《论美国的民主·卷一·第五章·新英格兰的乡镇自治》第1节
Necessity Of Examining The Condition Of The States Before That Of The Union At Large. It is proposed to examine in the following chapter what is the form of government established in America on the principle of the sovereignty of the people; what are its resources, its hindrances, its advantages, and its dangers. The first difficulty which presents itself arises from the complex nature of the constitution of the United States, which consists of two distinct social structures, connected and, as it were, encased one within the other; two governments, completely separate and almost independent, the one fulfilling the ordinary duties and responding to the daily and indefinite calls of a community, the other circumscribed within certain limits, and only exercising an exceptional authority over the general interests of the country. In short, there are twenty-four small sovereign nations, whose agglomeration constitutes the body of the Union. To examine the Union before we have studied the States would be to adopt a method filled with obstacles. The form of the Federal Government of the United States was the last which was adopted; and it is in fact nothing more than a modification or a summary of those republican principles which were current in the whole community before it existed, and independently of its existence. Moreover, the Federal Government is, as I have just observed, the exception; the Government of the States is the rule. The author who should attempt to exhibit the picture as a whole before he had explained its details would necessarily fall into obscurity and repetition. The great political principles which govern American society at this day undoubtedly took their origin and their growth in the State. It is therefore necessary to become acquainted with the State in order to possess a clue to the remainder. The States which at present compose the American Union all present the same features, as far as regards the external aspect of their institutions. Their political or administrative existence is centred in three focuses of action, which may not inaptly be compared to the different nervous centres which convey motion to the human body. The township is the lowest in order, then the county, and lastly the State; and I propose to devote the following chapter to the examination of these three divisions.
注释摘要
托克维尔在这一节做的是全书方法论上的关键伏笔：他在告诉读者为什么必须先讲各州、尤其是先讲乡镇，才能讲联邦。这看起来像是章节安排的说明，实则已经包含了他对美国政治最根本的判断——联邦不是这座大厦的底座，而是后来加盖的屋顶。他认为美国宪制的复杂性在于它由两个完全不同的社会结构套嵌而成，一个负责日常与无限的生活需求，一个只在严格划定的范围内对国家的一般利益行使例…