书城外语美国公民读本(彩色英文版+中文翻译阅读)
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第34章 美国的地方自治(2)

毫无疑问的是,我的朋友们,对于一个身在异国他乡的人来说,如果他不会对爱国主义的感化不为所动,那么这种人所能受到的最大影响,就是他一度忘记或者只能反感地、厌恶地记得家庭内部的分歧和争吵,而这些分歧和争吵经常会使我们疏远和苦恼。在他祖国的这一小张、每个爱国者出门在外都要带在身上、烙在心上的地图上,已经满满当当地没有空间,在这张充满魔力的微型地图上,已经没有地方用于领土划分和地区划界。但它却大到足以反映和重现整个联邦的形象和面貌,可以再现只属于科学和学派研究领域的一切微不足道的地形特征。此外,它不喜欢蹩脚的接缝和凌乱的涂抹,那是各地政治家用以证明其可憎的特色和拿来对比使用的。因此,这个身处他乡的爱国旅者,带着这张用光和爱铭刻于记忆之中的地图,在回忆祖国时,只会将它作为一个整体来怀念。他学会了将祖国整个地来喜爱,这是他以前不曾有过的。他养成了一想起祖国就心里温暖、一说起祖国就内心自豪的习惯;他时刻准备将祖国作为一个整体来捍卫,就像它要受到敌人的入侵或者唇枪舌剑的攻击一样。他抓住某个同样身在异乡的美国人的手,就像抓住兄弟的手一样,而不会停下来问问对方来自马萨诸塞还是来自南卡罗来那、来自缅因还是路易斯安纳、来自佛蒙特还是弗吉尼亚。他们的护照上盖有相同的国玺、相同的国徽,这些就够了。每一次他自己的护照受到盘查,每一次他进入一块新国土或者穿越一个新边界,每一次他在海关滞留或者受到警察询问或哨兵盘查,每一次他被一门新语言所难倒或因为一种新的硬币或纸币而茫然,他都会一次次热情地感谢上帝:走过那片土地的每一个角落,远离了那片暴涨的洪水,那片他有权称为并且自豪地称之为“我自己的家园”的土地,仍然还存在一种相同的语言、相同的货币、相同的宪法、相同的法律和自由、对昔日辉煌相同的承袭;如果始终坚持自己的爱国准则,还有相同的注定更加辉煌的未来!

American Home Rule

1.We have seen that there is one government for the republic,the principal officers of which are at the city of Washington,and also that each of the fortyfive states has a government of its own.

2.But this is not all.The people in the states are scattered over a wide area,living in cities and in villages and in solitary farmhouses.“Now,the purpose of government is to make and enforce laws for all to obey,and to manage such business as is for the common interest.

3.What Local SelfGovernment Is.An example of such business is the building,of a bridge.If a stream is too deep to cross easily in the water,it is plain that a bridge ought to be built.But as this would be for the benefit of anybody who might want to cross,it would seldom pay any one man to build it.It ought to be built by the government,for the use of all the people.But,after all,such a bridge would not be used very much except by the people who might live rather near it.In a great state there would be many thousands of people who would know or care nothing about it.And so we think that the people most likely to use the bridge are the ones who ought to decide whether they will have one or not,and who ought to pay for it.

4.In other words,we think that each neighborhood ought to be left free to manage its own affairs.This is what we call local selfgovernment,or home rule .

5.Counties.In order to provide for this local freedom,in the first place every state is divided into a number of rather large neighborhoods,usually called counties.In the state of Louisiana they are called parishes.Each county has a name.The number of counties differs in different states.In New York there are sixty,in Illinois one hundred two.

6.Each county has a government of its own,chosen by the people.This county government may make laws,only they must not interfere with the laws of the nation or state.It is the duty of the countygovernment,too,to see that the state laws as well as the county laws are obeyed in the county.And they manage such county affairs as are intrusted to them.There is always a county jail,and usually a county house or farm for paupers.

7.The County Jail.The jail is a strong building,with heavy locks for the doors and with iron gratings over the windows.When any one is arrested on the charge of having committed some crime he is sent to the jail for safekeeping until the court meets for his trial.If,on the trial,the court decides that the prisoner is guilty of the crime charged,he may be sentenced to a term in prison .This is quite another thing than the jail.The prison,or penitentiary,belongs to the state,and the prisoners are usually kept busy with some useful work.In the jail the prisoners are not made to work.

8.People who commit some very small offense against the law,too small to warrant a sentence to state’s prison,are sometimes sent to jail for a short timea few days,or weeks,perhaps.

9.The jailer often lives in a house adjoining the jail.He has to have assistants to help him take care of the building and of the prisoners,and keep watch that the latter do not escape.The jailer and his assistants are employed by the county.

10.It is a great disgrace to be sent to jail.But,unfortunately,there are always some people who will not obey the laws,and of course they have to be punished.Thieves and counterfeiters and incendiaries must be sent to jail and prison,or nobody‘s property would be safe.A good citizen is always very careful not to interfere with the rights of others.He is honest with his neighbors’property,and never does any harm either to person or property if he can help it.If all the people were good citizens no jails would be needed.

11.The Rothschilds.Nearly everybody has heard of the family of Rothschilds ,the rich bankers of Europe.Their wealth is enormousso great that they make loans only to governments and only in very large sums.