north america-1-第36章

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hy　heaven；　with　its　thunder；　did　not　open　over　the　heads　of　Rebecca　and　her　son。　　But　Jacob；　with　all　his　fraud；　was　the　chosen　one。　　Perhaps　the　day　may　come　when　scrupulous　honesty　may　be　the　best　policy；　even　on　the　frontier。　　I　can　only　say　that　hitherto　that　day　seems　to　be　as　distant　as　ever。　　I　do　not　pretend　to　solve　the　problem；　but　simply　record　my　opinion　that　under　circumstances　as　they　still　exist　I　should　not　willingly　select　a　frontier　life　for　my　children。　I　have　said　that　all　great　frontier　men　have　been　unscrupulous。　There　is；　however；　an　exception　in　history　which　may　perhaps　serve　to　prove　the　rule。　　The　Puritans　who　colonized　New　England　were　frontier　men；　and　were；　I　think；　in　general　scrupulously　honest。　They　had　their　faults。　　They　were　stern；　austere　men；　tyrannical　at　the　backbone　when　power　came　in　their　way；　as　are　all　pioneers；　hard　upon　vices　for　which　they　who　made　the　laws　had　themselves　no　minds；　but　they　were　not　dishonest。　At　Milwaukee　I　went　up　to　see　the　Wisconsin　volunteers；　who　were　then　encamped　on　open　ground　in　the　close　vicinity　of　the　town。　　Of　Wisconsin　I　had　heard　beforeand　have　heard　the　same　opinion　repeated　sincethat　it　was　more　backward　in　its　volunteering　than　its　neighbor　States　in　the　West。　　Wisconsin　has　760；000　inhabitants；　and　its　tenth　thousand　of　volunteers　was　not　then　made　up；　whereas　Indiana；　with　less　than　double　its　number；　had　already　sent　out　thirty…six　thousand。　　Iowa；　with　a　hundred　thousand　less　of　inhabitants；　had　then　made　up　fifteen　thousand。　　But　neverthless　to　me　it　seemed　that　Wisconsin　was　quite　alive　to　its　presumed　duty　in　that　respect。　　Wisconsin；　with　its　three…quarters　of　a　million　of　people；　is　as　large　as　England。　　Every　acre　of　it　may　be　made　productive；　but　as　yet　it　is　not　half　cleared。　　Of　such　a　country　its　young　men　are　its　heart's　blood。　　Ten　thousand　men；　fit　to　bear　arms；　carried　away　from　such　a　land　to　the　horrors　of　civil　war；　is　a　sight　as　full　of　sadness　as　any　on　which　the　eye　can　rest。　　Ah　me；　when　will　they　return；　and　with　what　altered　hopes！　　It　is；　I　fear；　easier　to　turn　the　sickle　into　the　sword　than　to　recast　the　sword　back　again　into　the　sickle！　We　found　a　completed　regiment　at　Wisconsin　consisting　entirely　of　Germans。　　A　thousand　Germans　had　been　collected　in　that　State　and　brought　together　in　one　regiment；　and　I　was　informed　by　an　officer　on　the　ground　that　there　are　many　Germans　in　sundry　other　of　the　Wisconsin　regiments。　　It　may　be　well　to　mention　here　that　the　number　of　Germans　through　all　these　Western　States　is　very　great。　Their　number　and　well…being　were　to　me　astonishing。　　That　they　form　a　great　portion　of　the　population　of　New　York；　making　the　German　quarter　of　that　city　the　third　largest　German　town　in　the　world；　I　have　long　known；　but　I　had　no　previous　idea　of　their　expansion　westward。　　In　Detroit　nearly　every　third　shop　bore　a　German　name；　and　the　same　remark　was　to　be　made　at　Milwaukee；　and　on　all　hands　I　heard　praises　of　their　morals；　of　their　thrift；　and　of　their　new　patriotism。　　I　was　continually　told　how　far　they　exceeded　the　Irish　settlers。　　To　me　in　all　parts　of　the　world　an　Irishman　is　dear。　When　handled　tenderly　he　becomes　a　creature　most　lovable。　　But　with　all　my　judgment　in　the　Irishman's　favor；　and　with　my　prejudices　leaning　the　same　way；　I　feel　myself　bound　to　state　what　I　heard　and　what　I　saw　as　to　the　Germans。　But　this　regiment　of　Germans；　and　another　not　completed　regiment；　called　from　the　State　generally；　were　as　yet　without　arms；　accouterments；　or　clothing。　　There　was　the　raw　material　of　the　regiment；　but　there　was　nothing　else。　　Winter　was　coming　onwinter　in　which　the　mercury　is　commonly　twenty　degrees　below　zeroand　the　men　were　in　tents　with　no　provision　against　the　cold。　　These　tents　held　each　two　men；　and　were　just　large　enough　for　two　to　lie。　　The　canvas　of　which　they　were　made　seemed　to　me　to　be　thin；　but　was；　I　think；　always　double。　　At　this　camp　there　was　a　house　in　which　the　men　took　their　meals；　but　I　visited　other　camps　in　which　there　was　no　such　accommodation。　　I　saw　the　German　regiment　called　to　its　supper　by　tuck　of　drum；　and　the　men　marched　in　gallantly；　armed　each　with　a　knife　and　spoon。　　I　managed　to　make　my　way　in　at　the　door　after　them；　and　can　testify　to　the　excellence　of　the　provisions　of　which　their　supper　consisted。　　A　poor　diet　never　enters　into　any　combination　of　circumstances　contemplated　by　an　American。　　Let　him　be　where　he　will；　animal　food　is　with　him　the　first　necessary　of　life；　and　he　is　always　provided　accordingly。　　As　to　those　Wisconsin　men　whom　I　saw；　it　was　probable　that　they　might　be　marched　off；　down　South　to　Washington；　or　to　the　doubtful　glories　of　the　Western　campaign　under　Fremont；　before　the　winter　commenced。　　The　same　might　have　been　said　of　any　special　regiment。　But　taking　the　whole　mass　of　men　who　were　collected　under　canvas　at　the　end　of　the　autumn　of　1861；　and　who　were　so　collected　without　arms　or　military　clothing；　and　without　protection　from　the　weather；　it　did　seem　that　the　task　taken　in　hand　by　the　Commissariat　of　the　Northern　army　was　one　not　devoid　of　difficulty。　The　view　from　Milwaukee　over　Lake　Michigan　is　very　pleasing。　　One　looks　upon　a　vast　expanse　of　water　to　which　the　eye　finds　no　bounds；　and　therefore　there　are　none　of　the　common　attributes　of　lake　beauty；　but　the　color　of　the　lake　is　bright；　and　within　a　walk　of　the　city　the　traveler　comes　to　the　bluffs　or　low　round…topped　hills；　from　which　we　can　look　down　upon　the　shores。　　These　bluffs　form　the　beauty　of　Wisconsin　and　Minnesota；　and　relieve　the　eye　after　the　flat　level　of　Michigan。　　Round　Detroit　there　is　no　rising　ground；　and　therefore；　perhaps；　it　is　that　Detroit　is　uninteresting。　I　have　said　that　those　who　are　called　on　to　labor　in　these　States　have　their　own　hardships；　and　I　have　endeavored　to　explain　what　are　the　sufferings　to　which　the　town　laborer　is　subject。　　To　escape　from　this　is　the　laborer's　great　ambition；　and　his　mode　of　doing　so　consists　almost　universally　in　the　purchase　of　land。　　He　saves　up　money　in　order　that　he　may　buy　a　section　of　an　allotment；　and　thus　become　his　own　master。　　All　his　savings　are　made　with　a　view　to　this　independence。　　Seated　on　his　own　land　he　will　have　to　work　probably　harder　than　ever；　but　he　will　work　for　himself。　　No　task…　master　can　then　stand　over　him　and　wound　his　pride　with　harsh　words。　　He　will　be　his　own　master；　will　eat　the　food　which　he　himself　has　grown；　and　live　in　the　cabin　which　his　own　hands　have　built。　　This　is　the　object　of　his　life；　and　to　secure　this　position　he　is　content　to　work　late　and　early　and　to　undergo　the　indignities　of　previous　servitude。　　The　government　price　for　land　is　about　five　shillings　an　acreone　dollar　and　a　quarterand　the　settler　may　get　it　for　this　price　if　he　be　contented　to　take　it　not　only　untouched　as　regards　clearing；　but　also　far　removed　from　any　completed　road。　　The　traffic　in　these　lands　has　been　the　great　speculating　business　of　Western　men。　　Five　or　six　years　ago；　when　the　rage　for　such　purchases　was　at　its　height；　land　was　becoming　a　scarce　article　in　the　market。　　Individuals　or　companies　bought　it　up　with　the　object　of　reselling　it　at　a　profit；　and　many；　no　doubt；　did　make　money。　　Railway　companies　were；　in　fact；　companies　combined　for　the　purchase　of　land。　　They　purchased　land；　looking　to　increase　the　value　of　it　fivefold　by　the　opening　of　a　railroad。　　It　may　easily　be　understood　that　a　railway；　which　could　not　be　in　itself　remunerative；　might　in　this　way　become　a　lucrative　speculation。　　No　settler　could　dare　to　place　himself　absolutely　at　a　distance　from　any　thoroughfare。　　At　first　the　margins　of　nature's　highways；　the　navigable　rivers　and　lakes；　were　cleared。　　But　as　the　railway　system　grew　and　expanded　itself；　it　became　manifest　that　lands　might　be　rendered　quickly　available　which　were　not　so　circumstanced　by　nature。　　A　company　which　had　purchased　an　enormous　territory　from　the　United　States　government　at　five　shillings　an　acre　might　well　repay　itself　all　the　cost　of　a　railway　through　that　territory；　even　though　the　receipts　of　the　railway　should　do　no　more　than　maintain　the　current　expenses。　　It　is　in　this　way　that　the　thousands　of　miles　of　American　railroads　have　been　opened；　and　here　again　must　be　seen　the　immense　advantages　which　the　States　as　a　new　country　have　enjoyed。　　With　us　the　purchase　of　valuable　land　for　railways；　together　with　the　legal　expenses　which　those　compulsory　purchases　entailed；　have　been　so　great　that　with　all　our　traffic　railways　are　not　remunerative。　　But　in　the　States　the　railways　have　created　the　value　of　the　land。　　The　States　have　been　able　to　begin　at　the　right　end；　and　to　arrange　that　the　districts　which　are　benefited　shall　themselves　pay　for　the　benefit　they　receive。　The　government　price　of　land　is　125　cents；　or　about　five　shillings　an　acre；　and　even　this　need　not　be　paid　at　once　if　the　settler　purchase　directly　from　the　government。　　He　must　begin　by　making　certain　improvements　on　the　selected　landclearing　and　cultivating　some　small　portion；　building　a　hut；　and　probably　sinking　a　well。　When　this　has　been　donewhen　he　has　thus　given　a　pledge　of　his　intentions　by　depositing　on　the　land　the　value　of　a　certain　amount　of　labor；　he　cannot　be　removed。　　He　cannot　be　removed　f