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hat　in　Massachusetts；　which　I　cannot　but　regard　as　in　many　respects　the　noblest　of　the　States；　the　judges　are　appointed　by　the　Governor；　and　are　appointed　for　life。

CHAPTER　XII。　THE　FINANCIAL　POSITION。

The　Americans　are　proud　of　much　that　they　have　done　in　this　war；　and　indeed　much　has　been　done　which　may　justify　pride；　but　of　nothing　are　they　so　proud　as　of　the　noble　dimensions　and　quick　growth　of　their　government　debt。　　That　Mr。　Secretary　Chase；　the　American　Chancellor　of　the　Exchequer；　participates　in　this　feeling　I　will　not　venture　to　say；　but　if　he　do　not；　he　is　well…nigh　the　only　man　in　the　States　who　does　not　do　so。　　The　amount　of　expenditure　has　been　a　subject　of　almost　national　pride；　and　the　two　millions　of　dollars　a　day；　which　has　been　roughly　put　down　as　the　average　cost　of　the　war；　has　always　been　mentioned　by　Northern　men　in　a　tone　of　triumph。　This　feeling　is；　I　think；　intelligible；　and　although　we　cannot　allude　to　it　without　a　certain　amount　of　inward　sarcasm；　a　little　gentle　laughing　in　the　sleeve；　at　the　nature　of　this　national　joy；　I　am　not　prepared　to　say　that　it　is　altogether　ridiculous。　　If　the　country　be　found　able　and　willing　to　pay　the　bill；　this　triumph　in　the　amount　of　the　cost　will　hereafter　be　regarded　as　having　been　anything　but　ridiculous。　　In　private　life　an　individual　will　occasionally　be　known　to　lavish　his　whole　fortune　on　the　accomplishment　of　an　object　which　he　conceives　to　be　necessary　to　his　honor。　　If　the　object　be　in　itself　good；　and　if　the　money　be　really　paid；　we　do　not　laugh　at　such　a　man　for　the　sacrifices　which　he　makes。　For　myself；　I　think　that　the　object　of　the　Northern　States　in　this　war　has　been　good。　　I　think　that　they　could　not　have　avoided　the　war　without　dishonor；　and　that　it　was　incumbent　on　them　to　make　themselves　the　arbiters　of　the　future　position　of　the　South；　whether　that　future　position　shall　or　shall　not　be　one　of　secession。　　This　they　could　only　do　by　fighting。　　Had　they　acceded　to　secession　without　a　civil　war；　they　would　have　been　regarded　throughout　Europe　as　having　shown　themselves　inferior　to　the　South；　and　would　for　many　years　to　come　have　lost　that　prestige　which　their　spirit　and　energy　had　undoubtedly　won　for　them；　and　in　their　own　country　such　submission　on　their　part　would　have　practically　given　to　the　South　the　power　of　drawing　the　line　of　division　between　the　two　new　countries。　　That　line；　so　drawn；　would　have　given　Virginia；　Maryland；　Kentucky；　and　Missouri　to　the　Southern　Republic。　　The　great　effect　of　the　war　to　the　North　will　be；　that　the　Northern　men　will　draw　the　line　of　secession；　if　any　such　line　be　drawn。　　I　still　think　that　such　line　will　ultimately　be　drawn；　and　that　the　Southern　States　will　be　allowed　to　secede。　　But　if　it　be　so；　Virginia；　Maryland；　Kentucky；　and　Missouri　will　not　be　found　among　these　seceding　States；　and　the　line　may　not　improbably　be　driven　south　of　North　Carolina　and　Tennessee。　　If　this　can　be　so；　the　object　of　the　war　will；　I　think；　hereafter　be　admitted　to　have　been　good。　Whatever　may　be　the　cost　in　money　of　joining　the　States　which　I　have　named　to　a　free…soil　Northern　people；　instead　of　allowing　them　to　be　buried　in　that　dismal　swamp　which　a　confederacy　of　Southern　slave　States　will　produce；　that　cost　can　hardly　be　too　much。　　At　the　present　moment　there　exists　in　England　a　strong　sympathy　with　the　South；　produced　partly　by　the　unreasonable　vituperation　with　which　the　North　treated　our　government　at　the　beginning　of　the　war；　and　by　the　capture　of　Mason　and　Slidell；　partly　also　by　that　feeling　of　good…will　which　a　looker　on　at　a　combat　always　has　for　the　weaker　side。　　But；　although　this　sympathy　does　undoubtedly　exist；　I　do　not　imagine　that　many　Englishmen　are　of　opinion　that　a　confederacy　of　Southern　slave　States　will　ever　offer　to　the　general　civilization　of　the　world　very　many　attractions。　　It　cannot　be　thought　that　the　South　will　equal　the　North　in　riches；　in　energy；　in　education；　or　general　well…being。　　Such　has　not　been　our　experience　of　any　slave　country；　such　has　not　been　our　experience　of　any　tropical　country；　and　such　especially　has　not　been　our　experience　of　the　Southern　States　of　the　North　American　Union。　　I　am　no　abolitionist；　but　to　me　it　seems　impossible　that　any　Englishman　should　really　advocate　the　cause　of　slavery　against　the　cause　of　free　soil。　　There　are　the　slaves；　and　I　know　that　they　cannot　be　abolishedneither　they　nor　their　chains；　but；　for　myself；　I　will　not　willingly　join　my　lot　with　theirs。　　I　do　not　wish　to　have　dealings　with　the　African　negro；　either　as　a　free　man　or　as　a　slave；　if　I　can　avoid　them；　believing　that　his　employment　by　me　in　either　capacity　would　lead　to　my　own　degradation。*　　Such；　I　think；　are　the　feelings　of　Englishmen　generally　on　this　matter。　　And　if　such　be　the　case；　will　it　not　be　acknowledged　that　the　Northern　men　have　done　well　to　fight　for　a　line　which　shall　add　five　or　six　States　to　that　Union　which　will　in　truth　be　a　union　of　free　men；　rather　than　to　that　confederacy　which；　even　if　successful；　must　owe　its　success　to　slavery？

*　In　saying　this　I　fear　that　I　shall　be　misunderstood；　let　me　use　what　foot　note　or　other　mode　of　protestation　I　may　to　guard　myself。　In　thus　speaking　of　the　African　negro；　I　do　not　venture　to　despise　the　work　of　God's　hands。　　That　He　has　made　the　negro；　for　His　own　good　purposes；　as　He　has　the　Esquimaux；　I　am　aware。　　And　I　am　aware　that　it　is　my　duty；　as　it　is　the　duty　of　us　all；　to　see　that　no　injury　be　done　to　him；　and；　if　possible；　to　assist　him　in　his　condition。　　When　I　declare　that　I　desire　no　dealings　with　the　negro；　I　speak　of　him　in　the　position　in　which　I　now　find　him；　either　as　a　free　servant　or　a　slave。　　In　either　position　he　impedes　the　civilization　and　the　progress　of　the　white　man。

In　considering　this　matter　it　must　be　remembered　that　the　five　or　six　States　of　which　we　are　speaking　are　at　present　slave　States；　but　that；　with　the　exception　of　Virginiaof　part　only　of　Virginiathey　are　not　wedded　to　slavery。　　But　even　in　Virginiagreat　as　has　been　the　gain　which　has　accrued　to　that　unhappy　State　from　the　breeding　of　slaves　for　the　Southern　marketeven　in　Virginia　slavery　would　soon　die　out　if　she　were　divided　from　the　South　and　joined　to　the　North。　　In　those　other　States；　in　Maryland；　in　Kentucky；　and　in　Missouri；　there　is　no　desire　to　perpetuate　the　institution。　　They　have　been　slave　States；　and　as　such　have　resented　the　rabid　abolition　of　certain　Northern　orators。　　Had　it　not　been　for　those　orators；　and　their　oratory；　the　soil　of　Kentucky　would　now　have　been　free。　　Those　five　or　six　States　are　now　slave　States；　but　a　line　of　secession　drawn　south　of　them　will　be　the　line　which　cuts　off　slavery　from　the　North。　　If　those　States　belong　to　the　North　when　secession　shall　be　accomplished；　they　will　belong　to　it　as　free　States；　but　if　they　belong　to　the　South；　they　will　belong　to　the　South　as　slave　States。　　If　they　belong　to　the　North；　they　will　become　rich　as　the　North　is；　and　will　share　in　the　education　of　the　North。　　If　they　belong　to　the　South；　they　will　become　poor　as　the　South　is；　and　will　share　in　the　ignorance　of　the　South。　　If　we　presume　that　secession　will　be　accomplishedand　I　for　one　am　of　that　opinionhas　it　not　been　well　that　a　war　should　be　waged　with　such　an　object　as　this？　　If　those　five　or　six　States　can　be　gained；　stretching　east　and　west　from　the　Atlantic　to　the　center　of　the　continent；　hundreds　of　miles　beyond　the　Mississippi；　and　north　and　south　over　four　degrees　of　latitudeif　that　extent　of　continent　can　be　added　to　the　free　soil　of　the　Northern　territory；　will　not　the　contest　that　has　done　this　have　been　worth　any　money　that　can　have　been　spent　on　it？　So　much　as　to　the　object　to　be　gained　by　the　money　spent　on　the　war！　And　I　think　that　in　estimating　the　nature　of　the　financial　position　which　the　war　has　produced　it　was　necessary　that　we　should　consider　the　value　of　the　object　which　has　been　in　dispute。　　The　object；　I　maintain；　has　been　good。　　Then　comes　the　question　whether　or　no　the　bill　will　be　fairly　paidwhether　they　who　have　spent　the　money　will　set　about　that　disagreeable　task　of　settling　the　account　with　a　true　purpose　and　an　honest　energy。　　And　this　question　splits　itself　into　two　parts。　　Will　the　Americans　honestly　wish　to　pay　the　bill；　and　if　they　do　so　wish；　will　they　have　the　power　to　pay　it？　　Again　that　last　question　must　be　once　more　divided。　　Will　they　have　the　power　to　pay；　as　regards　the　actual　possession　of　the　means；　and　if　possessing　them；　will　they　have　the　power　of　access　to　those　means？　The　nation　has　obtained　for　itself　an　evil　name　for　repudiation。　　We　all　know　that　Pennsylvania　behaved　badly　about　her　money　affairs；　although　she　did　at　last　pay　her　debts。　　We　all　know　that　Mississippi　has　behaved　very　badly　about　her　money　affairs；　and　has　never　paid　her　debts；　nor　does　she　intend　to　pay　them。　　And；　which　is　worse　than　this；　for　it　applies　to　the　nation　generally　and　not　to　individual　States；　we　all　know　that　it　was　made　a　matter　of　boast　in　the　States　that　in　the　event　of　a　war　with　England　the　enormous　amount　of　property　held　by　Englishmen　in　the　States　should　be　confiscated。　　That　boast　was　especially　made　in　the　mercantile　City　of　New　York；　and　when　the　matter　was　discussed　it　seemed　as　though