His bill to confiscate3 the property of the Southern people was already pending4 on the calendar of the House. This bill was the most remarkable5 ever written in the English language or introduced into a legislative6 body of the Aryan race. It provided for the confiscation8 of ninety per cent. of the land of ten great States of the American union. To each negro in the South was allotted9 forty acres from the estate of his former master, and the remaining millions of acres were to be divided among the “loyal who had suffered by reason of the Rebellion.”
The execution of this, the most stupendous crime ever conceived by an English lawmaker, involving the exile and ruin of millions of innocent men, women, and children, could not be intrusted to Andrew Johnson.
No such measure could be enforced so long as any man was President and Commander-in-chief of the Army and Navy who claimed his title under the Constitution. Hence the absolute necessity of his removal. 153
The conditions of society were ripe for this daring enterprise.
Not only was the Ship of State in the hands of revolutionists who had boarded her in the storm stress of a civic10 convulsion, but among them swarmed11 the pirate captains of the boldest criminals who ever figured in the story of a nation.
The first great Railroad Lobby, with continental12 empires at stake, thronged13 the Capitol with its lawyers, agents, barkers, and hired courtesans.
The Cotton Thieves, who operated through a ring of Treasury14 agents, had confiscated15 unlawfully three million bales of cotton hidden in the South during the war and at its close, the last resource of a ruined people. The Treasury had received a paltry16 twenty thousand bales for the use of its name with which to seize alleged17 “property of the Confederate Government.” The value of this cotton, stolen from the widows and orphans18, the maimed and crippled, of the South was over $700,000,000 in gold—a capital sufficient to have started an impoverished19 people again on the road to prosperity. The agents of this ring surrounded the halls of legislation, guarding their booty from envious20 eyes, and demanding the enactment21 of vaster schemes of legal confiscation.
The Whiskey Ring had just been formed, and began its system of gigantic frauds by which it scuttled22 the Treasury.
Above them all towered the figure of Oakes Ames, whose master mind had organized the Crédit Mobilier steal. This vast infamy23 had already eaten its way into 154 the heart of Congress and dug the graves of many illustrious men.
So open had become the shame that Stoneman was compelled to increase his committees in the morning, when a corrupt24 majority had been bought the night before.
He arose one day, and looking at the distinguished25 Speaker, who was himself the secret associate of Oakes Ames, said:
“Mr. Speaker: while the House slept, the enemy has sown tares26 among our wheat. The corporations of this country, having neither bodies to be kicked nor souls to be lost, have, perhaps by the power of argument alone, beguiled27 from the majority of my Committee the member from Connecticut. The enemy have now a majority of one. I move to increase the Committee to twelve.”
Speaker Colfax, soon to be hurled28 from the Vice29-president’s chair for his part with those thieves, increased his Committee.
Everybody knew that “the power of argument alone” meant ten thousand dollars cash for the gentleman from Connecticut, who did not appear on the floor for a week, fearing the scorpion30 tongue of the old Commoner.
A Congress which found it could make and unmake laws in defiance31 of the Executive went mad. Taxation32 soared to undreamed heights, while the currency was depreciated33 and subject to the wildest fluctuations34.
The statute35 books were loaded with laws that shackled36 chains of monopoly on generations yet unborn. Public lands wide as the reach of empires were voted as gifts to private corporations, and subsidies37 of untold38 millions 155 fixed39 as a charge upon the people and their children’s children.
The demoralization incident to a great war, the waste of unheard-of sums of money, the giving of contracts involving millions by which fortunes were made in a night, the riot of speculation40 and debauchery by those who tried to get rich suddenly without labour, had created a new Capital of the Nation. The vulture army of the base, venal41, unpatriotic, and corrupt, which had swept down, a black cloud, in wartime to take advantage of the misfortunes of the Nation, had settled in Washington and gave new tone to its life.
Prior to the Civil War the Capital was ruled, and the standards of its social and political life fixed, by an aristocracy founded on brains, culture, and blood. Power was with few exceptions intrusted to an honourable42 body of high-spirited public officials. Now a negro electorate43 controlled the city government, and gangs of drunken negroes, its sovereign citizens, paraded the streets at night firing their muskets44 unchallenged and unmolested.
A new mob of onion-laden45 breath, mixed with perspiring46 African odour, became the symbol of American Democracy.
A new order of society sprouted47 in this corruption48. The old high-bred ways, tastes, and enthusiasms were driven into the hiding-places of a few families and cherished as relics49 of the past.
Washington, choked with scrofulous wealth, bowed the knee to the Almighty50 Dollar. The new altar was covered 156 with a black mould of human blood—but no questions were asked.
A mulatto woman kept the house of the foremost man of the Nation and received his guests with condescension51.
In this atmosphere of festering vice and gangrene passions, the struggle between the Great Commoner and the President on which hung the fate of the South approached its climax52.
The whole Nation was swept into the whirlpool, and business was paralyzed. Two years after the close of a victorious53 war the credit of the Republic dropped until its six per cent. bonds sold in the open market for seventy-three cents on the dollar.
The revolutionary junta54 in control of the Capital was within a single step of the subversion55 of the Government and the establishment of a Dictator in the White House.
A convention was called in Philadelphia to restore fraternal feeling, heal the wounds of war, preserve the Constitution, and restore the union of the fathers. It was a grand assemblage representing the heart and brain of the Nation. Members of Lincoln’s first Cabinet, protesting Senators and Congressmen, editors of great Republican and Democratic newspapers, heroes of both armies, long estranged56, met for a common purpose. When a group of famous negro worshippers from Boston suddenly entered the hall, arm in arm with ex-slaveholders from South Carolina, the great meeting rose and walls and roof rang with thunder peals57 of applause.
Their committee, headed by a famous editor, journeyed 157 to Washington to appeal to the Master at the Capitol. They sought him not in the White House, but in the little Black House in an obscure street on the hill.
The brown woman received them with haughty58 dignity, and said:
“Mr. Stoneman cannot be seen at this hour. It is after nine o’clock. I will submit to him your request for an audience to-morrow morning.”
“We must see him to-night,” replied the editor, with rising anger.
“The king is amusing himself,” said the yellow woman, with a touch of malice59.
“Where is he?”
Her catlike eyes rolled from side to side, and a smile played about her full lips as she said:
“You will find him at Hall & Pemberton’s gambling60 hell—you’ve lived in Washington. You know the way.”
With a muttered oath the editor turned on his heel and led his two companions to the old Commoner’s favourite haunt. There could be no better time or place to approach him than seated at one of its tables laden with rare wines and savoury dishes.
On reaching the well-known number of Hall & Pemberton’s place, the editor entered the unlocked door, passed with his friends along the soft-carpeted hall, and ascended61 the stairs. Here the door was locked. A sudden pull of the bell, and a pair of bright eyes peeped through a small grating in the centre of the door revealed by the sliding of its panel. 158
The keen eyes glanced at the proffered62 card, the door flew open, and a well-dressed mulatto invited them with cordial welcome to enter.
Passing along another hall, they were ushered63 into a palatial64 suite65 of rooms furnished in princely state. The floors were covered with the richest and softest carpets—so soft and yielding that the tramp of a thousand feet could not make the faintest echo. The walls and ceilings were frescoed66 by the brush of a great master, and hung with works of art worth a king’s ransom67. Heavy curtains, in colours of exquisite68 taste, masked each window, excluding all sound from within or without.
The rooms blazed with light from gorgeous chandeliers of trembling crystals, shimmering69 and flashing from the ceilings like bouquets70 of diamonds.
Negro servants, faultlessly dressed, attended the slightest want of every guest with the quiet grace and courtesy of the lost splendours of the old South.
The proprietor71, with courtly manners, extended his hand:
“Welcome, gentlemen; you are my guests. The tables and the wines are at your service without price. Eat, drink, and be merry—play or not, as you please.”
A smile lighted his dark eyes, but faded out near his mouth—cold and rigid72.
At the farther end of the last room hung the huge painting of a leopard73, so vivid and real its black and tawny74 colours, so furtive75 and wild its restless eyes, it seemed alive and moving behind invisible bars.
Just under it, gorgeously set in its jewel-studded frame, 159 stood the magic green table on which men staked their gold and lost their souls.
The rooms were crowded with Congressmen, Government officials, officers of the Army and Navy, clerks, contractors76, paymasters, lobbyists, and professional gamblers.
The centre of an admiring group was a Congressman77 who had during the last session of the House broken the “bank” in a single night, winning more than a hundred thousand dollars. He had lost it all and more in two weeks, and the courteous78 proprietor now held orders for the lion’s share of the total pay and mileage79 of nearly every member of the House of Representatives.
Over that table thousands of dollars of the people’s money had been staked and lost during the war by quartermasters, paymasters, and agents in charge of public funds. Many a man had approached that green table with a stainless80 name and left it a perjured81 thief. Some had been carried out by those handsomely dressed waiters, and the man with the cold mouth could point out, if he would, more than one stain on the soft carpet which marked the end of a tragedy deeper than the pen of romancer has ever sounded.
Stoneman at the moment was playing. He was rarely a heavy player, but he had just staked a twenty-dollar gold piece and won fourteen hundred dollars.
Howle, always at his elbow ready for a “sleeper” or a stake, said:
“Put a stack on the ace7.”
He did so, lost, and repeated it twice. 160
“Do it again,” urged Howle. “I’ll stake my reputation that the ace wins this time.”
With a doubting glance at Howle, old Stoneman shoved a stack of blue chips, worth fifty dollars, over the ace, playing it to win on Howle’s judgment82 and reputation. It lost.
Without the ghost of a smile, the old statesman said: “Howle, you owe me five cents.”
As he turned abruptly83 on his club foot from the table, he encountered the editor and his friends, a Western manufacturer and a Wall Street banker. They were soon seated at a table in a private room, over a dinner of choice oysters84, diamond-back terrapin85, canvas-back duck, and champagne86.
They presented their plea for a truce87 in his fight until popular passion had subsided88.
He heard them in silence. His answer was characteristic:
“The will of the people, gentlemen, is supreme89,” he said with a sneer90. “We are the people. ‘The man at the other end of the avenue’ has dared to defy the will of Congress. He must go. If the Supreme Court lifts a finger in this fight, it will reduce that tribunal to one man or increase it to twenty at our pleasure.”
“But the Constitution——” broke in the chairman.
“There are higher laws than paper compacts. We are conquerors91 treading conquered soil. Our will alone is the source of law. The drunken boor92 who claims to be President is in reality an alien of a conquered province.” 161
“We protest,” exclaimed the man of money, “against the use of such epithets93 in referring to the Chief Magistrate94 of the Republic!”
“And why, pray?” sneered95 the Commoner.
“In the name of common decency96, law, and order. The President is a man of inherent power, even if he did learn to read after his marriage. Like many other Americans, he is a self-made man——”
“Glad to hear it,” snapped Stoneman. “It relieves Almighty God of a fearful responsibility.”
They left him in disgust and dismay.
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收听单词发音
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1
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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2
impeachment
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| n.弹劾；控告；怀疑 | |
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3
confiscate
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| v.没收(私人财产)，把…充公 | |
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4
pending
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| prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的 | |
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5
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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6
legislative
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| n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的 | |
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ace
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| n.A牌；发球得分；佼佼者；adj.杰出的 | |
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8
confiscation
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| n. 没收, 充公, 征收 | |
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allotted
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| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10
civic
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| adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的 | |
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11
swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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continental
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| adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的 | |
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thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14
treasury
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| n.宝库；国库，金库；文库 | |
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15
confiscated
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| 没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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16
paltry
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| adj.无价值的，微不足道的 | |
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17
alleged
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| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
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18
orphans
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| 孤儿( orphan的名词复数 ) | |
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19
impoverished
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| adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化 | |
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20
envious
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| adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的 | |
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21
enactment
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| n.演出，担任…角色；制订，通过 | |
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22
scuttled
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| v.使船沉没( scuttle的过去式和过去分词 )；快跑，急走 | |
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23
infamy
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| n.声名狼藉，出丑，恶行 | |
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24
corrupt
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| v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的 | |
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25
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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26
tares
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| 荑；稂莠；稗 | |
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27
beguiled
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| v.欺骗( beguile的过去式和过去分词 )；使陶醉；使高兴；消磨（时间等） | |
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28
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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29
vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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30
scorpion
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| n.蝎子，心黑的人，蝎子鞭 | |
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31
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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32
taxation
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| n.征税，税收，税金 | |
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33
depreciated
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| v.贬值，跌价，减价( depreciate的过去式和过去分词 )；贬低，蔑视，轻视 | |
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34
fluctuations
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| 波动，涨落，起伏( fluctuation的名词复数 ) | |
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35
statute
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| n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例 | |
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36
shackled
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| 给（某人）带上手铐或脚镣( shackle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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subsidies
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| n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 ) | |
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38
untold
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| adj.数不清的，无数的 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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40
speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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41
venal
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| adj.唯利是图的，贪脏枉法的 | |
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42
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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43
electorate
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| n.全体选民；选区 | |
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44
muskets
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| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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45
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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46
perspiring
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| v.出汗，流汗( perspire的现在分词 ) | |
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47
sprouted
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| v.发芽( sprout的过去式和过去分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出 | |
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48
corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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49
relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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50
almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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51
condescension
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| n.自以为高人一等，贬低(别人) | |
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52
climax
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| n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点 | |
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53
victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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54
junta
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| n.团体；政务审议会 | |
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55
subversion
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| n.颠覆，破坏 | |
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56
estranged
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| adj.疏远的，分离的 | |
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57
peals
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| n.（声音大而持续或重复的）洪亮的响声( peal的名词复数 )；隆隆声；洪亮的钟声；钟乐v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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58
haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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59
malice
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| n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋 | |
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60
gambling
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| n.赌博；投机 | |
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61
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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62
proffered
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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63
ushered
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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64
palatial
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| adj.宫殿般的，宏伟的 | |
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suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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66
frescoed
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| 壁画( fresco的名词复数 )； 温壁画技法，湿壁画 | |
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67
ransom
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| n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救 | |
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68
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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69
shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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70
bouquets
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| n.花束( bouquet的名词复数 )；（酒的）芳香 | |
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71
proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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72
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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73
leopard
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| n.豹 | |
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74
tawny
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| adj.茶色的，黄褐色的；n.黄褐色 | |
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75
furtive
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| adj.鬼鬼崇崇的，偷偷摸摸的 | |
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76
contractors
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| n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 ) | |
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77
Congressman
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| n.（美）国会议员 | |
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78
courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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79
mileage
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| n.里程，英里数；好处，利润 | |
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stainless
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| adj.无瑕疵的，不锈的 | |
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perjured
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| adj.伪证的，犯伪证罪的v.发假誓，作伪证( perjure的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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84
oysters
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| 牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 ) | |
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85
terrapin
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| n.泥龟；鳖 | |
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champagne
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| n.香槟酒；微黄色 | |
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87
truce
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| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
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subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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sneer
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| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
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conquerors
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| 征服者，占领者( conqueror的名词复数 ) | |
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boor
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| n.举止粗野的人；乡下佬 | |
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epithets
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| n.（表示性质、特征等的）词语( epithet的名词复数 ) | |
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magistrate
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| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
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sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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decency
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| n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重 | |
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