登陆注册
5395000000233

第233章

The very preamble of the Constitution at once declares that the people of the different States do hereby join themselves together with the view of forming themselves into one nation. "We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." Here a great step was made toward centralization, toward one national government, and the binding together of the States into one nation.

But from that time down to the present the contest has been going on, sometimes openly and sometimes only within the minds of men, between the still alleged sovereignty of the individual States and the acknowledged sovereignty of the central Congress and central government. The disciples of Jefferson, even though they have not known themselves to be his disciples, have been carrying on that fight for State rights which has ended in secession; and the disciples of Hamilton, certainly not knowing themselves to be his disciples, have been making that stand for central government, and for the one acknowledged republic, which is now at work in opposing secession, and which, even though secession should to some extent be accomplished, will, we may hope, nevertheless, and not the less on account of such secession, conquer and put down the spirit of democracy.

The political contest of parties which is being waged now, and which has been waged throughout the history of the United States, has been pursued on one side in support of that idea of an undivided nationality of which I have spoken--of a nationality in which the interests of a part should be esteemed as the interests of the whole; and on the other side it has been pursued in opposition to that idea. I will not here go into the interminable question of slavery--though it is on that question that the Southern or democratic States have most loudly declared their own sovereign rights and their aversion to national interference. Were I to do so I should fail in my present object of explaining the nature of the Constitution of the United States. But I protest against any argument which shall be used to show that the Constitution has failed because it has allowed slavery to produce the present division among the States. I myself think that the Southern or Gulf States will go. I will not pretend to draw the exact line or to say how many of them are doomed; but I believe that South Carolina, with Georgia and perhaps five or six others, will be extruded from the Union. But their very extrusion will be a political success, and will in fact amount to a virtual acknowledgment in the body of the Union of the truth of that system for which the conservative Republican party has contended. If the North obtain the power of settling that question of boundary, the abandonment of those Southern States will be a success, even though the privilege of retaining them be the very point for which the North is now in arms.

The first clause of the Constitution declares that all the legislative powers granted by the Constitution shall be vested in a Congress, which shall consist of a Senate and of a House of Representatives. The House of Representatives is to be rechosen every two years, and shall be elected by the people, such persons in each State having votes for the national Congress as have votes for the legislature of their own States. If, therefore, South Carolina should choose--as she has chosen--to declare that the electors of her own legislature shall possess a property qualification, the electors of members of Congress from South Carolina must also have that qualification. In Massachusetts universal suffrage now prevails, although it is not long since a low property qualification prevailed even in Massachusetts. It therefore follows that members of the House of Representatives in Congress need by no means be all chosen on the same principle. As a fact, universal suffrage* and vote by ballot, that is by open voting papers, prevail in the States, but they do not so prevail by virtue of any enactment of the Constitution. The laws of the States, however, require that the voter shall have been a resident in the State for some period, and generally either deny the right of voting to negroes, or so hamper that privilege that practically it amounts to the same thing.

* Perhaps the better word would have been manhood suffrage; and even that word should be taken with certain restrictions. Aliens, minors, convicts, and men who pay no taxes cannot vote. In some States none can vote unless they can read and write. In some there is a property qualification. In all there are special restrictions against negroes. There is in none an absolutely universal suffrage.

But I keep the name as it best expresses to us in England the system of franchise which has practically come to prevail in the United States.

同类推荐
  • 大乘成业论

    大乘成业论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说摩邓女经

    佛说摩邓女经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 停骖录摘抄

    停骖录摘抄

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太上灵宝下元水官消愆灭罪忏

    太上灵宝下元水官消愆灭罪忏

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 神仙服饵丹石行药法

    神仙服饵丹石行药法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 第一狂兵

    第一狂兵

    一代兵王,为报战友之仇回归都市!喝最烈的酒,踩最狂的人,再掀热血都市,怒扫天下。
  • 复阴

    复阴

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 常人的超时空之旅

    常人的超时空之旅

    平凡的小人物,不平凡的遭遇,一次次奇遇,拥有了不平凡的能力,到底是应该变成欲望和野心,还是应该转换成强大的责任感?在人生中领悟人生,小人物的时空之旅。
  • 喜鹊泪

    喜鹊泪

    草奴男友为了她而身亡,一只喜鹊,一把玉如意,把齐宣带回百年前的时空。万万没有想到男友的前世竟然是清朝康熙帝第四子胤禛!为了报恩,她把自己献身给康熙。没想到,她无欲无求却换来别人更多的欲望……
  • 邪帝霸爱,吻上替身罪后

    邪帝霸爱,吻上替身罪后

    新婚之夜,他给予她的是无尽的羞辱。门庭冷落,哀戚遍布整座皇宫,等待她的似乎不是婚礼,更像是“丧”礼!“顾若兮,如今的你,只配做朕的奴!”他唇角噙笑,邪魅地在她耳边呢喃,冷眼看她愤怒的无措。“像你这种人渣,只空有一副漂亮的皮囊,里面却肮脏的臭气熏天!像你这种混蛋,扔在大街上本姑娘连看都不会看一眼。喜欢你?做梦吧!不,就算做梦本姑娘也不屑跟你沾有半点儿关系!”她咬牙不屑的瞪他。为了复仇,他强迫她生下他的子嗣,却又生生将她们母子剥离,残忍地看着她悲痛欲绝的抱着冰冷的小身体痛不欲生……她含笑爬起,在他面前化为灰烬……再见面,他惊愕,她却倚在别的男人身侧,妖娆得笑颜飞扬,诱/人的红唇轻启:“对不起,我不认识你!他才是我的夫,我是他唯一深爱的皇后!”他是她的梦魇,无论怎样都逃脱不掉!他恨她入骨,用一生将她囚禁,夜夜凌辱;他亦爱她如斯,疼她宠她到了心坎儿里;当他摒弃前嫌,以为终于可以再次拥她入怀,她却再次无情地将他彻底摧毁,一把将他推向黑暗的深渊。月光下,他唇角噙笑,金眸含血,一步步朝她走来,宛如从地狱中走出的修罗!当一切都真相大白,佳人不在,芳魂已逝……他方才追悔莫及……【甜蜜版】:“啊……啊……赫连晔,你个王八蛋,老娘要灭了你!”某女在产房疼得狼嚎鬼叫。外面的一群人急得团团转。“祺儿,你猜娘亲肚子里是弟弟还是妹妹?”某人蹲下抱起粉雕玉琢的小孩儿,宠溺的亲了一口,打算转移大家过分担忧的视线。“嗯……”粉雕玉琢的男孩儿瞅了瞅大家隐隐期盼的眼神,伸出食指放在小嘴儿边上,歪着脑袋想了想,忽的眯眼一笑,翘起两根肉呼呼的手指头,“弟弟,两个弟弟。”众人哄然一笑。。。。。。。。。。。结局绝对素HE,童鞋们放心入坑哈~喜欢本文的顺手点一下下面的“加入书架”按钮吧,每次更新都可以及时看得到哦~
  • 喋血四平

    喋血四平

    1946年4月至5月间,东北民主联军在四平地区展开了抗击国民党军进攻的防御战役。四平是东北的军事重镇,在解放战争期间,四平战役名闻中外,被外国记者称为“东方马德里”。此战中东北民主联军歼敌1万余人,迟滞了国民党军向北满的进攻,对巩固北满根据地起到了重要作用。
  • 华夏之我是最强佣兵

    华夏之我是最强佣兵

    非洲某地神秘掉落一块外星陨石,引得各国无数佣兵前往勘查,究竟是什么让各国派出如此之多的佣兵前往呢,请拭目以待!!!
  • 我们老了花什么

    我们老了花什么

    养老金领取年龄如果推后,对于个人来说,面临的有可能就是有相当一段时间,你可能已经没有工作能力了但你还没有养老金可领。如果我们现在没有充足的钱为未来预存,那老了怎么办呢?而且现在即使生活小康,也是上有老下有小,中间有房贷,生活中的任何一点意外,都可能承受不起。夫妻双方一人失业,老人或者孩子生病住院,再或者经济主力出现意外……年收入低于十万、家庭资产如何配置、要储备多少钱才够养老?孩子的教育投资多少合适、保险是理财手段吗、投资要投什么怎么投、信用卡如何利用……少壮不算计,养老心头慌,财富时代,钱袋也得规划把积累财富和财富规划提前开始吧!
  • 青少年应该知道的篆刻(阅读中华国粹)

    青少年应该知道的篆刻(阅读中华国粹)

    篆刻是书法和雕刻相结合的工艺美术。由于印文主要用篆书,工艺流程又是先写后刻,故称“篆刻”。其成品的功用在于“盖印”,故又称“玺印”或“印章”。专门研究这方面的学问,称为“篆刻学”或“印学”。
  • 药房樵唱

    药房樵唱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。