north america-2-第18章

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ize　with　her。　For　myself　I　cannot　agree　to　that　scuttling　of　the　ship　by　the　captain　on　the　day　which　was　to　see　the　transfer　of　his　command　to　another　officer。　The　Southern　States　were　driven　into　rebellion　by　no　wrongs　inflicted　on　them；　but　their　desire　for　secession　is　not　on　that　account　matter　for　astonishment。　　It　would　have　been　surprising　had　they　not　desired　secession。　　Secession　of　one　kind；　a　very　practical　secession；　had　already　been　forced　upon　them　by　circumstances。　　They　had　become　a　separate　people；　dissevered　from　the　North　by　habits；　morals；　institutions；　pursuits；　and　every　conceivable　difference　in　their　modes　of　thought　and　action。　　They　still　spoke　the　same　language；　as　do　Austria　and　Prussia；　but　beyond　that　tie　of　language　they　had　no　bond　but　that　of　a　meager　political　union　in　their　Congress　at　Washington。　　Slavery；　as　it　had　been　expelled　from　the　North；　and　as　it　had　come　to　be　welcomed　in　the　South；　had　raised　such　a　wall　of　difference　that　true　political　union　was　out　of　the　question。　　It　would　be　juster；　perhaps；　to　say　that　those　physical　characteristics　of　the　South　which　had　induced　this　welcoming　of　slavery；　and　those　other　characteristics　of　the　North　which　had　induced　its　expulsion；　were　the　true　causes　of　the　difference。　　For　years　and　years　this　has　been　felt　by　both；　and　the　fight　has　been　going　on。　　It　has　been　continued　for　thirty　years；　and　almost　always　to　the　detriment　of　the　South。　　In　1845　Florida　and　Texas　were　admitted　into　the　Union　as　slave　States。　　I　think　that　no　State　had　then　been　admitted；　as　a　free　State；　since　Michigan；　in　1836。　　In　1846　Iowa　was　admitted　as　a　free　State；　and　from　that　day　to　this　Wisconsin；　California；　Minnesota；　Oregon；　and　Kansas　have　been　brought　into　the　Union；　all　as　free　States。　　The　annexation　of　another　slave　State　to　the　existing　Union　had　become；　I　imagine；　impossibleunless　such　object　were　gained　by　the　admission　of　Texas。　　We　all　remember　that　fight　about　Kansas；　and　what　sort　of　a　fight　it　was！　　Kansas　lies　alongside　of　Missouri；　a　slave　State；　and　is　contiguous　to　no　other　State。　　If　the　free…soil　party　could；　in　the　days　of　Pierce　and　Buchanan；　carry　the　day　in　Kansas；　it　is　not　likely　that　they　would　be　beaten　on　any　new　ground　under　such　a　President　as　Lincoln。　　We　have　all　heard　in　Europe　how　Southern　men　have　ruled　in　the　White　House；　nearly　from　the　days　of　Washington　downward；　or　if　not　Southern　men；　Northern　men；　such　as　Pierce　and　Buchanan；　with　Southern　politics；　and　therefore　we　have　been　taught　to　think　that　the　South　has　been　politically　the　winning　party。　They　have；　in　truth；　been　the　losing　party　as　regards　national　power。　　But　what　they　have　so　lost　they　have　hitherto　recovered　by　political　address　and　individual　statecraft。　　The　leading　men　of　the　South　have　seen　their　position；　and　have　gone　to　their　work　with　the　exercise　of　all　their　energies。　　They　organized　the　Democratic　party　so　as　to　include　the　leaders　among　the　Northern　politicians。　　They　never　begrudged　to　these　assistants　a　full　share　of　the　good　things　of　official　life。　　They　have　been　aided　by　the　fanatical　abolitionism　of　the　North　by　which　the　Republican　party　has　been　divided　into　two　sections。　　It　has　been　fashionable　to　be　a　Democrat；　that　is；　to　hold　Southern　politics；　and　unfashionable　to　be　a　Republican；　or　to　hold　anti…Southern　politics。　　In　that　way　the　South　has　lived　and　struggled　on　against　the　growing　will　of　the　population；　but　at　last　that　will　became　too　strong；　and　when　Mr。　Lincoln　was　elected；　the　South　knew　that　its　day　was　over。　It　is　not　surprising　that　the　South　should　have　desired　secession。　It　is　not　surprising　that　it　should　have　prepared　for　it。　　Since　the　days　of　Mr。　Calhoun　its　leaders　have　always　understood　its　position　with　a　fair　amount　of　political　accuracy。　　Its　only　chance　of　political　life　lay　in　prolonged　ascendency　at　Washington。　　The　swelling　crowds　of　Germans；　by　whom　the　Western　States　were　being　filled；　enlisted　themselves　to　a　man　in　the　ranks　of　abolition。　What　was　the　acquisition　of　Texas　against　such　hosts　as　these？　　An　evil　day　was　coming　on　the　Southern　politicians；　and　it　behooved　them　to　be　prepared。　　As　a　separate　nationa　nation　trusting　to　cotton；　having　in　their　hands；　as　they　imagined；　a　monopoly　of　the　staple　of　English　manufacture；　with　a　tariff　of　their　own；　and　those　rabid　curses　on　the　source　of　all　their　wealth　no　longer　ringing　in　their　ears；　what　might　they　not　do　as　a　separate　nation？　　But　as　a　part　of　the　Union；　they　were　too　weak　to　hold　their　own　if　once　their　political　finesse　should　fail　them。　　That　day　came　upon　them；　not　unexpected；　in　1860；　and　therefore　they　cut　the　cable。　And　all　this　has　come　from　slavery。　　It　is　hard　enough；　for　how　could　the　South　have　escaped　slavery？　　How；　at　least；　could　the　South　have　escaped　slavery　any　time　during　these　last　thirty　years？　And　is　it；　moreover；　so　certain　that　slavery　is　an　unmitigated　evil；　opposed　to　God's　will；　and　producing　all　the　sorrows　which　have　ever　been　produced　by　tyranny　and　wrong？　　It　is　here；　after　all；　that　one　comes　to　the　difficult　question。　　Here　is　the　knot　which　the　fingers　of　men　cannot　open；　and　which　admits　of　no　sudden　cutting　with　the　knife。　　I　have　likened　the　slaveholding　States　to　the　drunken　husband；　and　in　so　doing　have　pronounced　judgment　against　them。　　As　regards　the　state　of　the　drunken　man；　his　unfitness　for　partnership　with　any　decent；　diligent；　well…to…do　wife；　his　ruined　condition；　and　shattered　prospects；　the　simile；　I　think；　holds　good。　　But　I　refrain　from　saying　that　as　the　fault　was　originally　with　the　drunkard　in　that　he　became　such；　so　also　has　the　fault　been　with　the　slave　States。　　At　any　rate　I　refrain　from　so　saying　here；　on　this　page。　　That　the　position　of　a　slaveowner　is　terribly　prejudicial；　not　to　the　slave；　of　whom　I　do　not　here　speak；　but　to　the　owner；　of　so　much　at　any　rate　I　feel　assured。　　That　the　position　is　therefore　criminal　and　damnable；　I　am　not　now　disposed　to　take　upon　myself　to　assert。　The　question　of　slavery　in　America　cannot　be　handled　fully　and　fairly　by　any　one　who　is　afraid　to　go　back　upon　the　subject；　and　take　its　whole　history　since　one　man　first　claimed　and　exercised　the　right　of　forcing　labor　from　another　man。　　I　certainly　am　afraid　of　any　such　task；　but　I　believe　that　there　has　been　no　period　yet；　since　the　world's　work　began；　when　such　a　practice　has　not　prevailed　in　a　large　portion；　probably　in　the　largest　portion；　of　the　world's　work　fields。　　As　civilization　has　made　its　progress；　it　has　been　the　duty　and　delight；　as　it　has　also　been　the　interest　of　the　men　at　the　top　of　affairs；　not　to　lighten　the　work　of　the　men　below；　but　so　to　teach　them　that　they　should　recognize　the　necessity　of　working　without　coercion。　　Emancipation　of　serfs　and　thrals；　of　bondsmen　and　slaves；　has　always　meant　thisthat　men　having　been　so　taught；　should　then　work　without　coercion。　In　talking　or　writing　of　slaves；　we　always　now　think　of　the　negro　slave。　　Of　us　Englishmen　it　must　at　any　rate　be　acknowledged　that　we　have　done　what　in　us　lay　to　induce　him　to　recognize　this　necessity　for　labor。　　At　any　rate　we　acted　on　the　presumption　that　he　would　do　so；　and　gave　him　his　liberty　throughout　all　our　lands