democracy in america-1-第118节

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st　of　the　Atlantic　Ocean。＇

The　greater　the　individual　weakness　of　each　of　the　contracting　parties；　the　greater　are　the　chances　of　the　duration　of　the　contract；　for　their　safety　is　then　dependent　upon　their　union。　　When；　in　1790；　the　most　populous　of　the　American　republics　did　not　contain　500；000　inhabitants；　*g　each　of　them　felt　its　own　insignificance　as　an　independent　people；　and　this　feeling　rendered　compliance　with　the　federal　authority　more　easy。　　But　when　one　of　the　confederate　States　reckons；　like　the　State　of　New　York；　2；000；000　of　inhabitants；　and　covers　an　extent　of　territory　equal　in　surface　to　a　quarter　of　France；　*h　it　feels　its　own　strength；　and　although　it　may　continue　to　support　the　Union　as　advantageous　to　its　prosperity；　it　no　longer　regards　that　body　as　necessary　to　its　existence；　and　as　it　continues　to　belong　to　the　federal　compact；　it　soon　aims　at　preponderance　in　the　federal　assemblies。　The　probable　unanimity　of　the　States　is　diminished　as　their　number　increases。　At　present　the　interests　of　the　different　parts　of　the　Union　are　not　at　variance；　but　who　is　able　to　foresee　the　multifarious　changes　of　the　future；　in　a　country　in　which　towns　are　founded　from　day　to　day；　and　States　almost　from　year　to　year？　

＇Footnote　g：　Pennsylvania　contained　431；373　inhabitants　in　1790　＇and　5；258；014　in　1890。＇＇

＇Footnote　h：　The　area　of　the　State　of　New　York　is　49；170　square　miles。　＇See　U。　S。　census　report　of　1890。＇＇

Since　the　first　settlement　of　the　British　colonies；　the　number　of　inhabitants　has　about　doubled　every　twenty…two　years。　　I　perceive　no　causes　which　are　likely　to　check　this　progressive　increase　of　the　Anglo…American　population　for　the　next　hundred　years；　and　before　that　space　of　time　has　elapsed；　I　believe　that　the　territories　and　dependencies　of　the　United　States　will　be　covered　by　more　than　100；000；000　of　inhabitants；　and　divided　into　forty　States。　*i　I　admit　that　these　100；000；000　of　men　have　no　ho　hostile　interests。　　I　suppose；　on　the　contrary；　that　they　are　all　equally　interested　in　the　maintenance　of　the　Union；　but　I　am　still　of　opinion　that　where　there　are　100；000；000　of　men；　and　forty　distinct　nations；　unequally　strong；　the　continuance　of　the　Federal　Government　can　only　be　a　fortunate　accident。

＇Footnote　i：　If　the　population　continues　to　double　every　twenty…two　years；　as　it　has　done　for　the　last　two　hundred　years；　the　number　of　inhabitants　in　the　United　States　in　1852　will　be　twenty　millions；　in　1874；　forty…eight　millions；　and　in　1896；　ninety…six　millions。　　This　may　still　be　the　case　even　if　the　lands　on　the　western　slope　of　the　Rocky　Mountains　should　be　found　to　be　unfit　for　cultivation。　　The　territory　which　is　already　occupied　can　easily　contain　this　number　of　inhabitants。　　One　hundred　millions　of　men　disseminated　over　the　surface　of　the　twenty…four　States；　and　the　three　dependencies；　which　constitute　the　Union；　would　only　give　762　inhabitants　to　the　square　league；　this　would　be　far　below　the　mean　population　of　France；　which　is　1；063　to　the　square　league；　or　of　England；　which　is　1；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