james otis the pre-revolutionist-第5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！


　　In　this　brief　comment　the　severity　of　Otis's　literary　taste　is　indicated　and　also　something　of　the　rather　abrupt　and　dogmatic　character　of　his　mind。　　His　criticism；　though　true；　can　hardly　be　said　to　be　judicious。

In　order　to　understand　the　part　which　James　Otis　played　in　the　great　work　of　revolution　and　independence　it　is　now　necessary　to　note　with　care　the　conditions　into　which　he　was　cast　and　with　which　he　was　environed　at　that　period　of　his　life　when　the　man…fire　flames　highest　and　the　audacity　of　the　soul　bounds　furthest　into　the　arena　of　danger。

Every　man　is　the　joint　product　of　himself　and　his　environment。　　His　life　is　the　resultant　of　the　two　forces　by　which　he　is　held　and　balanced。　　At　the　time　when　James　Otis　reached　his　thirty…fifth　year　a　condition　had　supervened　in　the　American　colonies　which　reacted　upon　his　passionate　and　Patriotic　nature　so　powerfully　as　to　bring　into　full　play　all　of　his　faculties　and　to　direct　the　whole　force　of　his　nature　against　the　tyrannical　method　of　the　mother　country。

Let　us　look　for　a　moment　at　the　course　of　events　which　had　preceded　and　which　succeeded　the　crisis　in　James　Otis's　life；　and　made　him　the　born　leader　of　his　countrymen　in　their　first　conflict　for　independence。　

Great　Britain　had　aforetime　permitted　the　American　colonists　to　plant　themselves　where；　when；　and　as　they　would。　　Almost　every　colonial　settlement　had　been　an　adventure。　　The　emigrants　from　the　other　side　of　the　Atlantic　had　been　squeezed　out　by　the　hard　discipline　of　church　and　state。　　In　America　they　settled　as　they　might。

〃And　England　didn't　look　to　know　or　care。〃

In　the　language　of　one　of　the　bards　of　this　age；　

〃That　is　England's　awful　way　of　doing　business。〃

She　permitted　her　persecuted　children　to　brave　the　intolerable　ocean　in　leaking　ships；　to　reach　the　new　world　if　they　could；　and　survive　if　they　might。

Notwithstanding　this　hard　strain　on　the　sentiment　of　the　Pilgrims；　the　Cavaliers；　and　the　Hugenots；　they　remained　loyal　to　the　mother　country。　　They　built　their　little　states　in　the　wilderness　and　were　proud　to　christen　their　towns　and　villages　with　the　cherished　names　of　the　home　places　in　England。　　They　defended　themselves　as　well　as　they　could　against　the　inhospitality　of　nature；　the　neglect　of　the　mother　country；　and　the　cruelty　of　savage　races。

It　was　only　when　they　grew　and　multiplied　and　flourished　that　our　little　seashore　republics　attracted　the　attention　of　the　mother　land　and　suggested　to　the　ministers　of　the　crown　the　possibility　of　plucking　something　from　the　new　states　which　had　now　demonstrated　their　ability　to　exist　and　to　yield　an　increase。

Meanwhile；　for　six　generations；　the　colonists　had　developed　their　own　social　affairs　and　managed　their　own　civil　affairs　according　to　the　exegencies　of　the　case　and　the　principles　of　democracy。　　Their　methods　of　government　were　necessarily　republican。

The　military　necessities　which　were　ever　at　the　door　had　taught　our　fathers　the　availability　of　arms　as　the　final　argument　in　the　debate　with　wrong。　　The　conflicts　with　the　Indians　and　the　experiences　of　the　French　and　Indian　war　had　shown　that　the　Americans　were　able　to　hold　their　own　in　battle。　

Under　these　conditions　there　was　a　natural　growth　of　public　opinion　in　the　colonies　tending　to　independence　of　action；　and　to　indignant　protest　against　foreign　dictation。　　In　the　sixth　decade　of　the　eighteenth　century　many　of　the　leading　young　men　of　America　talked　and　wrote　of　independence　as　a　thing　desirable　and　possible。

In　1755；　when　James　Otis　was　thirty　years　of　age；　his　young　friend；　John　Adams；　sitting　one　day　in　his　school　house　in　Connecticut；　wrote　this　in　his　diary：　　〃In　another　century　all　Europe　will　not　be　able　to　subdue　us。　　The　only　way　to　keep　us　from　setting　up　for　ourselves　is　to　disunite　us。〃

We　thus　note　natural　conditions　as　tending　to　produce　a　rebellion　of　the　American　colonies；　also　the　inherited　disposition　of　the　colonists　under　the　discipline　of　their　times；　also　the　growth　of　public　opinion　among　the　leading　spiritsto　which　we　must　add　the　character　of　the　reigning　king　and　of　the　ministers　to　whom　he　entrusted　his　government　as　the　general　conditions　antecedent　to　the　revolutionary　movement　of　our　fathers。

But　there　were　more　immediate　and　forceful　causes　which　operated　to　the　same　end。　　Among　these　should　be　mentioned　as　a　prevailing　influence　the　right　of　arbitrary　government　claimed　by　Great　Britain　and　at　length　resisted　by　the　colonists。　　The　right　of　arbitrarily　controlling　the　American　states　was　shown　in　a　number　of　specific　acts　which　we　must　here　discuss。

The　first　of　these　was　the　old　Navigation　Act　of　1651。　　The　measure　adopted　by　the　government　of　Cromwell　had　never　been　strenuously　enforced。　　It　was　the　peculiarity　of　all　the　early　legislation　of　Great　Britain　relative　to　the　colonies　that　it　was　either　misdirected　or　permitted　to　lapse　by　disuse。

The　colonies　thus　literally　grew；　with　little　home　direction。　　After　the　navigation　act　had　been　nominally　in　force　for　eighty…two　years　it　was　revived　and　supplemented　by　another　measure　known　as　the　Importation　Act。

This　statute；　dating　from　the　year　1733；　was　intended　to　be　an　actual　device　for　controlling　the　commercial　relations　with　the　colonies。　　By　the　terms　of　the　Act　heavy　duties　were　laid　on　all　the　sugar；　molasses；　and　rum　which　should　be　imported　into　the　colonies。　　The　customs　were　exorbitant　and　were　from　the　first　evaded　as　far　as　possible　by　the　American　merchants。

This　may　be　regarded　as　the　first　actual　breach　of　justice　on　the　one　side　and　good　faith　on　the　other；　as　between　the　home　government　and　the　American　dependencies　of　Great　Britain。

The　reader　will　note　that　the　question　at　issue　was　from　the　first　commercial。　　It　was　a　question　of　taking　something　from　the　colonists　and　of　giving　no　equivalent；　either　in　value　or　political　rights。　　Had　the　American　colonists　been　willing　to　be　taxed　and　searched　without　an　equivalent；　then　would　there　have　been　no　revolution。

It　will　be　noted　from　the　nature　of　the　question　that　the　issue；　since　it　was　a　matter　of　the　merchants；　was　also　a　matter　of　the　cities。　　For　the　merchant　and　the　city　go　together。　　With　the　country　folk　of　the　pre…revolutionary　era；　the　faultfinding　and　dispute　related　always　to　political　questions　properto　questions　of　rights　as　between　the　king　and　his　subjects；　to　questions　of　institutional　forms；　the　best　method　of　governing；　etc。

All　of　these　matters；　however；　could　have　been　easily　adjusted；　and　if　there　were　an　〃if〃　in　history　they　would　have　been　adjusted　without　revolution　and　without　independence。　　The　commercial　question；　however；　involving　money　rights；　and　implying　the　privilege　and　power　of　the　Mother　Country　to　take　from　the　Colonists　their　property；　however　small　the　amount；　could　but　engender　resistance；　and　if　the　claim　were　not　relinquished　could　but　lead　to　war　and　disruption。

The　neglected　growth　of　the　Colonies　had　in　the　meantime　established　in　the　seaboard　towns　of　America；　usages　and　customs　which　were　repugnant　to　British　notions　of　regular　and　orderly　government。　　The　commercial　life　had　taken　a　form　of　its　own。

The　Americans　had　built　ships　and　warehouses。　　They　had　engaged　in　commerce　as　they　would。　　They　had　made　their　trade　as　free　as　possible。　　They　had　ignored　the　old　Navigation　Act；　and　when　the　Importation　Act　was　passed；　it　confronted　a　condition　in　America。

It　applied　to　a　state　of　affairs　that　already　existed。

The　American　ship；　trading　with　the　West　Indies　and　bringing　back　to　Boston　a　cargo　of　molasses　or　rum；　was　met　at　custom　house　with　an　exorbitant　requisition。　　The　officer　acting　under　the　Importation　Act；　virtually　said；　〃Stand　and　deliver。〃

If　it　were　a　British　ship　the　resistance　to　the　duty　would　be　offered　by　the　land　merchants　rather　than　by　the　sea　traders；　for　the　merchants　did　not　desire　that　the　cost　of　the　merchandise　to　themselves　and　their　customers　should　be　doubled　without　some　equivalent　advantage。　　No　equivalent　advantage　was　either　visible　or　invisible。　　What；　therefore；　should　they　do　but　first　evade　and　then　openly　resist？

There　was　an　epoch　of　evasion。　　This　covered　a　period　of　about　seventeen　y