far　as　I　can　understand；　has　been　the　general　idea　in　England；　and　in　a　broad　way　it　has　been　true；　But　as　years　have　advanced；　and　as　the　States　have　extended　themselves　westward；　a　third　large　party　has　been　formed；　which　sometimes　rejoices　to　call　itself　The　Great　West；　and　though；　at　the　present　time；　the　West　and　the　North　are　joined　together　against　the　South；　the　interests　of　the　North　and　West　are　not；　I　think；　more　closely　interwoven　than　are　those　of　the　West　and　South；　and　when　the　final　settlement　of　this　question　shall　be　made；　there　will　doubtless　be　great　difficulty　in　satisfying　the　different　aspirations　and　feelings　of　two　great　free…soil　populations。　　The　North；　I　think；　will　ultimately　perceive　that　it　will　gain　much　by　the　secession　of　the　South；　but　it　will　be　very　difficult　to　make　the　West　believe　that　secession　will　suit　its　views。　I　will　attempt；　in　a　rough　way；　to　divide　the　States；　as　they　seem　to　divide　themselves；　into　these　three　parties。　　As　to　the　majority　of　them；　there　is　no　difficulty　in　locating　them；　but　this　cannot　be　done　with　absolute　certainty　as　to　some　few　that　lie　on　the　borders。　New　England　consists　of　six　States；　of　which　all　of　course　belong　to　the　North。　　They　are　Maine；　New　Hampshire；　Vermont；　Massachusetts；　Rhode　Island；　and　Connecticutthe　six　States　which　should　be　most　dear　to　England；　and　in　which　the　political　success　of　the　United　States　as　a　nation　is　to　my　eyes　the　most　apparent。　But　even　in　them　there　was　till　quite　of　late　a　strong　section　so　opposed　to　the　Republican　party　as　to　give　a　material　aid　to　the　South。　　This；　I　think；　was　particularly　so　in　New　Hampshire；　from　whence　President　Pierce　came。　　He　had　been　one　of　the　Senators　from　New　Hampshire；　and　yet　to　him；　as　President；　is　affixed　the　disgracewhether　truly　affixed　or　not　I　do　not　sayof　having　first　used　his　power　in　secretly　organizing　those　arrangements　which　led　to　secession　and　assisted　at　its　birth。　　In　Massachusetts　itself；　also；　there　was　a　strong　Democratic　party；　of　which　Massachusetts　now　seems　to　be　somewhat　ashamed。　　Then；　to　make　up　the　North；　must　be　added　the　two　great　States　of　New　York　and　Pennsylvania　and　the　small　State　of　New　Jersey。　　The　West　will　not　agree　even　to　this　absolutely；　seeing　that　they　claim　all　territory　west　of　the　Alleghanies；　and　that　a　portion　of　Pennsylvania　and　some　part　also　of　New　York　lie　westward　of　that　range；　but；　in　endeavoring　to　make　these　divisions　ordinarily　intelligible；　I　may　say　that　the　North　consists　of　the　nine　States　above　named。　　But　the　North　will　also　claim　Maryland　and　Delaware；　and　the　eastern　half　of　Virginia。　　The　North　will　claim　them；　though　they　are　attached　to　the　South　by　joint　participation　in　the　great　social　institution　of　slaveryfor　Maryland；　Delaware；　and　Virginia　are　slave　Statesand　I　think　that　the　North　will　ultimately　make　good　its　claim。　　Maryland　and　Delaware　lie；　as　it　were；　behind　the　capital；　and　Eastern　Virginia　is　close　upon　the　capital。　　And　these　regions　are　not　tropical　in　their　climate　or　influences。　　They　are　and　have　been　slave　States；　but　will　probably　rid　themselves　of　that　taint；　and　become　a　portion　of　the　free　North。　The　Southern　or　slave　States；　properly　so　called；　are　easily　defined。　　They　are　Texas；　Louisiana；　Arkansas；　Mississippi；　Alabama；　Florida；　Georgia；　South　Carolina；　and　North　Carolina。　　The　South　will　also　claim　Tennessee；　Kentucky；　Missouri；　Virginia；　Delaware；　and　Maryland；　and　will　endeavor　to　prove　its　right　to　the　claim　by　the　fact　of　the　social　institution　being　the　law　of　the　land　in　those　States。　　Of　Delaware；　Maryland；　and　Eastern　Virginia；　I　have　already　spoken。　　Western　Virginia　is；　I　think；　so　little　tainted　with　slavery　that；　as　she　stands　even　at　present；　she　properly　belongs　to　the　West。　　As　I　now　write；　the　struggle　is　going　on　in　Kentucky　and　Missouri。　　In　Missouri　the　slave　population　is　barely　more　than　a　tenth　of　the　whole；　while　in　South　Carolina　and　Mississippi　it　is　more　than　half。　　And；　therefore；　I　venture　to　count　Missouri　among　the　Western　States；　although　slavery　is　still　the　law　of　the　land　within　its　borders。　　It　is　surrounded　on　three　sides　by　free　States　of　the　West；　and　its　soil；　let　us　hope；　must　become　free。　　Kentucky　I　must　leave　as　doubtful；　though　I　am　inclined　to　believe　that　slavery　will　be　abolished　there　also。　　Kentucky；　at　any　rate；　will　never　throw　in　its　lot　with　the　Southern　States。　　As　to　Tennessee；　it　seceded　heart　and　soul；　and　I　fear　that　it　must　be　accounted　as　Southern；　although　the　Northern　army　has　now；　in　May；　1862；　possessed　itself　of　the　greater　part　of　the　State。　To　the　great　West　remains　an　enormous　territory；　of　which；　however；　the　population　is　as　yet　but　scanty；　though　perhaps　no　portion　of　the　world　has　increased　so　fast　in　population　as　have　these　Western　States。　　The　list　is　as　follows：　Ohio；　Indiana；　Illinois；　Michigan；　Wisconsin；　Minnesota；　Iowa；　Kansas　to　which　I　would　add　Missouri；　and　probably　the　Western　half　of　Virginia。　　We　have　then　to　account　for　the　two　already　admitted　States　on　the　Pacific；　California　and　Oregon；　and　also　for　the　unadmitted　Territories；　Dacotah；　Nebraska；　Washington；　Utah；　New　Mexico；　Colorado；　and　Nevada。　　I　should　be　refining　too　much　for　my　present　very　general　purpose；　if　I　were　to　attempt　to　marshal　these　huge　but　thinly…populated　regions　in　either　rank。　　Of　California　and　Oregon　it　may　probably　be　said　that　it　is　their　ambition　to　form　themselves　into　a　separate　divisiona　division　which　may　be　called　the　farther　West。　I　know　that　all　statistical　statements　are　tedious；　and　I　believe　that　but　few　readers　believe　them。　　I　will；　however；　venture　to　give　the　populations　of　these　States　in　the　order　I　have　named　them；　seeing　that　power　in　America　depends　almost　entirely　on　population。　　The　cens