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Show 108 DESPOTISl\'1 When all the inhabitants of a country have arms in their hands, and are ready and zealous to meet and repulse any invader, the military strength of a country may be said to be at the highest pomt, for experience has abundantly demonstrated how easy it is to transform citizens into soldiers. But those citizens who arc capable of being transformed into soldiers must be principally drafted from the laborious classes of society. 'l'he hardy cultivators of the soil, when driven to the dire necessity of beating their plough shares into swords, have ever furnished the best and most patriotic soldicrs,-soldiers, who after repulsing the hostile invader, have willingly resumed again the useful labors of their former calling. Men of this class composed those armies of the revolution to whose courage, fortitude and patient spirit of endurance, we are indebted for our national independence. But in the slave states, these cultivators of the earth, these very men upon whom reliance ought to be principally placed in the hour of danger, would in that hour, be regarded with more dread and terror even than the invaders themselves. In case of a threatened invasion, so far from aiding in the defence of the country, they would create a powerful diversion in favor of the enemy.- When the French, in the first years of the revolu-tion, marched into the neighboring countries proclaiming "liberty and equality," they were received with such good-will on the part of the inhabitants as ensured a speedy triumph, notwithstanding the supenor force arrayed to resist their progress. 'l'he events of those wars placed in a strong light, the fact obvwus enough in itself, but which had not then attracted sufficient attention, that the inclination of the mhabitants of a country is much more apt to decide its fate, than the strength of armies in the fteld. When half the inhabitants of a country wish success to mvaders, it is not easy to resist them. . . Considering the odious light in whteh slavery tS now regarded by all civilized naLtons, 1t JS not likely, IN .'\1\lERICA, . 109 m case the United States beca . With any people of Euro e th t me mvolved in war be felt on the part of 11-fe 1 ~-I any repugnance would at the hands of the slaves. lO~ll~dtat.e, in s~eking aid ed upon some part or the Southcr~~ment bcmg effectof respectable strength a d . oast, by an army miscd to all such slave~ a~ wcman?lpatwn _being proforce would soon be a~cnmul~uld Jon: the mvaders, a ed efforts of the slave-hold. ted which the unassistpossible to resist. If themg states would find it imwould only be by troops m ":Ta~ers were expelled it such a crisis the fear of ontb~c ~~ ftOm the North. In atwns wo~lld keep the plant~~s{Sa~nl thea_own_ plantassembled In force to resist tl . lome' or Jf they would be likely to produc Je mlvaders, their absence a servile was added to e~ Sll~ 1 outbreaks. ' 'Vhen rage of the masters and ~hcorfJg~ ~var: between the would assu!lle _a most savage a~a~~~ ot the slaves, it There extst mdecd n· · t P · ing the belief that ;nsu 1CIC~1 reasons for entertain-projected during the wa~x~~r~S~~t of this sort was but the fact that Great Britain t ,hand that nothing ~olomc8 of her own prevented ~t} at tun~ had slave mto effect. ' 1 rom bemg carried The difficulty of raising t · states is obvious from th roops m the slave-holding alone furnished more sold. e fact, !that Massachusetts mies, than all the sl ~e~'i/o t Je revolutionary arobstacles in the wa are- .o. mg states united. The have greatly increa;ed sr~~~~~F :roops in those states, . rrhe military weakness of 1a Lime. . mty was strikingly ·u d slave-holdmg commu-city of Washington ~;~~~:t"s .;n ~he capture of the such an arm hav n ts m 1814. Could fected such d~struce ma:ched such a distance, and efthat question let C;~on '3 any of the free states? To the slaves of those cor. and Lexmgton reply. Had army marched be COttttes through which the British ton itself been~ sl:n ree Citizens, had ngt Washing~ never have arriv dve m~rket, the British troops would 10 c Wtt m stght of the capitol. |
