the fathers of the constitution-第17章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


n　part　of　the　State。　Civil　war　seemed　imminent。　The　insurgents　were　led　by　Daniel　Shays；　an　officer　in　the　army　of　the　Revolution；　and　the　party　of　law　and　order　was　represented　by　Governor　James　Bowdoin；　who　raised　some　four　thousand　troops　and　placed　them　under　the　command　of　General　Benjamin　Lincoln。　The　time　of　year　was　unfortunate　for　the　insurgents；　especially　as　December　was　unusually　cold　and　there　was　a　heavy　snowfall。　Shays　could　not　provide　stores　and　equipment　and　was　unable　to　maintain　discipline。　A　threatened　attack　on　Cambridge　came　to　naught　for；　when　preparations　were　made　to　protect　the　city；　the　rebels　began　a　disorderly　retreat；　and　in　the　intense　cold　and　deep　snow　they　suffered　severely；　and　many　died　from　exposure。　The　center　of　interest　then　shifted　to　Springfield；　where　the　insurgents　were　attempting　to　seize　the　United　States　arsenal。　The　local　militia　had　already　repelled　the　first　attacks；　and　the　appearance　of　General　Lincoln　with　his　troops　completed　the　demoralization　of　Shays'　army。　The　insurgents　retreated；　but　Lincoln　pursued　relentlessly　and　broke　them　up　into　small　bands；　which　then　wandered　about　the　country　preying　upon　the　unfortunate　inhabitants。　When　spring　came；　most　of　them　had　been　subdued　or　had　taken　refuge　in　the　neighboring　States。　Shays'　Rebellion　was　fairly　easily　suppressed；　even　though　it　required　the　shedding　of　some　blood。　But　it　was　the　possibility　of　further　outbreaks　that　destroyed　men's　peace　of　mind。　There　were　similar　disturbances　in　other　States；　and　there　the　Massachusetts　insurgents　found　sympathy；　support；　and　finally　a　refuge。　When　the　worst　was　over；　and　Governor　Bowdoin　applied　to　the　neighboring　States　for　help　in　capturing　the　last　of　the　refugees；　Rhode　Island　and　Vermont　failed　to　respond　to　the　extent　that　might　have　been　expected　of　them。　The　danger；　therefore；　of　the　insurrection　spreading　was　a　cause　of　deep　concern。　This　feeling　was　increased　by　the　impotence　of　Congress。　The　Government　had　sufficient　excuse　for　intervention　after　the　attack　upon　the　national　arsenal　in　Springfield。　Congress；　indeed；　began　to　raise　troops　but　did　not　dare　to　admit　its　purpose　and　offered　as　a　pretext　an　expedition　against　the　Northwestern　Indians。　The　rebellion　was　over　before　any　assistance　could　be　given。　The　inefficiency　of　Congress　and　its　lack　of　influence　were　evident。　Like　the　disorders　in　Rhode　Island；　Shays'　Rebellion　in　Massachusetts　helped　to　bring　about　a　reaction　and　strengthened　the　conservative　movement　for　reform。　These　untoward　happenings；　however；　were　only　symptoms：　the　causes　of　the　trouble　lay　far　deeper。　This　fact　was　recognized　even　in　Rhode　Island；　for　at　least　one　of　the　conventions　had　passed　resolutions　declaring　that；　in　considering　the　condition　of　the　whole　country；　what　particularly　concerned　them　was　the　condition　of　trade。　Paradoxical　as　it　may　seem；　the　trade　and　commerce　of　the　country　were　already　on　the　upward　grade　and　prosperity　was　actually　returning。　But　prosperity　is　usually　a　process　of　slow　growth　and　is　seldom　recognized　by　the　community　at　large　until　it　is　well　established。　Farsighted　men　forecast　the　coming　of　good　times　in　advance　of　the　rest　of　the　community；　and　prosper　accordingly。　The　majority　of　the　people　know　that　prosperity　has　come　only　when　it　is　unmistakably　present；　and　some　are　not　aware　of　it　until　it　has　begun　to　go。　If　that　be　true　in　our　day；　much　more　was　it　true　in　the　eighteenth　century；　when　means　of　communication　were　so　poor　that　it　took　days　for　a　message　to　go　from　Boston　to　New　York　and　weeks　for　news　to　get　from　Boston　to　Charleston。　It　was　a　period　of　adjustment；　and　as　we　look　back　after　the　event　we　can　see　that　the　American　people　were　adapting　themselves　with　remarkable　skill　to　the　new　conditions。　But　that　was　not　so　evident　to　the　men　who　were　feeling　the　pinch　of　hard　times；　and　when　all　the　attendant　circumstances；　some　of　which　have　been　described；　are　taken　into　account；　it　is　not　surprising　that　commercial　depression　should　be　one　of　the　strongest　influences　in；　and　the　immediate　occasion　of；　bringing　men　to　the　point　of　willingness　to　attempt　some　radical　changes。　The　fact　needs　to　be　reiterated　that　the　people　of　the　United　States　were　largely　dependent　upon　agriculture　and　other　forms　of　extractive　industry；　and　that　markets　for　the　disposal　of　their　goods　were　an　absolute　necessity。　Some　of　the　States；　especially　New　England　and　the　Middle　States；　were　interested　in　the　carrying　trade；　but　all　were　concerned　in　obtaining　markets。　On　account　of　jealousy　interstate　trade　continued　a　precarious　existence　and　by　no　means　sufficed　to　dispose　of　the　surplus　products；　so　that　foreign　markets　were　necessary。　The　people　were　especially　concerned　for　the　establishment　of　the　old　trade　with　the　West　India　Islands；　which　had　been　the　mainstay　of　their　prosperity　in　colonial　times；　and　after　the　British　Government；　in　1783；　restricted　that　trade　to　British　vessels；　many　people　in　the　United　States　were　attributing　hard　times　to　British　malignancy。　The　only　action　which　seemed　possible　was　to　force　Great　Britain　in　particular；　but　other　foreign　countries　as　well；　to　make　such　trade　agreements　as　the　prosperity　of　the　United　States　demanded。　The　only　hope　seemed　to　lie　in　a　commercial　policy　of　reprisal　which　would　force　other　countries　to　open　their　markets　to　American　goods。　Retaliation　was　the　dominating　idea　in　the　foreign　policy　of　the　time。　So　in　1784　Congress　made　a　new　recommendation　to　the　States；　prefacing　it　with　an　assertion　of　the　importance　of　commerce；　saying：　〃The　fortune　of　every　Citizen　is　interested　in　the　success　thereof；　for　it　is　the　constant　source　of　wealth　and　incentive　to　industry；　and　the　value　of　our　produce　and　our　land　must　ever　rise　or　fall　in　proportion　to　the　prosperous　or　adverse　state　of　trade。〃　And　after　declaring　that　Great　Britain　had　〃adopted　regulations　destructive　of　our　commerce　with　her　West　India　Islands；〃　it　was　further　asserted：　〃Unless　the　United　States　in　Congress　assembled　shall　be　vested　with　powers　competent　to　the　protection　of　commerce；　they　can　never　command　reciprocal　advantages　in　trade。〃　It　was　therefore　proposed　to　give　to　Congress　for　fifteen　years　the　power　to　prohibit　the　importation　or　exportation　of　goods　at　American　ports　except　in　vessels　owned　by　the　people　of　the　United　States　or　by　the　subjects　of　foreign　governments　having　treaties　of　commerce　with　the　United　States。　This　was　simply　a　request　for　authorization　to　adopt　navigation　acts。　But　the　individual　States　were　too　much　concerned　with　their　own　interests　and　did　not　or　would　not　appreciate　the　rights　of　the　other　States　or　the　interests　of　the　Union　as　a　whole。　And　so　the　commercial　amendment　of　1784　suffered　the　fate　of　all　other　amendments　proposed　to　the　Articles　of　Confederation。　In　fact　only　two　States　accepted　it。　It　usually　happens　that　some　minor　occurrence；　almost　unnoticed　at　the　time；　leads　directly　to　the　most　important　consequences。　And　an　incident　in　domestic　affairs　started　the　chain　of　events　in　the　United　States　that　ended　in　the　reform　of　the　Federal　Government。　The　rivalry　and　jealousy　among　the　States　had　brought　matters　to　such　a　pass　that　either　Congres