"Eric Flint - TOG 02 - 1824, The Arkansas War" - читать интересную книгу автора (Flint Eric)

To John Calhoun and his followers, a nigger was a nigger. Rightless by nature, legalistic twaddles be
damned. The black race was fit only to hew wood and draw water for those who were their superiors.

A few months after the Algiers Incident, Calhoun resigned his post as secretary of war in order to run for
senator from South Carolina. He won the election, very handily, and had been a thorn in the side of the
administration since. It had been Calhoun who led the charge in Congress to pass the Freedmen
Exclusion Act, which would have required all freedmen to leave the United States within a year of
manumission. Monroe had vetoed the bill on the obvious ground that it was a gross violation of statesтАЩ
rights, whereupon Calhoun had given his open support to freedmen exclusion legislation passed by
various states and municipalities, and his tacit blessing to more savage and informal methods of exclusion.

A duel had almost resulted, then, when Sam Houston publicly labeled himтАФAdams could not but smile,
whenever he thought of the brash youngsterтАЩs handy way with wordsтАФтАЬa tsarist, a terror-monger, and a
toad. Nay, say betterтАФa toadstool. A toad can at least hop about. Calhoun is a fungus on the nationтАЩs
flank.тАЭ

тАЬWhat areyou so cheerful about, John?тАЭ demanded Monroe.

Delicate ground, indeed. Adams stifled the smile.

тАЬAh, nothing, Mr. President. Just a stray thought that happened to cross my mind.тАЭ

The look Monroe gave him was exceedingly skeptical. тАЬStray thoughtтАЭ and тАЬJohn Quincy AdamsтАЭ were
not phrases that could often be found together. Anywhere within shouting distance, in fact. Disliked as he
might be in many quarters, no one thought AdamsтАЩs brain was given to loose functioningтАФand he was
generally considered the best-read man in America.

But Monroe let it drop. Instead, he turned his gaze to Scott.

тАЬWhatтАЩs your military assessment, General?тАЭ

Scott shrugged. тАЬThe fortifications that DriscolтАЩs built in the Ozarks and the Ouachitas pose no threat to
the United States, Mr. President. TheyтАЩre purely defensive works, and too farтАФmuch too farтАФfrom the
Mississippi to pose any threat to our commerce.тАЭ

Monroe nodded. тАЬYes, I understand that.тАЭ Perhaps a bit acerbically: тАЬI have some military experience
myself, you may recall. What I meant wasтАФletтАЩs be frank, shall we?тАФwhat threat do they pose to our
army in the event the United States goes to war with the Confederacy? Or, to put it more bluntly still, if
we invade Arkansas?тАЭ

Scott looked out the window for a moment. тАЬAssuming DriscolтАЩs in command? Which, of course, he
would be, if heтАЩs still alive whenтАФifтАФthat time comes.тАЭ He paused for another moment. тАЬLet me put it
this way, Mr. President. Were you, or anyone, to ask me to command such an expedition, I would
stronglyтАФvery stronglyтАФurge that an alternative route of attack be chosen.тАЭ

тАЬWhatalternative route, Winfield?тАЭ Adams demanded. It was not so much a question as a
statementтАФand a caustically posed one, at that. If the president was known for his affable manners, the
secretary of state was not.