democracy in america-1-第133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！


；457；　and　it　would　even　be　below　the　population　of　Switzerland；　for　that　country；　notwithstanding　its　lakes　and　mountains；　contains　783　inhabitants　to　the　square　league。　　See　〃Malte　Brun；〃　vol。　vi。　p。　92。

＇The　actual　result　has　fallen　somewhat　short　of　these　calculations；　in　spite　of　the　vast　territorial　acquisitions　of　the　United　States：　but　in　1899　the　population　is　probably　about　eighty…　seven　millions；　including　the　population　of　the　Philippines；　Hawaii；　and　Porto　Rico。＇＇

Whatever　faith　I　may　have　in　the　perfectibility　of　man；　until　human　nature　is　altered；　and　men　wholly　transformed；　I　shall　refuse　to　believe　in　the　duration　of　a　government　which　is　called　upon　to　hold　together　forty　different　peoples；　disseminated　over　a　territory　equal　to　one…half　of　Europe　in　extent；　to　avoid　all　rivalry；　ambition；　and　struggles　between　them；　and　to　direct　their　independent　activity　to　the　accomplishment　of　the　same　designs。　

But　the　greatest　peril　to　which　the　Union　is　exposed　by　its　increase　arises　from　the　continual　changes　which　take　place　in　the　position　of　its　internal　strength。　　The　distance　from　Lake　Superior　to　the　Gulf　of　Mexico　extends　from　the　47th　to　the　30th　degree　of　latitude；　a　distance　of　more　than　1；200　miles　as　the　bird　flies。　　The　frontier　of　the　United　States　winds　along　the　whole　of　this　immense　line；　sometimes　falling　within　its　limits；　but　more　frequently　extending　far　beyond　it；　into　the　waste。　　It　has　been　calculated　that　the　whites　advance　every　year　a　mean　distance　of　seventeen　miles　along　the　whole　of　his　vast　boundary。　*j　Obstacles；　such　as　an　unproductive　district；　a　lake　or　an　Indian　nation　unexpectedly　encountered；　are　sometimes　met　with。　　The　advancing　column　then　halts　for　a　while；　its　two　extremities　fall　back　upon　themselves；　and　as　soon　as　they　are　reunited　they　proceed　onwards。　　This　gradual　and　continuous　progress　of　the　European　race　towards　the　Rocky　Mountains　has　the　solemnity　of　a　providential　event；　it　is　like　a　deluge　of　men　rising　unabatedly；　and　daily　driven　onwards　by　the　hand　of　God。

＇Footnote　j：　See　Legislative　Documents；　20th　Congress；　No。　117；　p。　105。＇

Within　this　first　line　of　conquering　settlers　towns　are　built；　and　vast　States　founded。　　In　1790　there　were　only　a　few　thousand　pioneers　sprinkled　along　the　valleys　of　the　Mississippi；　and　at　the　present　day　these　valleys　contain　as　many　inhabitants　as　were　to　be　found　in　the　whole　Union　in　1790。　Their　population　amounts　to　nearly　4；000；000。　*k　The　city　of　Washington　was　founded　in　1800；　in　the　very　centre　of　the　Union；　but　such　are　the　changes　which　have　taken　place；　that　it　now　stands　at　one　of　the　extremities；　and　the　delegates　of　the　most　remote　Western　States　are　already　obliged　to　perform　a　journey　as　long　as　that　from　Vienna　to　Paris。　*l　

＇Footnote　k：　3；672；317　…　Census　of　1830。＇

＇Footnote　l：　The　distance　from　Jefferson；　the　capital　of　the　State　of　Missouri；　to　Washington　is　1；019　miles。　　（〃American　Almanac；〃　1831；　p。　48。）＇

All　the　States　are　borne　onwards　at　the　same　time　in　the　path　of　fortune；　but　of　course　they　do　not　all　increase　and　prosper　in　the　same　proportion。　　To　the　North　of　the　Union　the　detached　branches　of　the　Alleghany　chain；　which　extend　as　far　as　the　Atlantic　Ocean；　form　spacious　roads　and　ports；　which　are　constantly　accessible　to　vessels　of　the　greatest　burden。　But　from　the　Potomac　to　the　mouth　of　the　Mississippi　the　coast　is　sandy　and　flat。　　In　this　part　of　the　Union　the　mouths　of　almost　all　the　rivers　are　obstructed；　and　the　few　harbors　which　exist　amongst　these　lagoons　afford　much　shallower　water　to　vessels；　and　much　fewer　commercial　advantages　than　those　of　the　North。

This　first　natural　cause　of　inferiority　is　united　to　another　cause　proceeding　from　the　laws。　　We　have　already　seen　that　slavery；　which　is　abolished　in　the　North；　still　exists　in　the　South；　and　I　have　pointed　out　its　fatal　consequences　upon　the　prosperity　of　the　planter　himself。

The　North　is　therefore　superior　to　the　South　both　in　commerce　*m　and　manufacture；　the　natural　consequence　of　which　is　the　more　rapid　increase　of　population　and　of　wealth　within　its　borders。　　The　States　situate　upon　the　shores　of　the　Atlantic　Ocean　are　already　half…peopled。　　Most　of　the　land　is　held　by　an　owner；　and　these　districts　cannot　therefore　receive　so　many　emigrants　as　the　Western　States；　where　a　boundless　field　is　still　open　to　their　exertions。　　The　valley　of　the　Mississippi　is　far　more　fertile　than　the　coast　of　the　Atlantic　Ocean。　　This　reason；　added　to　all　the　others；　contributes　to　drive　the　Europeans　westward　…　a　fact　which　may　be　rigorously　demonstrated　by　figures。　　It　is　found　that　the　sum　total　of　the　population　of　all　the　United　States　has　about　tripled　in　the　course　of　forty　years。　　But　in　the　recent　States　adjacent　to　the　Mississippi；　the　population　has　increased　thirty…one…fold；　within　the　same　space　of　time。　*n

＇Footnote　m：　The　following　statements　will　suffice　to　show　the　difference　which　exists　between　the　commerce　of　the　South　and　that　of　the　North：　…

In　1829　the　tonnage　of　all　the　merchant　vessels　belonging　to　Virginia；　the　two　Carolinas；　and　Georgia　（the　four　great　Southern　States）；　amounted　to　only　5；243　tons。　　In　the　same　year　the　tonnage　of　the　vessels　of　the　State　of　Massachusetts　alone　amounted　to　17；322　tons。　　（See　Legislative　Documents；　21st　Congress；　2d　session；　No。　140；　p。　244。）　Thus　the　State　of　Massachusetts　had　three　times　as　much　shipping　as　the　four　above…mentioned　States。　Nevertheless　the　area　of　the　State　of　Massachusetts　is　only　7；335　square　miles；　and　its　population　amounts　to　610；014　inhabitants　＇2；238；943　in　1890＇；　whilst　the　area　of　the　four　other　States　I　have　quoted　is　210；000　square　miles；　and　their　population　3；047；767。　　Thus　the　area　of　the　State　of　Massachusetts　forms　only　one…thirtieth　part　of　the　area　of　the　four　States；　and　its　population　is　five　times　smaller　than　theirs。　　（See　〃Darby's　View　of　the　United　States。〃）　Slavery　is　prejudicial　to　the　commercial　prosperity　of　the　South　in　several　different　ways；　by　diminishing　the　spirit　of　enterprise　amongst　the　whites；　and　by　preventing　them　from　meeting　with　as　numerous　a　class　of　sailors　as　they　require。　　Sailors　are　usually　taken　from　the　lowest　ranks　of　the　population。　But　in　the　Southern　States　these　lowest　ranks　are　composed　of　slaves；　and　it　is　very　difficult　to　employ　them　at　sea。　　They　are　unable　to　serve　as　well　as　a　white　crew；　and　apprehensions　would　always　be　entertained　of　their　mutinying　in　the　middle　of　the　ocean；　or　of　their　escaping　in　the　foreign　countries　at　which　they　might　touch。＇

＇Footnote　n：　〃Darby's　View　of　the　United　States；〃　p。　444。＇　　The　relative　position　of　the　central　federal　power　is　continually　displaced。　　Forty　years　ago　the　majority　of　the　citizens　of　the　Union　was　established　upon　the　coast　of　the　Atlantic；　in　the　environs　of　the　spot　upon　which　Washington　now　stands；　but　the　great　body　of　the　people　is　now　advancing　inland　and　to　the　north；　so　that　in　twenty　years　the　majority　will　unquestionably　be　on　the　western　side　of　the　Alleghanies。　　If　the　Union　goes　on　to　subsist；　the　basin　of　the　Mississippi　is　evidently　marked　out；　by　its　fertility　and　its　extent；　as　the　future　centre　of　the　Federal　Government。　In　thirty　or　forty　years；　that　tract　of　country　will　have　assumed　the　rank　which　naturally　belongs　to　it。　　It　is　easy　to　calculate　that　its　population；　compared　to　that　of　the　coast　of　the　Atlantic；　will　be；　in　round　numbers；　as　40　to　11。　　In　a　few　years　the　States　which　founded　the　Union　will　lose　the　direction　of　its　policy；　and　the　population　of　the　valley　of　the　Mississippi　will　preponderate　in　the　federal　assemblies。

This　constant　gravitation　of　the　federal　power　and　influence　towards　the　northwest　is　shown　every　ten　years；　when　a　general　census　of　the　population　is　made；　and　the　number　of　delegates　which　each　State　sends　to　Congress　is　settled　afresh。　*o　In　1790　Virginia　had　nineteen　representatives　in　Congress。　This　number　continued　to　increase　until　the　year　1813；　when　it　reached　to　twenty…three；　from　that　time　it　began　to　decrease；　and　in　1833　Virginia　elected　only　twenty…one　representatives。　*p　During　the　same　period　the　State　of　New　York　progressed　in　the　contrary　direction：　in　1790　it　had