theodore roosevelt-第25节

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vant　of　his　personal　ambition。

Over　here；　in　spite　of　the　hideous　contradiction　of　slavery；　which　ate　like　a　black　ulcer　into　a　part　of　our　body　politic；　the　Democratic　ideal　not　only　prevailed；　but　came　to　be　taken　for　granted　as　a　heaven…revealed　truth；　which　only　fools　would　question　or　dispute。　In　Europe；　the　monarchs　of　the　Old　Regime　made　a　desperate　rally　and　put　down　Napoleon；　thinking　that　by　smashing　him　they　would　smash　also　the　tremendous　Democratic　forces　by　which　he　had　gained　his　supremacy。　They　put　back；　so　far　as　they　could；　the　old　feudal　bases　of　privilege　and　of　more　or　less　disguised　tyranny。　The　Restoration　could　not　slumber　quietly；　for　the　forces　of　the　Revolution　burst　out　from　time　to　time。　They　wished　to　realize　the　liberty　of　which　they　had　had　a　glimpse　in　1789　and　which　the　Old　Regime　had　snatched　away　from　them。　The　Spirit　of　Nationality　now　strengthened　their　efforts　for　independence　and　liberty　and　another　Spirit　came　stalking　after　both。　This　was　the　Social　Revolution；　which　refusing　to　be　satisfied　by　a　merely　political　victory　boldly　preached　Internationalism　as　a　higher　ideal　than　Nationalism。　Truly；　Time　still　devours　all　his　children；　and　the　hysterical　desires　bred　by　half…truths　prevent　the　coming　and　triumphant　reign　of　Truth。　While　these　various　and　mutually　clashing　motives　swept　Europe　along　during　the　first　half　of　the　nineteenth　century；　a　different　current　hurried　the　United　States　into　the　rapids。　Should　they　continue　to　exist　as　one　Union　binding　together　sections　with　different　interests；　or　should　the　Union　be　dissolved　and　those　sections　attempt　to　lead　a　separate　political　existence？　Fortunately；　for　the　preservation　of　the　Union；　the　question　of　slavery　was　uppermost　in　one　of　the　sections。　Slavery　could　not　be　dismissed　as　a　merely　economic　question。　Many　Americans　declared　that　it　was　primarily　a　moral　issue。　And　this　transformed　what　the　Southern　section　would　gladly　have　limited　to　economics　into　a　war　for　a　moral　ideal。　With　the　destruction　of　slavery　in　the　South　the　preservation　of　the　Union　came　as　a　matter　of　course。

The　Civil　War　itself　had　given　a　great　stimulus　to　industry；　to　the　need　of　providing　military　equipment　and　supplies；　and　of　extending；　as　rapidly　as　possible；　the　railroads　which　were　the　chief　means　of　transportation。　When　the　war　ended　in　1865；　this　expansion　went　on　at　an　increasing　rate。　The　energy　which　had　been　devoted　to　military　purposes　was　now　directed　to　commerce　and　industry；　to　developing　the　vast　unpeopled　tracts　from　the　Mississippi　to　the　Pacific；　and　to　exploiting　the　hitherto　neglected　or　unknown　natural　resources　of　the　country。　Every　year　science　furnished　new　methods　of　converting　nature's　products　into　man's　wealth。　Chemistry；　the　doubtful　science；　Midas…like；　turned　into　gold　every　thing　that　it　touched。　There　were　not　native　workers　enough；　and　so　a　steady　stream　of　foreign　immigrants　flocked　over　from　abroad。　They　came　at　first　to　better　their　own　fortunes　by　sharing　in　the　unlimited　American　harvests。　Later；　our　Captains　of　Industry；　regardless　of　the　quality　of　the　new　comers；　and　intent　only　on　securing　cheap　labor　to　multiply　their　hoards；　combed　the　lowest　political　and　social　levels　of　southern　Europe　and　of　western　Asia　for　employees。　The　immigrants　ceased　to　look　upon　America　as　the　Land　of　Promise；　the　land　where　they　intended　to　settle；　to　make　their　homes；　and　to　rear　their　children；　it　became　for　them　only　a　huge　factory　where　they　earned　a　living　and　for　which　they　felt　no　affection。　On　the　contrary；　many　of　them　looked　forward　to　returning　to　their　native　country　as　soon　as　they　had　saved　up　a　little　competence　here。　The　politicians；　equally　negligent　of　the　real　welfare　of　the　United　States；　gave　to　these　masses　of　foreigners　quick　and　unscrutinized　naturalization　as　American　citizens。

So　it　fell　out　that　before　the　end　of　the　nineteenth　century　a　great　gulf　was　opening　between　Labor　and　Capital。　Now　a　community　can　thrive　only　when　all　its　classes　feel　that　they　have　COMMON　interests；　but　since　American　Labor　was　largely　composed　of　foreigners；　it　acquired　a　double　antagonism　to　Capital。　It　had　not　only　the　supposed　natural　antagonism　of　employee　to　employer；　but　also　the　further　cause　of　misunderstanding；　and　hostility　even；　which　came　from　the　foreignness　of　its　members。　Another　ominous　condition　arose。　The　United　States　ceased　to　be　the　Land　of　Promise；　where　any　hard…working　and　thrifty　man　could　better　himself　and　even　become　rich。　The　gates　of　Opportunity　were　closing。　The　free　lands；　which　the　Nation　offered　to　any　one　who　would　cultivate　them；　had　mostly　been　taken　up；　the　immigrant　who　had　been　a　laborer　in　Europe；　was　a　laborer　here。　Moreover；　the　political　conditions　in　Europe　often　added　to　the　burdens　and　irritation　caused　by　the　industrial　conditions　there。　And　the　immigrant　in　coming　to　America　brought　with　him　all　his　grievances；　political　not　less　than　industrial。　He　was　too　ignorant　to　discriminate；　he　could　only　feel。　Anarchy　and　Nihilism；　which　were　his　natural　reaction　against　his　despotic　oppressors　in　Germany　and　Russia；　he　went　on　cultivating　here；　where；　by　the　simple　process　of　naturalization；　he　became　politically　his　own　despot　in　a　year　or　two。

But；　of　course；　the　very　core　of　the　feud　which　threatens　to　disrupt　modern　civilization　was　the　discovery　that；　in　any　final　adjustment；　the　POLITICAL　did　not　suffice。　What　availed　it　for　the　Taborer　and　the　capitalist　to　be　equal　at　the　polls；　for　the　vote　of　one　to　count　as　much　as　the　vote　of　the　other；　if　the　two　men　were　actually　worlds　apart　in　their　social　and　industrial　lives？　Equality　must　seem　to　the　laborer　a　cruel　deception　and　a　sham　unless　it　results　in　equality　in　the　distribution　of　wealth　and　of　opportunity。　How　this　is　to　be　attained　I　have　never　seen　satisfactorily　stated；　but　the　impossibility　of　realizing　their　dreams；　or　the　blank　folly　of　doting　on　them；　has　never　prevented　men　from　striving　to　obtain　them。　From　this　has　resulted　the　frantic　pursuit；　during　a　century　and　a　quarter；　of　all　sorts　of　projects　from　Babuvism　to　Bolshevism；　which；　if　they　could　not　install　Utopia　overnight；　were　at　least　calculated　to　destroy　Civilization　as　it　is。　The　common　feature　of　the　propagandists　of　all　these　doctrines　seems　to　be　the　throwing…over　of　the　Past；　not　merely　of　the　proved　evils　and　inadequacies　of　the　Past；　but　of　our　conception　of　right　and　wrong；　of　morals；　of　human　relations；　and　of　our　duty　towards　the　Eternal；　which；　having　sprung　out　of　the　Past；　must　be　jettisoned　in　a　fury　of　contempt。　In　short；　the　destroyers　of　Society　（writhing　under　the　immemorial　sting　of　injustice；　which　they　believed　was　wholly　caused　by　their　privileged　fellows；　and　not　even　in　part　inherent　in　the　nature　of　things）　supposed　that　by　blotting　out　Privilege　they　could　establish　their　ideals　of　Justice　and　Equality。

In　the　forward　nations　of　Europe；　not　less　than　in　the　United　States；　these　ideals　had　been　arrived　at；　at　least　in　name；　and　so　far　as　concerned　politics。　Even　in　Germany；　the　most　rigid　of　Absolute　Despot　isms；　a　phantasm　of　political　liberty　was　allowed　to　flit　about　the　Halls　of　Parliament。　But　through　the　cunning　of　Bismarck　the　Socialist　masses　were　bound　all　the　more　tightly　to　the　Hohenzollern　Despot　by　liens　which　seemed　to　be　socialistic。　Nevertheless；　the　principles　of　the　Social　Revolution　spread　secretly　from　European　country　to　country；　whether　it　professed　to　be　Monarchical　or　Republican。

In　the　United　States；　when　Theodore　Roosevelt　succeeded　to　the　Presidency　in　1901；　a　similar　antagonism　between　Capital　and　Labor　had　become　chronic。　Capital　was　arrogant。　Its　advance　since　the　Civil　War　had　been　unmatched　in　history。　The　inundation　of　wealth　which　had　poured　in；　compared　with　all　previous　amassing　of　riches；　was　as　the　Mississippi　to　the　slender　stream　of　Pactolus。　The　men　whose　energy　had　created　this　wealth；　and　the　men　who　managed　and　increased　it；　lost　the　sense　of　their　proper　relations　with　the　rest　of　the　community　and　the　Nation。　According　to　the　current　opinion　progress　consisted　in　doubling　wealth　in　the　shortest　time　possible；　this　meant　the　employment　of　larger　and　larger　masses　of　labor；　therefore　laborers　should　be　satisfied；　nay；　should　be　grateful　to　the　capitalists　who　provided　them　with　the　means　of　a　livelihood；　and　those　capitalists　assumed　that　what　they　regarded　as　necessary　to　progress；　defined　by　them；　should　be　accepted　as　necessary　to　the　prosperity　of　the　Nation。

Such　an　alignment　of　the　two　elements；　which　composed　the　Nation；　indicated　how　far　the　so…called　Civilization；　which　modern　industrialism　has　created；　was　from　achieving　that　social　harmony；　which　is　the　ideal　and　must　be　the　base　of　every　wholesome　and　enduring　State。　The　condition　of　the　working　classes　in　this　country　was　undoubtedly　better　than　that　in　Europe。　And　the　discontent　and　occasional　violence　here　were　fomented　by　foreign　agitators　who　tried　to　make　our　workers　believe　that　they　were　as　much　oppressed　as　their　foreign　brothers。　Wise　observers　saw　that　a　collision；　it　might　be　a　catastrophe；　was　bound　to　come　unless　some　means　could　be　found　to　bring　concord　to　the　antagonists。　Here　was　surely　an　amazi