representative government-第70章

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e　decided　by　the　governed。　One　hardly　knows　what　any　division　of　the　human　race　should　be　free　to　do　if　not　to　determine　with　which　of　the　various　collective　bodies　of　human　beings　they　choose　to　associate　themselves。　　　But；　when　a　people　are　ripe　for　free　institutions；　there　is　a　still　more　vital　consideration。　Free　institutions　are　next　to　impossible　in　a　country　made　up　of　different　nationalities。　Among　a　people　without　fellow…feeling；　especially　if　they　read　and　speak　different　languages；　the　united　public　opinion；　necessary　to　the　working　of　representative　government；　cannot　exist。　The　influences　which　form　opinions　and　decide　political　acts　are　different　in　the　different　sections　of　the　country。　An　altogether　different　set　of　leaders　have　the　confidence　of　one　part　of　the　country　and　of　another。　The　same　books；　newspapers；　pamphlets；　speeches；　do　not　reach　them。　One　section　does　not　know　what　opinions；　or　what　instigations；　are　circulating　in　another。　The　same　incidents；　the　same　acts；　the　same　system　of　government；　affect　them　in　different　ways；　and　each　fears　more　injury　to　itself　from　the　other　nationalities　than　from　the　common　arbiter；　the　state。　Their　mutual　antipathies　are　generally　much　stronger　than　jealousy　of　the　government。　That　any　one　of　them　feels　aggrieved　by　the　policy　of　the　common　ruler　is　sufficient　to　determine　another　to　support　that　policy。　Even　if　all　are　aggrieved；　none　feel　that　they　can　rely　on　the　others　for　fidelity　in　a　joint　resistance；　the　strength　of　none　is　sufficient　to　resist　alone；　and　each　may　reasonably　think　that　it　consults　its　own　advantage　most　by　bidding　for　the　favour　of　the　government　against　the　rest。　Above　all；　the　grand　and　only　effectual　security　in　the　last　resort　against　the　despotism　of　the　government　is　in　that　case　wanting：　the　sympathy　of　the　army　with　the　people。　The　military　are　the　part　of　every　community　in　whom；　from　the　nature　of　the　case；　the　distinction　between　their　fellow…countrymen　and　foreigners　is　the　deepest　and　strongest。　To　the　rest　of　the　people　foreigners　are　merely　strangers；　to　the　soldier；　they　are　men　against　whom　he　may　be　called；　at　a　week's　notice；　to　fight　for　life　or　death。　The　difference　to　him　is　that　between　friends　and　foes…　we　may　almost　say　between　fellow…men　and　another　kind　of　animals：　for　as　respects　the　enemy；　the　only　law　is　that　of　force；　and　the　only　mitigation　the　same　as　in　the　case　of　other　animals…　that　of　simple　humanity。　Soldiers　to　whose　feelings　half　or　three…fourths　of　the　subjects　of　the　same　government　are　foreigners　will　have　no　more　scruple　in　mowing　them　down；　and　no　more　desire　to　ask　the　reason　why；　than　they　would　have　in　doing　the　same　thing　against　declared　enemies。　An　army　composed　of　various　nationalities　has　no　other　patriotism　than　devotion　to　the　flag。　Such　armies　have　been　the　executioners　of　liberty　through　the　whole　duration　of　modern　history。　The　sole　bond　which　holds　them　together　is　their　officers　and　the　government　which　they　serve；　and　their　only　idea；　if　they　have　any；　of　public　duty　is　obedience　to　orders。　A　government　thus　supported；　by　keeping　its　Hungarian　regiments　in　Italy　and　its　Italian　in　Hungary；　can　long　continue　to　rule　in　both　places　with　the　iron　rod　of　foreign　conquerors。　　　If　it　be　said　that　so　broadly　marked　a　distinction　between　what　is　due　to　a　fellow…countryman　and　what　is　due　merely　to　a　human　creature　is　more　worthy　of　savages　than　of　civilised　beings；　and　ought；　with　the　utmost　energy；　to　be　contended　against；　no　one　holds　that　opinion　more　strongly　than　myself。　But　this　object；　one　of　the　worthiest　to　which　human　endeavour　can　be　directed；　can　never；　in　the　present　state　of　civilisation；　be　promoted　by　keeping　different　nationalities　of　anything　like　equivalent　strength　under　the　same　government。　In　a　barbarous　state　of　society　the　case　is　sometimes　different。　The　government　may　then　be　interested　in　softening　the　antipathies　of　the　races　that　peace　may　be　preserved　and　the　country　more　easily　governed。　But　when　there　are　either　free　institutions　or　a　desire　for　them；　in　any　of　the　peoples　artificially　tied　together；　the　interest　of　the　government　lies　in　an　exactly　opposite　direction。　It　is　then　interested　in　keeping　up　and　envenoming　their　antipathies　that　they　may　be　prevented　from　coalescing；　and　it　may　be　enabled　to　use　some　of　them　as　tools　for　the　enslavement　of　others。　The　Austrian　Court　has　now　for　a　whole　generation　made　these　tactics　its　principal　means　of　government；　with　what　fatal　success；　at　the　time　of　the　Vienna　insurrection　and　the　Hungarian　contest；　the　world　knows　too　well。　Happily　there　are　now　signs　that　improvement　is　too　far　advanced　to　permit　this　policy　to　be　any　longer　successful。　　　For　the　preceding　reasons；　it　is　in　general　a　necessary　condition　of　free　institutions　that　the　boundaries　of　governments　should　coincide　in　the　main　with　those　of　nationalities。　But　several　considerations　are　liable　to　conflict　in　practice　with　this　general　principle。　In　the　first　place；　its　application　is　often　precluded　by　geographical　hindrances。　There　are　parts　even　of　Europe　in　which　different　nationalities　are　so　locally　intermingled　that　it　is　not　practicable　for　them　to　be　under　separate　governments。　The　population　of　Hungary　is　composed　of　Magyars；　Slovaks；　Croats；　Serbs；　Roumans；　and　in　some　districts　Germans；　so　mixed　up　as　to　be　incapable　of　local　separation；　and　there　is　no　course　open　to　them　but　to　make　a　virtue　of　necessity；　and　reconcile　themselves　to　living　together　under　equal　rights　and　laws。　Their　community　of　servitude；　which　dates　only　from　the　destruction　of　Hungarian　independence　in　1849；　seems　to　be　ripening　and　disposing　them　for　such　an　equal　union。　The　German　colony　of　East　Prussia　is　cut　off　from　Germany　by　part　of　the　ancient　Poland；　and　being　too　weak　to　maintain　separate　independence；　must；　if　geographical　continuity　is　to　be　maintained；　be　either　under　a　non…German　government；　or　the　intervening　Polish　territory　must　be　under　a　German　one。　Another　considerable　region　in　which　the　dominant　element　of　the　population　is　German；　the　provinces　of　Courland；　Esthonia；　and　Livonia；　is　condemned　by　its　local　situation　to　form　part　of　a　Slavonian　state。　In　Eastern　Germany　itself　there　is　a　large　Slavonic　population：　Bohemia　is　principally　Slavonic；　Silesia　and　other　districts　partially　so。　The　most　united　country　in　Europe；　France；　is　far　from　being　homogeneous：　independently　of　the　fragments　of　foreign　nationalities　at　its　remote　extremities；　it　consists；　as　language　and　history　prove；　of　two　portions；　one　occupied　almost　exclusively　by　a　Gallo…Roman　population；　while　in　the　other　the　Frankish；　Burgundian；　and　other　Teutonic　races　form　a　considerable　ingredient。　　　When　proper　allowance　has　been　made　for　geographical　exigencies；　another　more　purely　moral　and　social　consideration　offers　itself。　Experience　proves　that　it　is　possible　for　one　nationality　to　merge　and　be　absorbed　in　another：　and　when　it　was　originally　an　inferior　and　more　backward　portion　of　the　human　race　the　absorption　is　greatly　to　its　advantage。　Nobody　can　suppose　that　it　is　not　more　beneficial　to　a　Breton；　or　a　Basque　of　French　Navarre；　to　be　brought　into　the　current　of　the　idea