第 54 节
作者:公主站记      更新:2021-04-30 17:05      字数:9321
  o reason to applaud it。
  That there is some danger that for a time the victory will be  taken as a victory for humanitarianism or socialism; it would be  idle to deny。  It is so taken now; and the humanitarian party  throughout the world are in ecstasies over it。  The party claim  it。  The European Socialists and Red Republicans applaud it; and  the Mazzinis and the Garibaldis inflict on us the deep  humiliation of their congratulations。  A cause that can be  approved by the revolutionary leaders of European Liberals must  be strangely misunderstood; or have in it some infamous element。   It is no compliment to a nation to receive the congratulations of  men who assert not only people…king; but people…God; and those  Americans who are delighted with them are worse enemies to the  American democracy than ever were Jefferson Davis and his fellow  conspirators; and more contemptible; as the swindler is more  contemptible than the highwayman。
  But it is probable the humanitarians have reckoned without their  host。  Not they are the real victors。  When the smoke of battle  has 367     cleared away; the victory; it will be seen; has been won by  the Republic; and that that alone has triumphed。  The  abolitionists; in so far as they asserted the unity of the race  and opposed slavery as a denial of that unity; have also won; but  in so far as they denied the reality or authority of territorial  and individual circumscriptions; followed a purely socialistic  tendency; and sought to dissolve patriotism into a watery  sentimentality called philanthropy; have in reality been  crushingly defeated; as they will find when the late  insurrectionary States are fully reconstructed。  The Southern or  egoistical democrats; so far as they denied the unity and  solidarity of the race; the rights of society over individuals;  and the equal rights of each and every individual in face of the  state; or the obligations of society to protect the weak and help  the helpless; have been also defeated; but so far as they  asserted personal or individual rights which society neither  gives nor can take away; and so far as they asserted; not State  sovereignty; but State rights; held independently of the General  government; and which limit its authority and sphere of action;  they share in the victory; as the future will prove。
  European Jacobins; revolutionists; conspiring openly or secretly  against all legitimate author… 368                              ity; whether in Church or State;  have no lot or part in the victory of the American people: not  for them nor for men with their nefarious designs or mad dreams;  have our brave soldiers fought; suffered and bled for four years  of the most terrible war in modern times; and against troops as  brave and as well led as themselves; not for them has the country  sacrificed a million of lives; and contracted a debt of four  thousand millions of dollars; besides the waste and destruction  that it will take years of peaceful industry to repair。  They and  their barbaric democracy have been defeated; and civilization has  won its most brilliant victory in all history。  The American  democracy has crushed; actually or potentially; every species of  barbarism in the New World; asserted victoriously the state; and  placed the government definitively on the side of legitimate  authority; and made its natural association henceforth with all  civilized governmentsnot with the revolutionary movements to  overthrow them。  The American people will always be progressive  as well as conservative; but they have learned a lesson; which  they much needed against false democracy: civil war has taught  them that 〃the sacred right of insurrection〃 is as much out of  place in a democratic state as in an aristocratic or a mon… 369                                                           archical  state; and that the government should always be clothed with  ample authority to arrest and punish whoever plots its  destruction。  They must never be delighted again to have their  government send a national ship to bring hither a noted traitor  to his own sovereign as the nation's guest。  The people of the  Northern States are hardly less responsible for the late  rebellion than the people of the Southern States。  Their press  had taught them to call every government a tyranny that refused  to remain quiet while the traitor was cutting its throat or  assassinating the nation; and they had nothing but mad  denunciations of the Papal; the Austrian; and the Neapolitan  governments for their severity against conspirators and traitors。   But their own government has found it necessary for the public  safety to be equally arbitrary; prompt; and severe; and they will  most likely require it hereafter to co…operate with the  governments of the Old World in advancing civilization; instead  of lending all its moral support; as heretofore; to the Jacobins;  revolutionists; socialists; and humanitarians; to bring back the  reign of barbarism。
  The tendency to individualism has been sufficiently checked by  the failure of the rebellion; and no danger from the  disintegrating  370                element; either in the particular State or in the  United States; is henceforth to be apprehended。  But the tendency  in the opposite direction may give the American state some  trouble。  The tendency now is; as to the Union; consolidation;  and as to the particular state; humanitarianism; socialism; or  centralized democracy。  Yet this tendency; though it may do much  mischief; will hardly become exclusive。  The States that seceded;  when restored; will always; even in abandoning State sovereignty;  resist it; and still assert State rights。  When these States are  restored to their normal position; they will always be able to  protect themselves against any encroachments on their special  rights by the General government。  The constitution; in the  distribution of the powers of government; provides the States  severally with ample means to protect their individuality against  the centralizing tendency of the General government; however  strong it may be。
  The war has; no doubt; had a tendency to strengthen the General  government; and to cause the people; to a great extent; to look  upon it as the supreme and exclusive national government; and to  regard the several State governments as subordinate instead of  co…ordinate governments。  It is not improbable that the  Executive; since 371                  the outbreak of the rebellion; has proceeded  throughout on that supposition; and hence his extraordinary  assumptions of power; but when once peace is fully re…established  and the States have all resumed their normal position in the  Union; every State will be found prompt enough to resist any  attempt to encroach on its constitutional rights。  Its instinct  of self…preservation will lead it to resist; and it will be  protected by both its own judiciary and that of the United  States。
  The danger that the General government will usurp the rights of  the States is far less than the danger that the Executive will  usurp all the powers of Congress and the judiciary。  Congress;  during the rebellion; clothed the President; as far as it could;  with dictatorial powers; and these powers the Executive continues  to exercise even after the rebellion is suppressed。  They were  given and held under the rights of war; and for war purposes  only; and expired by natural limitation when the war ceased; but  the Executive forgets this; and; instead of calling Congress  together and submitting the work of reconstruction of the States  that seceded to its wisdom and authority; undertakes to  reconstruct them himself; as if he were an absolute sovereign;  372 and the people seem to like it。  He might and should; as  commander…in…chief of the army and navy; govern them as military  departments; by his lieutenants; till Congress could either  create provisional civil governments for them or recognize them  as self…governing States in the Union; but he has no right; under  the constitution nor under the war power; to appoint civil  governors; permanent or provisional; and every act he has done in  regard to reconstruction is sheer usurpation; and done without  authority and without the slightest plea of necessity。  His acts  in this respect; even if wise and just in themselves; are  inexcusable; because done by one who has no legal right to do  them。  Yet his usurpation is apparently sustained by public  sentiment; and a deep wound is inflicted on the constitution;  which will be long in healing。
  The danger in this respect is all the greater because it did not  originate with the rebellion; but had manifested itself for a  long time before。  There is a growing disposition on the part of
  Congress to throw as much of the business of government as  possible into the hands of the Executive。  The patronage the  Executive wields; even in times of peace; is so large that he has  indirectly an almost supreme control 373                                      over the legislative branch  of the government。  For this; which is; and; if not checked will  continue to be; a growing evil; there is no obvious remedy;  unless the President is chosen for a longer term of office and  made