abraham lincoln and the union-第10节

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　of　a　man　with　piercing　blue　eyes；　and　Judah　P。　Benjamin；　Senator　from　Louisiana；　whose　perpetual　smile　cloaked　an　intellect　that　was　nimble；　keen；　and　ruthless。　　Both　men　were　destined　to　play　leading　roles　in　the　lofty　drama　of　revolution；　each　was　to　experience　a　tragic　ending　of　his　political　hope；　one　in　exile；　the　other　in　a　solitary　proscription　amid　the　ruins　of　the　society　for　which　he　had　sacrified　his　all。　　These　men；　though　often　spoken　of　as　mere　mouthpieces　of　Yancey；　were　in　reality　quite　different　from　him　both　in　temper　and　in　point　of　view。

Davis；　who　was　destined　eventually　to　become　the　target　of　Yancey's　bitterest　enmity；　had　refused　ten　years　before　to　join　in　the　secession　movement　which　ignored　Calhoun's　doctrine　that　the　South　had　become　a　social　unit。　　Though　a　believer　in　slavery　under　the　conditions　of　the　moment；　Davis　had　none　of　the　passion　of　the　slave　baron　for　slavery　at　all　costs。　　Furthermore；　as　events　were　destined　to　show　in　a　startlingly　dramatic　way；　he　was　careless　of　South　Carolina's　passion　for　state　rights。　　He　was　a　practical　politician；　but　not　at　all　the　old　type　of　the　party　of　political　evasion；　the　type　of　Toombs。　　No　other　man　of　the　moment　was　on　the　whole　so　well　able　to　combine　the　elements　of　Southern　politics　against　those　more　negative　elements　of　which　Toombs　was　the　symbol。　　The　history　of　the　Confederacy　shows　that　the　combination　which　Davis　now　effected　was　not　as　thorough　as　he　supposed　it　was。　　But　at　the　moment　he　appeared　to　succeed　and　seemed　to　give　common　purpose　to　the　vast　majority　of　the　Southern　people。　　With　his　ally　Benjamin；　he　struck　at　the　Toombs　policy　of　a　National　Democratic　party。

On　the　day　following　the　election　of　Pennington；　Davis　introduced　in　the　Senate　a　series　of　resolutions　which　were　to　serve　as　the　Southern　ultimatum；　and　which　demanded　of　Congress　the　protection　of　slavery　against　territorial　legislatures。　　This　was　but　carrying　to　its　logical　conclusion　that　Dred　Scott　decision　which　Douglas　and　his　followers　proposed　to　accept。　　If　Congress　could　not　restrict　slavery　in　the　territories；　how　could　its　creature；　a　territorial　legislature　do　so？　　And　yet　the　Douglas　men　attempted　to　take　away　the　power　from　Congress　and　to　retain　it　for　the　territorial　legislatures。　　Senator　Pugh　of　Ohio　had　already　locked　horns　with　Davis　on　this　point；　and　had　attempted　to　show　that　a　territorial　Legislature　was　independent　of　Congress。　〃Then　I　would　ask　the　Senator　further；〃　retorted　the　logical　Davis；　〃why　it　is　he　makes　an　appropriation　to　pay　members　of　the　territorial　legislature；　how　it　is　that　he　invests　the　Governor　with　veto　power　over　their　acts；　and　how　it　is　that　he　appoints　judges　to　decide　upon　the　validity　of　their　acts。〃

In　the　Democratic　convention　which　met　at　Charleston　in　April；　1860；　the　waning　power　of　political　evasion　made　its　last　real　stand　against　the　rising　power　of　political　positivism。　　To　accept　Douglas　and　the　idea　that　somehow　territorial　legislatures　were　free　to　do　what　Congress　could　not　do；　or　to　reject　Douglas　and　endorse　Davis's　ultimatumthat　in　substance　was　the　issue。　　〃In　this　convention　where　there　should　be　confidence　and　harmony；〃　said　the　〃Charleston　Mercury〃；　〃it　is　plain　that　men　feel　as　if　they　were　going　into　a　battle。〃　　In　the　committee　on　resolutions　where　the　States　were　equally　represented；　the　majority　were　anti…Douglas；　they　submitted　a　report　affirming　Davis's　position　that　territorial　legislatures　had　no　right　to　prohibit　slavery　and　that　the　Federal　Government　should　protect　slavery　against　them。　The　minority　refused　to　go　further　than　an　approval　of　the　Dred　Scott　case　and　a　pledge　to　abide　by　all　future　decisions　of　the　Supreme　Court。　　After　both　reports　had　been　submitted；　there　followed　the　central　event　of　the　conventionthe　now　famous　speech　by　Yancey　which　repudiated　political　evasion　from　top　to　bottom；　frankly　defended　slavery；　and　demanded　either　complete　guarantees　for　its　continued　existence　or；　as　an　alternative；　Southern　independence。　　Pugh　instantly　replied　and　summed　up　Yancey's　speech　as　a　demand　upon　Northern　Democrats　to　say　that　slavery　was　right；　and　that　it　was　their　duty　not　only　to　let　slavery　alone　but　to　aid　in　extending　it。　　〃Gentlemen　of　the　South；〃　he　exclaimed；　〃you　mistake　usyou　mistake　uswe　will　not　do　it。〃

In　the　full　convention；　where　the　representation　of　the　States　was　not　equal；　the　Douglas　men；　after　hot　debate；　forced　the　adoption　of　the　minority　report。　　Thereupon　the　Alabama　delegation　protested　and　formally　withdrew　from　the　convention；　and　other　delegations　followed。　　There　was　wild　excitement　in　Charleston；　where　that　evening　in　the　streets　Yancey　addressed　crowds　that　cheered　for　a　Southern　republic。　　The　remaining　history　of　the　Democratic　nominations　is　a　matter　of　detail。　　The　Charleston　convention　adjourned　without　making　nominations。　　Each　of　its　fragments　reorganized　as　a　separate　convention；　and　ultimately　two　Democratic　tickets　were　put　into　the　field；　with　Breckinridge　of　Kentucky　as　the　candidate　on　the　Yancey　ticket　and　Douglas　on　the　other。

While　the　Democrats　were　thus　making　history　through　their　fateful　break…up　into　separate　parties；　a　considerable　number　of　the　so…called　best　people　of　the　country　determined　that　they　had　nowhere　politically　to　lay　their　heads。　　A　few　of　the　old　Whigs　were　still　unable　to　consort　either　with　Republicans　or　with　Democrats；　old　or　new。　　The　Know…Nothings；　likewise；　though　their　number　had　been　steadily　melting　away；　had　not　entirely　disappeared。　　To　unite　these　political　remnants　in　any　definite　political　whole　seemed　beyond　human　ingenuity。　　A　common　sentiment；　however；　they　did　havea　real　love　of　the　Union　and　a　real　unhappiness；　because　its　existence　appeared　to　be　threatened。　　The　outcome　was　that　they　organized　the　Constitutional　Union　Party；　nominating　for　President　John　Bell　of　Tennessee；　and　for　Vice　President　Edward　Everett　of　Massachusetts。　　Their　platform　was　little　more　than　a　profession　of　love　of　the　Union　and　a　condemnation　of　sectional　selfishness。

This　Bell　and　Everett　ticket　has　a　deeper　significance　than　has　generally　been　admitted。　　It　reveals　the　fact　that　the　sentiment　of　Union；　in　distinction　from　the　belief　in　the　Union；　had　become　a　real　force　in　American　life。　　There　could　be　no　clearer　testimony　to　the　strength　of　this　feeling　than　this　spectacle　of　a　great　congregation　of　moderate　people；　unable　to　agree　upon　anything　except　this　sentiment；　stepping　between　the　sectional　parties　like　a　resolute　wayfarer　going　forward　into　darkness　along　a　perilous　strand　between　two　raging　seas。　　That　this　feeling　of　Union　was　the　same　thing　as　the　eager　determination　of　the　Republicans；　in　1860；　to　control　the　Government　is　one　of　those　historical　fallacies　that　have　had　their　day。　　The　Republican　party　became；　in　time　and　under　stress　of　war；　the　refuge　of　this　sentiment　and　proved　sufficiently　far…sighted　to　merge　its　identity　temporarily　in　the　composite　Union　party　of　1864。　　But　in　1860　it　was　still　a　sectional　party。　　Among　its　leaders　Lincoln　was　perhaps　the　only　Unionist　in　the　same　sense　as　Bell　and　Everett。

Perhaps　the　truest　Unionists　of　the　North；　outside　the　Constitutional　Union　Party；　in　1860；　were　those　Democrats　in　the　following　of　Douglas　who；　after　fighting　to　the　last　ditch　against　both　the　sectional　parties；　were　to　accept；　in　1861；　the　alternative　of　war　rather　than　dissolution。　　The　course　of　Douglas　himself；　as　we　shall　see　hereafter；　showed　that　in　his　mind　there　was　a　fixed　limit　of　concession　beyond　which　he　could　not　go。　When　circumstances　forced　him　to　that　limit；　the　sentiment　of　Union　took　control　of　him；　swept　aside　his　political　jugglery；　abolished　his　time…serving；　and　drove　him　into　cooperation　with　his　bitterest　foes　that　the　Union　might　be　saved。　　Nor　was　the　pure　sentiment　of　Union　confined　to　the　North　and　West。　　Though　undoubtedly　the　sentiment　of　locality　was　more　powerful　through　the　South；　yet　when　the　test　came　in　the　election　of　1860；　the　leading　candidate　of　the　upper　South；　in　Virginia；　Kentucky；　and　Tennessee；　was　John　Bell；　the　Constitutional　Unionist。　　In　every　Southern　State　this　sentiment　was　able　to　command　a　considerable　part　of　the　vote。*

*A　possible　exception　was　South　Carolina。　　As　the　presidential　electors　were　appointed　by　the　legislature；　there　is　no　certain　record　of　minority　sentiment。


Widely　different　in　temper　were　those　stern　and　resolute　men　whose　organization；　in　perfect　fighting　trim；　faced　eagerly　the　divided　Democrats。　　The　Republicans　had　no　division　among　themselves　upon　doctrine。　　Such　division　as　existed　was　due　to　the　ordinary　rivalry　of　political　leaders。　　In　the　opinion　of　all　his　enemies　and　of　most　Americans；　Seward　was　the　Republican　man　of　the　hour。　During　much　of　1859　he　had　discreetly　withdrawn　from　the　country　and　had　left　to　his　partisans　the　conduct　of　his　campaign；　which　seems　to　have　been　going　well　when　he　returned　in　the　midst　of　the　turmoil　following　the　death　of　John　Brown。　　Nevertheless　he　was　disturbed　over　his　prospects；　for　he　found　that　in　many　minds；　both　North　and　South；　he　was　looked　upon　as　the　ultimate　cause　of　all　the　turmoil。　　His　famous　speech　on　the　〃irrepressible　confl