37 2 DANIEL WEBSTER 



Carolinian upon this or any other question. But it is 

 to be borne in mind that, owing to the concessions 

 made to slavery in the federal Constitution, South 

 Carolina was at first strongly Federalist in her politics, 

 and but for her attitude in this regard it is not at all 

 likely that the Constitution would ever have been 

 ratified. It was the prompt action of South Carolina 

 in 1 788 that killed the promising scheme of the Anti- 

 federalists of Virginia, headed by Patrick Henry, for a 

 separate Southern confederacy. It was not until after 

 1820 that South Carolina started upon the opposite 

 course, which in less than ten years was to carry her 

 to the verge of secession. It was the strength of the 

 Northern opposition to the admission of Missouri as a 

 slave state that first alarmed South Carolina ; and her 

 political alliance with New England was broken when 

 the latter section of the country began to declare itself 

 in favour of high tariffs. But in 1816 it was quite 

 natural that, on a question concerning the general 

 powers of the federal government, Mr. Calhoun and 

 Mr. Webster should be found on the same side. In 

 the course of this session of Congress the cantankerous 

 Randolph saw fit to defy Mr. Webster to mortal com- 

 bat for words spoken in debate ; but the challenge was 

 declined with grim humour. Mr. Webster said that he 

 did not feel called upon to expose his life at the request 

 of any other man who might be willing to risk his 

 own ; but he should always " be prepared to repel in a 

 suitable manner the aggression of any man " who 

 should venture to "presume upon such a refusal." 

 Mr. Randolph had thus no alternative but to ignore 

 this very significant hint, and gracefully declare his 

 nice sense of honour quite satisfied. 



