democracy in america-1-第134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！


*p　During　the　same　period　the　State　of　New　York　progressed　in　the　contrary　direction：　in　1790　it　had　ten　representatives　in　Congress；　in　1813；　twenty…seven；　in　1823；　thirty…four；　and　in　1833；　forty。　　The　State　of　Ohio　had　only　one　representative　in　1803；　and　in　1833　it　had　already　nineteen。　

＇Footnote　o：　It　may　be　seen　that　in　the　course　of　the　last　ten　years　（1820…1830）　the　population　of　one　district；　as；　for　instance；　the　State　of　Delaware；　has　increased　in　the　proportion　of　five　per　cent。；　whilst　that　of　another；　as　the　territory　of　Michigan；　has　increased　250　per　cent。　　Thus　the　population　of　Virginia　had　augmented　thirteen　per　cent。；　and　that　of　the　border　State　of　Ohio　sixty…one　per　cent。；　in　the　same　space　of　time。　　The　general　table　of　these　changes；　which　is　given　in　the　〃National　Calendar；〃　displays　a　striking　picture　of　the　unequal　fortunes　of　the　different　States。＇

＇Footnote　p：　It　has　just　been　said　that　in　the　course　of　the　last　term　the　population　of　Virginia　has　increased　thirteen　per　cent。；　and　it　is　necessary　to　explain　how　the　number　of　representatives　for　a　State　may　decrease；　when　the　population　of　that　State；　far　from　diminishing；　is　actually　upon　the　increase。　　I　take　the　State　of　Virginia；　to　which　I　have　already　alluded；　as　my　term　of　comparison。　　The　number　of　representatives　of　Virginia　in　1823　was　proportionate　to　the　total　number　of　the　representatives　of　the　Union；　and　to　the　relation　which　the　population　bore　to　that　of　the　whole　Union：　in　1833　the　number　of　representatives　of　Virginia　was　likewise　proportionate　to　the　total　number　of　the　representatives　of　the　Union；　and　to　the　relation　which　its　population；　augmented　in　the　course　of　ten　years；　bore　to　the　augmented　population　of　the　Union　in　the　same　space　of　time。　　The　new　number　of　Virginian　representatives　will　then　be　to　the　old　numver；　on　the　one　hand；　as　the　new　numver　of　all　the　representatives　is　to　the　old　number；　and；　on　the　other　hand；　as　the　augmentation　of　the　population　of　Virginia　is　to　that　of　the　whole　population　of　the　country。　　Thus；　if　the　increase　of　the　population　of　the　lesser　country　be　to　that　of　the　greater　in　an　exact　inverse　ratio　of　the　proportion　between　the　new　and　the　old　numbers　of　all　the　representatives；　the　number　of　the　representatives　of　Virginia　will　remain　stationary；　and　if　the　increase　of　the　Virginian　population　be　to　that　of　the　whole　Union　in　a　feeblerratio　than　the　new　number　of　the　representatives　of　the　Union　to　the　old　number；　the　number　of　the　representatives　of　Virginia　must　decrease。　＇Thus；　to　the　56th　Congress　in　1899；　Virginia　and　West　Virginia　send　only　fourteen　representatives。＇＇　

Chapter　XVIII：　Future　Condition　Of　Three　Races　…　Part　VIII　　It　is　difficult　to　imagine　a　durable　union　of　a　people　which　is　rich　and　strong　with　one　which　is　poor　and　weak；　even　if　it　were　proved　that　the　strength　and　wealth　of　the　one　are　not　the　causes　of　the　weakness　and　poverty　of　the　other。　　But　union　is　still　more　difficult　to　maintain　at　a　time　at　which　one　party　is　losing　strength；　and　the　other　is　gaining　it。　　This　rapid　and　disproportionate　increase　of　certain　States　threatens　the　independence　of　the　others。　　New　York　might　perhaps　succeed；　with　its　2；000；000　of　inhabitants　and　its　forty　representatives；　in　dictating　to　the　other　States　in　Congress。　But　even　if　the　more　powerful　States　make　no　attempt　to　bear　down　the　lesser　ones；　the　danger　still　exists；　for　there　is　almost　as　much　in　the　possibility　of　the　act　as　in　the　act　itself。　　The　weak　generally　mistrust　the　justice　and　the　reason　of　the　strong。　　The　States　which　increase　less　rapidly　than　the　others　look　upon　those　which　are　more　favored　by　fortune　with　envy　and　suspicion。　　Hence　arise　the　deep…seated　uneasiness　and　ill…defined　agitation　which　are　observable　in　the　South；　and　which　form　so　striking　a　contrast　to　the　confidence　and　prosperity　which　are　common　to　other　parts　of　the　Union。　　I　am　inclined　to　think　that　the　hostile　measures　taken　by　the　Southern　provinces　upon　a　recent　occasion　are　attributable　to　no　other　cause。　　The　inhabitants　of　the　Southern　States　are；　of　all　the　Americans；　those　who　are　most　interested　in　the　maintenance　of　the　Union；　they　would　assuredly　suffer　most　from　being　left　to　themselves；　and　yet　they　are　the　only　citizens　who　threaten　to　break　the　tie　of　confederation。　　But　it　is　easy　to　perceive　that　the　South；　which　has　given　four　Presidents；　Washington；　Jefferson；　Madison；　and　Monroe；　to　the　Union；　which　perceives　that　it　is　losing　its　federal　influence；　and　that　the　number　of　its　representatives　in　Congress　is　diminishing　from　year　to　year；　whilst　those　of　the　Northern　and　Western　States　are　increasing；　the　South；　which　is　peopled　with　ardent　and　irascible　beings；　is　becoming　more　and　more　irritated　and　alarmed。　　The　citizens　reflect　upon　their　present　position　and　remember　their　past　influence；　with　the　melancholy　uneasiness　of　men　who　suspect　oppression：　if　they　discover　a　law　of　the　Union　which　is　not　unequivocally　favorable　to　their　interests；　they　protest　against　it　as　an　abuse　of　force；　and　if　their　ardent　remonstrances　are　not　listened　to；　they　threaten　to　quit　an　association　which　loads　them　with　burdens　whilst　it　deprives　them　of　their　due　profits。　　〃The　tariff；〃　said　the　inhabitants　of　Carolina　in　1832；　〃enriches　the　North；　and　ruins　the　South；　for　if　this　were　not　the　case；　to　what　can　we　attribute　the　continually　increasing　power　and　wealth　of　the　North；　with　its　inclement　skies　and　arid　soil；　whilst　the　South；　which　may　be　styled　the　garden　of　America；　is　rapidly　declining？〃　*q

＇Footnote　q：　See　the　report　of　its　committee　to　the　Convention　which　proclaimed　the　nullification　of　the　tariff　in　South　Carolina。＇

If　the　changes　which　I　have　described　were　gradual；　so　that　each　generation　at　least　might　have　time　to　disappear　with　the　order　of　things　under　which　it　had　lived；　the　danger　would　be　less；　but　the　progress　of　society　in　America　is　precipitate；　and　almost　revolutionary。　　The　same　citizen　may　have　lived　to　see　his　State　take　the　lead　in　the　Union；　and　afterwards　become　powerless　in　the　federal　assemblies；　and　an　Anglo…American　republic　has　been　known　to　grow　as　rapidly　as　a　man　passing　from　birth　and　infancy　to　maturity　in　the　course　of　thirty　years。　　It　must　not　be　imagined；　however；　that　the　States　which　lose　their　preponderance；　also　lose　their　population　or　their　riches：　no　stop　is　put　to　their　prosperity；　and　they　even　go　on　to　increase　more　rapidly　than　any　kingdom　in　Europe。　*r　But　they　believe　themselves　to　be　impoverished　because　their　wealth　does　not　augment　as　rapidly　as　that　of　their　neighbors；　any　they　think　that　their　power　is　lost；　because　they　suddenly　come　into　collision　with　a　power　greater　than　their　own：　*s　thus　they　are　more　hurt　in　their　feelings　and　their　passions　than　in　their　interests。　　But　this　is　amply　sufficient　to　endanger　the　maintenance　of　the　Union。　　If　kings　and　peoples　had　only　had　their　true　interests　in　view　ever　since　the　beginning　of　the　world；　the　name　of　war　would　scarcely　be　known　among　mankind。　

＇Footnote　r：　The　population　of　a　country　assuredly　constitutes　the　first　element　of　its　wealth。　　In　the　ten　years　（1820…1830）　during　which　Virginia　lost　two　of　its　representatives　in　Congress；　its　population　increased　in　the　proportion　of　13。7　per　cent。；　that　of　Carolina　in　the　proportion　of　fifteen　per　cent。；　and　that　of　Georgia；　15。5　per　cent。　　（See　the　〃American　Almanac；〃　1832；　p。　162）　But　the　population　of　Russia；　which　increases　more　rapidly　than　that　of　any　other　European　country；　only　augments　in　ten　years　at　the　rate　of　9。5　per　cent。；　in　France；　at　the　rate　of　seven　per　cent。；　and　in　Europe　in　general；　at　the　rate　of　4。7　per　cent。　（See　〃Malte　Brun；〃　vol。　vi。　p。　95）＇

＇Footnote　s：　It　must　be　admitted；　however；　that　the　depreciation　which　has　taken　place　in　the　value　of　tobacco；　during　the　last　fifty　years；　has　notably　diminished　the　opulence　of　the　Southern　planters：　but　this　circumstance　is　as　independent　of　the　will　of　their　Northern　brethren　as　it　is　of　their　own。＇

Thus　the　prosperity　of　the　United　States　is　the　source　of　the　most　serious　dangers　that　threaten　them；　since　it　tends　to　create　in　some　of　the　confederate　States　that　over…excit