north america-2-第14章

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itself　over　centuries；　may　be；　and　generally　has　been；　attributable　to　dull；　good　men；　but　not　the　less　does　the　punishment　come　at　a　blow。　　The　rebellion　exists　and　cannot　be　put　downwill　put　down　all　that　opposes　it；　but　the　government　is　not　the　less　bound　to　make　its　fight。　　That　is　the　punishment　that　comes　on　governing　men　or　on　governing　a　people　that　govern　not　well　or　not　wisely。　As　Mr。　Motley　says　in　the　paper　to　which　I　have　alluded；　〃No　man；　on　either　side　of　the　Atlantic；　with　Anglo…Saxon　blood　in　his　veins；　will　dispute　the　right　of　a　people；　or　of　any　portion　of　a　people；　to　rise　against　oppression；　to　demand　redress　of　grievances；　and　in　case　of　denial　of　justice　to　take　up　arms　to　vindicate　the　sacred　principle　of　liberty。　　Few　Englishmen　or　Americans　will　deny　that　the　source　of　government　is　the　consent　of　the　governed；　or　that　every　nation　has　the　right　to　govern　itself　according　to　its　will。　When　the　silent　consent　is　changed　to　fierce　remonstrance；　revolution　is　impending。　　The　right　of　revolution　is　indisputable。　It　is　written　on　the　whole　record　of　our　race；　British　and　American　history　is　made　up　of　rebellion　and　revolution。　　Hampden；　Pym；　and　Oliver　Cromwell；　Washington；　Adams；　and　Jefferson；　all　were　rebels。〃　Then　comes　the　question　whether　South　Carolina　and　the　Gulf　States　had　so　suffered　as　to　make　rebellion　on　their　behalf　justifiable　or　reasonable；　or　if　not；　what　cause　had　been　strong　enough　to　produce　in　them　so　strong　a　desire　for　secession；　a　desire　which　has　existed　for　fully　half　the　term　through　which　the　United　States　has　existed　as　a　nation；　and　so　firm　a　resolve　to　rush　into　rebellion　with　the　object　of　accomplishing　that　which　they　deemed　not　to　be　accomplished　on　other　terms？　It　must；　I　think；　be　conceded　that　the　Gulf　States　have　not　suffered　at　all　by　their　connection　with　the　Northern　States；　that　in　lieu　of　any　such　suffering；　they　owe　all　their　national　greatness　to　the　Northern　States；　that　they　have　been　lifted　up；　by　the　commercial　energy　of　the　Atlantic　States　and　by　the　agricultural　prosperity　of　the　Western　States；　to　a　degree　of　national　consideration　and　respect　through　the　world　at　large　which　never　could　have　belonged　to　them　standing　alone。　　I　will　not　trouble　my　readers　with　statistics　which　few　would　care　to　follow；　but　let　any　man　of　ordinary　every…day　knowledge　turn　over　in　his　own　mind　his　present　existing　ideas　of　the　wealth　and　commerce　of　New　York；　Boston；　Philadelphia；　Chicago；　Pittsburg；　and　Cincinnati；　and　compare　them　with　his　ideas　as　to　New　Orleans；　Charleston；　Savannah；　Mobile；　Richmond；　and　Memphis。　　I　do　not　name　such　towns　as　Baltimore　and　St。　Louis；　which　stand　in　slave　States；　but　which　have　raised　themselves　to　prosperity　by　Northern　habits。　　If　this　be　not　sufficient；　let　him　refer　to　population　tables　and　tables　of　shipping　and　tonnage。　　And　of　those　Southern　towns　which　I　have　named　the　commercial　wealth　is　of　Northern　creation。　　The　success　of　New　Orleans　as　a　city　can　be　no　more　attributed　to　Louisianians　than　can　that　of　the　Havana　to　the　men　of　Cuba；　or　of　Calcutta　to　the　natives　of　India。　　It　has　been　a　repetition　of　the　old　story；　told　over　and　over　again　through　every　century　since　commerce　has　flourished　in　the　world；　the　tropics　can　produce；　but　the　men　from　the　North　shall　sow　and　reap；　and　garner　and　enjoy。　　As　the　Creator's　work　has　progressed；　this　privilege　has　extended　itself　to　regions　farther　removed　and　still　farther　from　southern　influences。　If　we　look　to　Europe；　we　see　that　this　has　been　so　in　Greece；　Italy；　Spain；　France；　and　the　Netherlands；　in　England　and　Scotland；　in　Prussia　and　in　Russia；　and　the　Western　World　shows　us　the　same　story。　　Where　is　now　the　glory　of　the　Antilles？　where　the　riches　of　Mexico　and　the　power　of　Peru？　　They　still　produce　sugar；　guano；　gold；　cotton；　coffeealmost　whatever　we　may　ask　themand　will　continue　to　do　so　while　held　to　labor　under　sufficient　restraint；　but　where　are　their　men；　where　are　their　books；　where　is　their　learning；　their　art；　their　enterprise？　　I　say　it　with　sad　regret　at　the　decadence　of　so　vast　a　population；　but　I　do　say　that　the　Southern　States　of　America　have　not　been　able　to　keep　pace　with　their　Northern　brethren；　that　they　have　fallen　behind　in　the　race；　and；　feeling　that　the　struggle　is　too　much　for　them；　have　therefore　resolved　to　part。　The　reasons　put　forward　by　the　South　for　secession　have　been　trifling　almost　beyond　conception。　　Northern　tariffs　have　been　the　first；　and　perhaps　foremost。　　Then　there　has　been　a　plea　that　the　national　exchequer　has　paid　certain　bounties　to　New　England　fishermen；　of　which　the　South　has　paid　its　share；　getting　no　part　of　such　bounty　in　return。　　There　is　also　a　complaint　as　to　the　navigation　lawsmeaning；　I　believe；　that　the　laws　of　the　States　increase　the　cost　of　coast　traffic　by　forbidding　foreign　vessels　to　engage　in　the　trade；　thereby　increasing　also　the　price　of　goods　and　confining　the　benefit　to　the　North；　which　carries　on　the　coasting　trade　of　the　country；　and　doing　only　injury　to　the　South；　which　has　none　of　it。　　Then　last；　but　not　least；　comes　that　grievance　as　to　the　Fugitive　Slave　Law。　　The　law　of　the　land　as　a　wholethe　law　of　the　nationrequires　the　rendition　from　free　States　of　all　fugitive　slaves。　　But　the　free　States　will　not　obey　this　law。　　They　even　pass　State　laws　in　opposition　to　it；　〃Catch　your　own　slaves；〃　they　say；　〃and　we　will　not　hinder　you；　at　any　rate　we　will　not　hinder　you　officially。　　Of　non…official　hinderance　you　must　take　your　chance。　But　we　absolutely　decline　to　employ　our　officers　to　catch　your　slaves。〃　　That　list　comprises；　as　I　take　it；　the　amount　of　Southern　official　grievances。　　Southern　people　will　tell　you　privately　of　others。　　They　will　say　that　they　cannot　sleep　happy　in　their　beds；　fearing　lest　insurrection　should　be　roused　among　their　slaves。　　They　will　tell　you　of　domestic　comfort　invaded　by　Northern　falsehood。　They　will　explain　to　you　how　false　has　been　Mrs。　Beecher　Stowe。　Ladies　will　fill　your　ears　and　your　hearts　too　with　tales　of　the　daily　efforts　they　make　for　the　comfort　of　their　〃people；〃　and　of　the　ruin　to　those　efforts　which　arises　from　the　malice　of　the　abolitionists。　　To　all　this　you　make　some　answer　with　your　tongue　that　is　hardly　truefor　in　such　a　matter　courtesy　forbids　the　plain　truth。　　But　your　heart　within　answers　truly；　〃Madam；　dear　madam；　your　sorrow　is　great；　but　that　sorrow　is　the　necessary　result　of　your　position。〃　As　to　those　official　reasons；　in　what　fewest　words　I　can　use　I　will　endeavor　to　show　that　they　come　to　nothing。　　The　tariffand　a　monstrous　tariff　it　then　waswas　the　ground　put　forward　by　South　Carolina　for　secession　when　General　Jackson　was　President　and　Mr。　Calhoun　was　the　hero　of　the　South。　　Calhoun　bound　himself　and　his　State　to　take　certain　steps　toward　secession　at　a　certain　day　if　that　tariff　were　not　abolished。　　The　tariff　was　so　absurd　that　Jackson　and　his　government　were　forced　to　abandon　itwould　have　abandoned　it　without　any　threat　from　Calhoun；　but　under　that　threat　it　was　necessary　that　Calhoun　should　be　defied。　　General　Jackson　proposed　a　compromise　tariff；　which　was　odious　to　Calhounnot　on　its　own　behalf；　for　it　yielded　nearly　all　that　was　asked；　but　as　being　subversive　of　his　desire　for　secession。　　The　President；　however；　not　only　insisted　on　his　compromise；　but　declared　his　purpose　of　preventing　its　passage　into　law　unless　Calhoun　himself；　as　Senator；　would　vote　for　it。　　And　he　also　declared　his　purpose　not；　we　may　presume；　officiallyof　hanging　Calhoun；　if　he　took　that　step　toward　secession　which　he　had　bound　himself　to　take　in　the　event　of　the　tariff　not　being　repealed。　　As　a　result　of　all　this　Calhoun　voted　for　the　compromise；　and　secession　for　the　time　was　beaten　down。　　That　was　in　1832；　and　may　be　regarded　as　the　commencement　of　the　secession　movement。　　The　tariff　was　then　a　convenient　reason；　a　ground　to　be　assigned　with　a　color　of　justice　because　it　was　a　tariff　admitted　to　be　bad。　　But　the　tariff　has　been　modified　again　and　again　since　that；　and　the　tariff　existing　when　South　Carolina　seceded　in　1860　had　been　carried　by　votes　from　South　Carolina。　　The　absurd　Morrill　tariff　could　not　have　caused　secession；　for　it　was　passed；　without　a　struggle；　in　the　coll