gnty　of　the　Union。　　Great　things　may　then　be　done　in　the　name　of　the　Federal　Government；　but　in　reality　that　Government　will　have　ceased　to　exist。　*b　In　both　these　cases；　the　power　which　acts　in　the　name　of　the　confederation　becomes　stronger　the　more　it　abandons　the　natural　state　and　the　acknowledged　principles　of　confederations。
  ＇Footnote　b：　Thus　the　province　of　Holland　in　the　republic　of　the　Low　Countries；　and　the　Emperor　in　the　Germanic　Confederation；　have　sometimes　put　themselves　in　the　place　of　the　union；　and　have　employed　the　federal　authority　to　their　own　advantage。＇
  In　America　the　existing　Union　is　advantageous　to　all　the　States；　but　it　is　not　indispensable　to　any　one　of　them。　　Several　of　them　might　break　the　federal　tie　without　compromising　the　welfare　of　the　others；　although　their　own　prosperity　would　be　lessened。　　As　the　existence　and　the　happiness　of　none　of　the　States　are　wholly　dependent　on　the　present　Constitution；　they　would　none　of　them　be　disposed　to　make　great　personal　sacrifices　to　maintain　it。　On　the　other　hand；　there　is　no　State　which　seems　hitherto　to　have　its　ambition　much　interested　in　the　maintenance　of　the　existing　Union。　　They　certainly　do　not　all　exercise　the　same　influence　in　the　federal　councils；　but　no　one　of　them　can　hope　to　domineer　over　the　rest；　or　to　treat　them　as　its　inferiors　or　as　its　subjects。
  It　appears　to　me　unquestionable　that　if　any　portion　of　the　Union　seriously　desired　to　separate　itself　from　the　other　States；　they　would　not　be　able；　nor　indeed　would　they　attempt；　to　prevent　it；　and　that　the　present　Union　will　only　last　as　long　as　the　States　which　compose　it　choose　to　continue　members　of　the　confederation。　　If　this　point　be　admitted；　the　question　becomes　less　difficult；　and　our　object　is；　not　to　inquire　whether　the　States　of　the　existing　Union　are　capable　of　separating；　but　whether　they　will　choose　to　remain　united。
  Amongst　the　various　reasons　which　tend　to　render　the　existing　Union　useful　to　the　Americans；　two　principal　causes　are　peculiarly　evident　to　the　observer。　　Although　the　Americans　are；　as　it　were；　alone　upon　their　continent；　their　commerce　makes　them　the　neighbors　of　all　the　nations　with　which　they　trade。　　Notwithstanding　their　apparent　isolation；　the　Americans　require　a　certain　degree　of　strength；　which　they　cannot　retain　otherwise　than　by　remaining　united　to　each　other。　　If　the　States　were　to　split；　they　would　not　only　diminish　the　strength　which　they　are　now　able　to　display　towards　foreign　nations；　but　they　would　soon　create　foreign　powers　upon　their　own　territory。　A　system　of　inland　custom…houses　would　then　be　established；　the　valleys　would　be　divided　by　imaginary　boundary　lines；　the　courses　of　the　rivers　would　be　confined　by　territorial　distinctions；　and　a　multitude　of　hindrances　would　prevent　the　Americans　from　exploring　the　whole　of　that　vast　continent　which　Providence　has　allotted　to　them　for　a　dominion。　　At　present　they　have　no　invasion　to　fear；　and　consequently　no　standing　armies　to　maintain；　no　taxes　to　levy。　　If　the　Union　were　dissolved；　all　these　burdensome　measures　might　ere　long　be　required。　　The　Americans　are　then　very　powerfully　interested　in　the　maintenance　of　their　Union。　　On　the　other　hand；　it　is　almost　impossible　to　discover　any　sort　of　material　interest　which　might　at　present　tempt　a　portion　of　the　Union　to　separate　from　the　other　States。
  When　we　cast　our　eyes　upon　the　map　of　the　United　States；　we　perceive　the　chain　of　the　Alleghany　Mountains；　running　from　the　northeast　to　the　southwest；　and　crossing　nearly　one　thousand　miles　of　country；　and　we　are　led　to　imagine　that　the　design　of　Providence　was　to　raise　between　the　valley　of　the　Mississippi　and　the　coast　of　the　Atlantic　Ocean　one　of　those　natural　barriers　which　break　the　mutual　intercourse　of　men；　and　form　the　necessary　limits　of　different　States。　　But　the　average　height　of　the　Alleghanies　does　not　exceed　2；500　feet；　their　greatest　elevation　is　not　above　4；000　feet；　their　rounded　summits；　and　the　spacious　valleys　which　they　conceal　within　their　passes；　are　of　easy　access　from　several　sides。　　Besides　which；　the　principal　rivers　which　fall　into　the　Atlantic　Ocean　…　the　Hudson；　the　Susquehanna；　and　the　Potomac　…take　their　rise　beyond　the　Alleghanies；　in　an　open　district；　which　borders　upon　the　valley　of　the　Mississippi。　　These　streams　quit　this　tract　of　country；　make　their　way　through　the　barrier　which　would　seem　to　turn　them　westward；　and　as　they　wind　through　the　mountains　they　open　an　easy　and　natural　passage　to　man。　　No　natural　barrier　exists　in　the　regions　which　are　now　inhabited　by　the　Anglo…Americans；　the　Alleghanies　are　so　far　from　serving　as　a　boundary　to　separate　nations；　that　they　do　not　even　serve　as　a　frontier　to　the　States。　New　York；　Pennsylvania；　and　Virginia　comprise　them　within　their　borders；　and　they　extend　as　much　to　the　west　as　to　the　east　of　the　line。　　The　territory　now　occupied　by　the　twenty…four　States　of　the　Union；　and　the　three　great　districts　which　have　not　yet　acquired　the　rank　of　States；　although　they　already　contain　inhabitants；　covers　a　surface　of　1；002；600　square　miles；　*c　which　is　about　equal　to　five　times　the　extent　of　France。　　Within　these　limits　the　qualities　of　the　soil；　the　temperature；　and　the　produce　of　the　country；　are　extremely　various。　　The　vast　extent　of　territory　occupied　by　the　Anglo…American　republics　has　given　rise　to　doubts　as　to　the　maintenance　of　their　Union。　　Here　a　distinction　must　be　made；　contrary　interests　sometimes　arise　in　the　different　provinces　of　a　vast　empire；　which　often　terminate　in　open　dissensions；　and　the　extent　of　the　country　is　then　most　prejudicial　to　the　power　of　the　State。　　But　if　the　inhabitants　of　these　vast　regions　are　not　divided　by　contrary　interests；　the　extent　of　the　territory　may　be　favorable　to　their　prosperity；　for　the　unity　of　the　government　promotes　the　interchange　of　the　different　productions　of　the　soil；　and　increases　their　value　by　facilitating　their　consumption。
  ＇Footnote　c：　See　〃Darby's　View　of　the　United　States；〃　p。　435。　　＇In　1890　the　number　of　States　and　Territories　had　increased　to　51；　the　population　to　62；831；900；　and　the　area　of　the　States；　3；602；990　square　miles。　　This　does　not　include　the　Philippine　Islands；　Hawaii；　or　Porto　Rico。　　A　conservative　estimate　of　the　population　of　the　Philippine　Islands　is　8；000；000；　that　of　Hawaii；　by　the　census　of　1897；　was　given　at　109；020；　and　the　present　estimated　population　of　Porto　Rico　is　900；000。　　The　area　of　the　Philippine　Islands　is　about　120；000　square　miles；　that　of　Hawaii　is　6；740　square　miles；　and　the　area　of　Porto　Rico　is　about　3；600　square　miles。＇＇
  It　is　indeed　easy　to　discover　different　interests　in　the　different　parts　of　the　Union；　but　I　am　unacquainted　with　any　which　are　hostile　to　each　other。　The　Southern　States　are　almost　exclusively　agricultural。　　The　Northern　States　are　more　peculiarly　commercial　and　manufacturing。　　The　States　of　the　West　are　at　the　same　time　agricultural　and　manufacturing。　　In　the　South　the　crops　consist　of　tobacco；　of　rice；　of　cotton；　and　of　sugar；　in　the　North　and　the　West；　of　wheat　and　maize。　　These　are　different　sources　of　wealth；　but　union　is　the　means　by　which　these　sources　are　opened　to　all；　and　rendered　equally　advantageous　to　the　several　districts。
  The　North；　which　ships　the　produce　of　the　Anglo…Americans　to　all　parts　of　the　world；　and　brings　back　the　produce　of　the　globe　to　the　Union；　is　evidently　interested　in　maintaining　the　confederation　in　its　present　condition；　in　order　that　the　number　of　American　producers　and　consumers　may　remain　as　large　as　possible。　　The　North　is　the　most　natural　agent　of　communication　between　the　South　and　the　West　of　the　Union　on　the　one　hand；　and　the　rest　of　the　world　upon　the　other；　the　North　is　therefore　interested　in　the　union　and　prosperity　of　the　South　and　the　West；　in　order　that　they　may　continue　to　furnish　raw　materials　for　its　manufactures；　and　cargoes　for　its　shipping。
  The　South　and　the　West；　on　their　side；　are　still　more　directly　interested　in　the　preservation　of　the　Union；　and　the　prosperity　of　the　North。　The　produce　of　the　South　is；　for　the　most　part；　exported　beyond　seas；　the　South　and　the　West　consequently　stand　in　need　of　the　commercial　resources　of　the　North。　They　are　likewise　interested　in　the　maintenance　of　a　powerful　fleet　by　the　Union；　to　protect　them　efficaciously。　　The　South　and　the　West　have　no　vessels；　but　they　cannot　refuse　a　willing　subsidy　to　defray　the　expenses　of　the　navy；　for　if　the　fleets　of　Europe　were　to　blockade　the　ports　of　the　South　and　the　delta　of　the　Mississippi；　what　would　become　of　the　rice　of　the　Carolinas；　the　tobacco　of　Virginia；　and　the　sugar　and　cotton　which　grow　in　the　valley　of　the　Mississippi？　　Every　portion　of　the　federal　budget　does　therefore　contribute　to　the　maintenance　of　material　interests　which　are　common　to　all　the　confederate　States。
  Independently　of　this　commercial　utility；　the　South　and　the　West　of　the　Union　derive　great　political　advantages　from　their　connection　with　the　North。　The　South　contains　an　enormous　slave　population；　a　population　which　is　already　alarming；　and　still　more　formidable　for　the　future。　　The　States　of　the　West　lie　in　the　remotest　parts　of　a　single　valley；　and　all　the　rivers　which　intersect　their　terr