AND THE SENTIMENT OF UNION 393 



was not his aim to provoke an armed collision, and 

 accordingly a momentary alliance was made between 

 himself and Mr. Clay, resulting in the compromise 

 tariff bill of the i2th of February, 1833. Only four 

 days elapsed between Mr. Webster's announcement of 

 his intention to support the President and the intro- 

 duction of this compromise measure. Mr. Webster 

 at once opposed the compromise, both as unsound 

 economically and as an unwise and dangerous conces- 

 sion to the threats of the nullifiers. At this point the 

 force bill was brought forward, and Mr. Calhoun 

 made his great speech, February 15 and 16, in 

 support of the resolutions he had introduced on the 

 22d of January, affirming the doctrine of nullifica- 

 tion. To this Mr. Webster replied, February 16, 

 with his speech entitled " The Constitution not a 

 Compact between Sovereign States," in which he sup- 

 plemented and reenforced the argument of the " Reply 

 to Hayne." Mr. Calhoun's answer, February 26, was 

 perhaps the most powerful speech he ever delivered, 

 and Mr. Webster did not reply to it at length. The 

 burden of the discussion was, what the American peo- 

 ple really did when they adopted the federal Consti- 

 tution. Did they simply create a league between 

 sovereign states, or did they create a national govern- 

 ment, which operates immediately upon individuals, 

 and, without superseding the state governments, stands 

 superior to them and claims a prior allegiance from 

 all citizens ? It is now plain to be seen that in point 

 of fact they did create such a national government; 

 but how far they realized at the outset what they were 

 doing is quite another question. Mr. Webster's main 

 conclusion was sustained with colossal strength ; but 



