VOA建国史话(翻译+字幕+讲解):克利夫兰重返政界面临农业问题和劳工骚乱
日期:2019-10-22 14:39

(单词翻译:单击)

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Welcome to the MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English. Eighteen ninety-two was a presidential election year in the United States. In that year, most parts of the American economy were expanding. But one part was not doing well: agriculture. The result was the birth of a new political party. It was called the People's Party. Its members were called Populists. This week in our series, Stan Busby and Maurice Joyce tell about the Populists, and how they campaigned against the Republicans and Democrats in the election. In the late eighteen eighties, a North Carolina farming publication described America's economy this way: "There is something radically wrong in our industrial system. The railroads are making much money. Yet agriculture is failing. The banks are doing great business. Yet agriculture is failing. Towns and cities grow. Yet agriculture is failing. Wages were never so high. Yet agriculture is failing."
Historians give four major reasons why agriculture was failing in the late eighteen eighties. One was the high cost of transportation. Second was high taxes. Third was falling prices for agricultural products. And fourth was the high cost of borrowing money. Farmers began to organize to discuss their problems. They formed local groups called "Alliances." An Alliance member described the result of these discussions: "People began to think, who had never thought before. People talked, who had never spoken much. Little by little, they began to study their condition. They discussed taxes on income. Government ownership of property. The unity of labor. And a thousand other opposing ideas." Local Alliances formed larger groups. The larger groups included many persons who were not farmers, but who lived and worked in agricultural areas. These included teachers, doctors, repairmen, reporters, and church leaders. In eighteen eighty-nine, the major Alliances held separate conventions in Saint Louis, Missouri. They refused to form one big Alliance. They were divided on several important issues. The chief issue was political. Leaders of the Northern Alliance had decided that agricultural interests could expect little help from either the Republican or Democratic parties. They believed the answer to their problems was a third national political party.
Leaders of the Southern Alliance disagreed. They belonged to the Democratic Party. And, at that time, Democrats faced little opposition in the south. A new party would weaken their political power. So they wanted to work for change within the existing Democratic Party. Another issue dividing the Northern and Southern Alliances was racial. How would a united Alliance deal with black farmers. The Southern Alliance did not permit black members. And it did not want blacks in a united Alliance. The Northern Alliance said blacks could join. The two groups could not settle their differences before the state and congressional elections of eighteen ninety. So, they did not campaign as one party. But they campaigned for one idea: help for America's farmers. Throughout the south and middle-west, they succeeded in electing agricultural candidates as governors, state legislators, Senators, and members of the House of Representatives. Farm leaders everywhere were surprised by their election victories in eighteen ninety. They had not expected to win so much, so quickly. Leaders of the Northern Alliance decided the time was right to form one party to represent all farmers. They felt sure of success. For now, enough leaders of the Southern Alliance were willing to support the idea.

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These southern leaders had succeeded within the Democratic Party. But they quickly learned that they held political power only at the local level. They held almost no power at the national level. So, a few months before the presidential election of eighteen ninety-two, America's agricultural Alliances held a joint convention in Omaha, Nebraska. They formed a new party. They called it the People's Party. They called themselves Populists. Delegates to the convention approved a policy statement for the new party. The statement said the national government should own the country's railroads, telegraph, and telephone systems. It said the government -- not banks -- should supply paper money. And it said no limits should be put on government production of silver money. The Populists called for a tax on earnings. Fewer working hours for labor. Controls on immigration. To help farmers, the Populists demanded what they called the "Sub-Treasury Plan." Under this plan, farmers could put their crops in government storehouses. Then they could wait to sell the crops until prices rose. While they waited, they could borrow money from the government at low cost. They would pay back the loans when they sold their crops.
The new People's Party also proposed ways to make government more democratic. It said secret ballots should be used in all elections. It said Senators should be elected by the people...not chosen by state legislatures. Most Americans considered Populist proposals extreme. They felt the proposals were too close to socialism or communism. The Populists considered their proposals just. They felt their movement was a struggle for more equal control of the nation. On one side of the struggle were producers. These included farmers, laborers, and small businessmen. They were led by the new People's Party. On the other side were what Populists called non-producers. These included wealthy bankers and leaders of industry. They were led by the Republican and Democratic parties. Populists wanted producers to have some of the political power traditionally held by non-producers. They wanted producers to get a fairer share of the nation's increasing wealth. The People's Party chose James Weaver as its candidate in the presidential election of eighteen ninety-two. Weaver had been an officer in the Union Army during America's Civil War. He had served in the House of Representatives. And he had been the candidate of a minor party in the presidential election of eighteen eighty.
The Republican Party re-nominated President Benjamin Harrison. And the Democratic Party nominated former President Grover Cleveland. The campaign began quietly. But a few months before the election, a labor dispute exploded into an important campaign issue. Several thousand steelworkers went on strike at a factory owned by the Carnegie Steel Company in Homestead, Pennsylvania. The steelworkers union called the strike after failing to reach a wage agreement with company officials. After months of growing tension, the head of the company sent three hundred private security officers to break up the strike and protect non-union workers. The security officers and many of the strikers carried guns. Shots were fired. Ten men were killed. The governor of Pennsylvania immediately sent state soldiers to the steel factory. After a few more attempts to continue the strike, the union admitted defeat. Its power was crushed. It would be more than forty years before America's steelworkers were organized again. A short time later, state soldiers were used to break up a strike by railroad workers in New York. And federal soldiers were used against striking silver miners in Idaho. This use of government troops to end strikes caused many citizens to vote against the ruling Republican Party. They voted for the opposition Democratic or People's Parties, instead. In the election of eighteen ninety-two, Republican President Benjamin Harrison was defeated. Democrat Grover Cleveland -- who had lost to Harrison four years earlier -- would be president again. The People's Party candidate, James Weaver, won one million popular votes and twenty-two electoral votes. Grover Cleveland returned to the White House, just as his wife had said he would. But his second administration would be much more difficult than his first. Within two months of Cleveland's inauguration, the United States entered into one of the worst economic depressions in its history. That will be our story in the next program of THE MAKING OF A NATION.

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重点解析

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1.little by little 逐渐地;一点一点地

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Little by little, he formulated his plan for escape.

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他一点一点地设计构思出了逃跑的方案vUHe)a,;Sj0vi9T!s

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2.campaign for 竞选;为......而进行活动

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They will campaign for the return of traditional lands and respect for aboriginal rights and customs.

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他们会争取讨回世代相传的土地,并要求尊重土著居民的权利和风俗anqQ=c8A!nWUflo9

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3.on one side of 在......一面;在......的一边

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In many towns parking is allowed only on one side of the street.

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很多小镇只允许将车停在街道的一侧F+*_LF,aKfr-

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4.go on strike 举行罢工;进行罢工

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The workers go on strike to ask for higher pay.

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为了提高工资,工人们举行了罢工tZuBU1mOnA6KK

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参考译文

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欢迎收听VOA慢速英语之建国史话节目HKXSN^C#9G,.V,Va。1892年是美国总统选举年0#z*;9.pew5ECBT1^oU。那一年,美国经济的大部分地区都在扩张HJ3VST*sr]v#0vUF8.S。但有一部分做得不够好:农业[I0!7rFGI%2。结果诞生了一个新政党,叫做人民党,其成员被称为民粹主义者@-NVgnS.0G7jx1b!]v。在本周的系列节目中,斯坦·巴斯比和莫里斯·乔伊斯将为我们讲述民粹主义者,以及他们是如何在选举中与共和党和民主党人进行对抗的Y5224p~F]Bi。在18世纪80年代末,北卡罗来纳州的一份农业出版物这样描述美国的经济:“我们的工业体系存在某些根本性的问题nI|P5MU7=P。铁路公司赚了很多钱,然而,农业却正在衰退fzxT-Aj.z.。银行业务非常好,然而,农业却正在衰退mS%#1e[QRW5JU。城镇不断发展,然而,农业却正在衰退LL]l|_zZK#NZ。工资从来没有这么高过,然而,农业却正在衰退Yg%TC-F31;70xtz+r。”
历史学家给出了18世纪80年代末农业衰退的四个主要原因,一是运输成本高,二是高税收,三是农产品价格下降,四是借贷成本高O3e0_c#G%XHb#g%1yE。农民们开始组织起来讨论他们的问题,他们成立了称为“联盟”的地方团体,一位联盟成员描述了这些讨论的结果:“人们开始思考,他们以前从未考虑过XD2dhZct~fieS|5VRn。人们交谈,他们以前从未说过这么多话+RA+)~^-Q9。渐渐地,他们开始研究自己所处的境况4NL0In|%yxBDTdl。他们讨论了所得税问题,政府对财产的所有权,劳动的二性合一,还有上千个对立的观点hY3aST]!4rb9rf%。”地方联盟形成了更大的群体,较大的群体包括许多人,他们不是农民,而是在农业地区生活和工作的人*XKzYd5[oVev。这些人包括教师、医生、修理工、记者和教会领袖emC=a)Znj-=+~8。1889年,主要联盟在密苏里州的圣路易斯举行了不同的会议ijb;oa_1et6P4V。他们拒绝结成一个大联盟,他们在几个重要问题上意见分歧z;^2gQ51,WMbamhMe(。主要问题是政治问题,北方联盟的领导人已经决定,农业利益集团对共和党或民主党的帮助微乎其微X,Y91+%kcY*bv。他们认为解决他们问题的答案是第三个全国性政党mKB2J+we9DGHX7~e)V
南方联盟的领导人不同意,他们属于民主党Ouiw%3=e-~4b;ULjl[B。而且,在当时,民主党在南方几乎没有遭到反对,新政党会削弱他们的政治权力i3xYw#2[&pH。因此,他们希望为现有民主党内部的变革而努力kts!^NuO,@Uzk;)。分裂南北联盟的另一个问题是种族问题qWPIKCVa1-|w8RSr。联合的联盟要如何应对黑人农民WM.RVjPS#S~nl。南方联盟不允许黑人加入,他们不希望黑人加入联合联盟MP3Y2a^ASRCa。而北方联盟表示,黑人可以加入xY!Idvv5G-24@O^%pcb。在1890年的州和国会选举之前,这两个团体无法解决他们的分歧PXpcy)F.RT2c~*n7r。所以,他们没有作为一个政党参加竞选wbdn;ph-qy7M。但是,他们为一个想法而奔走,那就是帮助美国的农民k@OgVA%IyxUx5VRAIo3P。在整个南部和中西部地区,他们成功地选出了农业候选人,如州长、州议员、参议员和众议院议员]daJ%tKK[;)aQwHJ。各地的农业领袖对1890年的选举胜利感到吃惊,他们没想到能如此快地赢得这多么的支持l,)mMtSmkidNyr#Fur。北方联盟的领导人决定,现在可以成立一个代表所有农民的政党FxkvJ7U_WWT!zi4,。他们确信这样做能够成功rhh69y&@;3Erbf~iE。目前,有足够多的南方联盟领导人愿意支持这一想法fz90%M6qL8aW.d
这些南方领导人在民主党内部取得了成功O6faOaBdKyn66l|;gz。但他们很快意识到,他们只在地方级掌握政权,而在国家级几乎没有任何权力QMW[[Aq(@!&0~A。因此,在1892年总统选举前几个月,美国农业联盟在内布拉斯加州奥马哈举行了一次联合大会oPbiiw2JYgb@V4mW[V。他们成立了一个新的政党,称之为人民党,党内成员自称为民粹主义者eiGmIyz@78+]2L。大会代表批准了新政党的政策声明02Y-@,R|tZE)y。该声明称,国家政府应该拥有国家的铁路、电报和电话系统^UCtnhr+,V8;Q(ARXj。它说应该是政府,而不是银行,来提供纸币2V.G|DfBhwEYRUy。它还表示,不应限制政府生产银币b~8ynmQ#vt8&R1.)w。民粹主义者呼吁对收入征税,减少劳动时间,对移民实施管制Re_ib-_G(QpF0M2wjP。为了帮助农民,民粹主义者要求实施他们所谓的“次级财政计划”JV%)*18hfD^.&=;wz。根据该计划,农民可以把他们的作物存放在政府仓库里,等到价格上涨后再将其出售9f,*!2%xKb-MqcQ。在等待的时候,他们可以从政府那里以低廉的成本借款,等到庄稼售出后再偿还贷款^Q~-HOK3IoH!xddh17
新的人民党还提出了使政府更加民主的方法,该党表示所有的选举都应该使用无记名投票的方法,参议员应该由人民选出,而不是由州立法机关选出g9fSsZse4c8*2nH!7Zt,。大多数美国人认为,民粹主义提出的各种建议都很极端8BX;o8.(HnOO)s。他们觉得,这些建议太接近社会主义或共产主义s59|r4=3fB6MLP5%U。而民粹主义者认为,他们的建议很公平,他们开展的运动是为争取国家更平等控制权所进行的斗争mkjTh7mobgQLg。斗争的一方是生产者,包括农民、劳工和小商人,他们由新的人民党领导mgIaegrNstz|BoD=EUh;。另一方面是民粹主义者所谓的非生产者,包括富有的银行家和行业领袖,他们由共和党和民主党领导-Y5XWR;@2Pkv。民粹主义者希望生产者拥有一些一直由非生产者掌控的政治权力,希望生产者能在国家日益增长的财富中获得更公平的份额ALba2C|@zPRiM^ZWv。人民党在1892年的总统选举中,选择了詹姆斯·韦弗作为候选人CS20_.BgznQSqXlhWM。韦弗在美国内战期间曾任联军军官,他还曾在众议院任职9+sJz19Dw^GJTx%I.+0)。在1880年的总统选举中,他是一个小党派的候选人)Xx|dz81oRfB
共和党再次提名本杰明·哈里森总统,民主党提名前总统格罗弗·克利夫兰x=em=weE2dKxI1+。竞选活动悄然开始,但是在大选开始前几个月,劳资纠纷突然成为一个重要的竞选议题&)sq,lwvNT+h。数千名钢铁工人在宾夕法尼亚州豪斯泰德的卡内基钢铁公司旗下的一家工厂举行罢工18C9wZ03Yd+|nBXt。由于未能与公司官员达成工资协议,钢铁工人工会宣布罢工T~U61[;T!()B。在紧张局势持续数月后,该公司负责人派出300名私人保安人员,驱散罢工,保护非工会工人Rc@2(vs28+8-V&SvG.cN。安全官员和许多罢工者都携带着枪支,期间有人开枪射击,10人遇害2ZLK]qw)ODiZ99^g;-=。宾夕法尼亚州州长立即向钢铁厂派遣了州士兵,再几次试图继续罢工之后,工会承认失败,其力量遭到破坏AdK^+Vw*F|G0_*Gok。又过了40多年,美国的钢铁工人才再一次重新组织起来aa2CXFURPyr[BgZ^TSpz。不久之后,州政府的士兵出动去驱散纽约铁路工人的罢工Wh_%!k|n+@NrV3^N。在爱达荷州,由联邦士兵去对抗罢工的银矿工人sp7&!RJ1iax4^M0;VCw。这次动用政府军来结束罢工,导致许多公民投票反对执政的共和党XrxbKp|0vK,T^。他们给反对党民主党或人民党投了票rfqnlkKkCd8。在1892年的选举中,共和党总统本杰明·哈里森被击败8z(iUV~(xP]uznO。四年前输给哈里森的民主党人格罗弗·克利夫兰将再次担任总统,人民党候选人詹姆斯·韦弗赢得了100万张选票和22张选举人选票4Rch9N*IP4YH4P。格罗弗·克利夫兰就像他妻子所说的那样,返回了白宫mW@(|TjO0*_wgYF。但是,他的第二届政府将比第一届困难得多S;CO,OP|#Y。克利夫兰就职后的两个月内,美国陷入了历史上最严重的一次经济萧条,E[CsFgQbK(Tlp。这将是我们下一期建国史话节目要讲述的故事A;vvFRu1S^[Si

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译文为可可英语翻译,未经授权请勿转载!

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