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the american republic-第67章

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f the race; as well as  all obligations of society to protect the weak and helpless; and  therefore all true civil society。

At the North there has been; and is even yet; an opposite  tendencya tendency to exaggerate the social element; to  overlook the territorial basis of the state; and to disregard the  rights of individuals。  This tendency has been and is strong in  the people called abolitionists。  The American abolitionist is so  engrossed with the unity that he loses the solidarity of the  race; which supposes unity of race and multiplicity of  individuals; and falls to see any thing legitimate and  authoritative in 355                  geographical divisions or territorial  circumscriptions。  Back of these; back of individuals; he sees  humanity; superior to individuals; superior to states;  governments; and laws; and holds that he may trample on them all  or give them to the winds at the call of humanity or 〃the higher  law。〃  The principle on which he acts is as indefensible as the  personal or egoistical democracy of the slaveholders and their  sympathizers。  Were his socialistic tendency to become exclusive  and realized; it would found in the name of humanity a complete  social despotism; which; proving impracticable from its very  generality; would break up in anarchy; in which might makes  right; as in the slaveholder's democracy。

The abolitionists; in supporting themselves on humanity in its  generality; regardless of individual and territorial rights; can  recognize no state; no civil authority; and therefore are as much  out of the order of civilization; and as much in that of  barbarism; as is the slaveholder himself。  Wendell Phillips is as  far removed from true Christian civilization as was John C。  Calhoun; and William Lloyd Garrison is as much of a barbarian and  despot in principle and tendency as Jefferson Davis。  Hence the  great body of the people in the non…slaveholding States; wedded  to American democracy as they 354                               were and are could never; as much  as they detested slavery; be induced to make common cause with  the abolitionists; and their apparent union in the late civil war  was accidental; simply owing to the fact that for the time the  social democracy and the territorial coincides or had the same  enemy。  The great body of the loyal people instinctively felt  that pure socialism is as incompatible with American democracy as  pure individualism; and the abolitionists are well aware that  slavery has been abolished; not for humanitarian or socialistic  reasons but really for reasons of state; in order to save the  territorial democracy。  The territorial democracy would not unite  to eliminate even so barbaric an element as slavery; till the  rebellion gave them the constitutional right to abolish it; and  even then so scrupulous were they; that they demanded a  constitutional amendment; so as to be able to make clean work of  it; without any blow to individual or State rights。

The abolitionists were right in opposing slavery; but not in  demanding its abolition on humanitarian or socialistic grounds。   Slavery is really a barbaric element; and is in direct antagonism  to American civilization。  The whole force of the national life  opposes it; and must finally eliminate it; or become itself  extinct 357         and it is no mean proof of their utter want of sympathy  with all the living forces of modern civilization; that the  leading men of the South and their prominent friends at the North  really persuaded themselves that with cotton; rice; and tobacco;  they could effectually resist the anti…slavery movement; and  perpetuate their barbaric democracy。  They studied the classics;  they admired Greece and Rome; and imagined that those nations  became great by slavery; instead of being great even in spite of  slavery。  They failed to take into the account the fact that when  Greece and Rome were in the zenith of their glory; all  contemporary nations were also slaveholding nations; and that if  they were the greatest and most highly civilized nations of their  times; they were not fitted to be the greatest and most highly  civilized nations of all times。  They failed also to perceive  that; if the Graeco…Roman republic did not include the whole  territorial people in the political people; it yet recognized  both the social and the territorial foundation of the state; and  never attempted to rest it on pure individualism; they forgot;  too; that Greece and Rome both fell; and fell precisely through  internal weakness caused by the barbarism within; not through the  force of the barbarism 358                        beyond their frontiers。  The world has  changed since the time when ten thousand of his slaves were  sacrificed as a religious offering to the manes of a single Roman  master。  The infusion of the Christian dogma of the unity and  solidarity of the race into the belief; the life; the laws; the  jurisprudence of all civilized nations; has doomed slavery and  every species of barbarism; but this our slaveholding countrymen  saw not。

It rarely happens that in any controversy; individual or  national; the real issue is distinctly presented; or the precise  question in debate is clearly and distinctly understood by either  party。  Slavery was only incidentally involved in the late war。   The war was occasioned by the collision of two extreme parties;  but it was itself a war between civilization and barbarism;  primarily between the territorial democracy and the personal  democracy; and in reality; on the part of the nation; as much a  war against the socialism of the abolitionist as against the  individualism of the slaveholder。  Yet the victory; though  complete over the former; is only half won over the latter; for  it has left the humanitarian democracy standing; and perhaps for  the moment stronger than ever。  The socialistic democracy was  enlisted by the territorial; not to strengthen the government at 359 home; as it imagines; for that it did not do; and could not do;  since the national instinct was even more opposed to it than to  the personal democracy; but under its antislavery aspect; to  soften the hostility of foreign powers; and ward off foreign  intervention; which was seriously threatened。  The populations of  Europe; especially of France and England; were decidedly  anti…slavery; and if the war here appeared to them a war; not  solely for the unity of the nation and the integrity of its  domain; as it really was; in which they took and could take no  interest; but a war for the abolition of slavery; their  governments would not venture to intervene。  This was the only  consideration that weighed with Mr。 Lincoln; as he himself  assured the author; and induced him to issue his Emancipation  Proclamation; and Europe rejoices in our victory over the  rebellion only so far as it has liberated the slaves; and honors  the late President only as their supposed liberator; not as the  preserver of the unity and integrity of the nation。  This is  natural enough abroad; and proves the wisdom of the anti…slavery  policy of the government; which had become absolutely necessary  to save the Republic long before it was adopted; yet it is not as  
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