, 1857-06-26
Prophecy Of Henry CIay,

Prophecy Of Henry Clay.
Both Clay and Calhoun foresaw thu
lamentable conclusion which parties in thi,
country have now reached, and predicted
disunion as the inevitable result Of such Q
state of affairs.
Mr. Clay, in his speech in the Senate
Feb. I, 1889, thus daguerreotyped the
very aspect of affairs in the year 1856:
"Sir," said Mr.. Clay, 81 am not in the
habit of speaking lightly of the possibility
of dissolving this happy Union. The Sen
ate know that Ihave deprecated illusions,
on ordinary occasions, to that direful event
The country will testify that, if there be
anything in the history Of my public career
worthy of recollection, it is the truth and
sincerity of my ardent devotion to its last
ing preservation. But we should be false
in our allegiance to it, if we did not dis
criminate between the imaginary and real
dangers by which it may be assailed. Abo-
litiOnism should no longer be regarded as
an imaginary danger. The abolitionists of
the free States as one man, against the in-
habtants of the slave States. Union GU
the one side will beget Union on the other.
And this process Of reciprocal consolida-
ton will be attended with all the violent
prejudices, embittered passions, and impla-
cable animoSities which ever degraded or
deformed human nature. 4 rirtHat disso-
luton Of tie Unled States tcW hare taken
plqce, aehile The forms of lis eristencc remain
"The most valuable clement of union,
mutual kindness, the feelings of sympathy,
the fraternal bonds, which now happily
unite us, will have been extinguished for
ever. One section will stand in menacing
and hostile array against the other The
collision of opinion will be quickly followed
by the clash of arms. will not attempt
to describe scenes which now hapRily lie
concealed from our view. AboIfti6nists
themselves would shrink back in dismay
and horror at the contemplation OF desolate
fields, confagrated cities, murdered inhab-
itants and the overthrow of the fairest fab
ric of human government that ever rose to
animate the hopes of civilized man. Nor
should these aboitionists hatter themselves
that, if they should succeed in their object
of uniting the people of the free States,
they will enter the contest with numerical
that must ensure victory. All
history and experience proves the hazard
and uncertainty of war And we are ad-
monished by holy writ, that the race is not
TO the swift, nor the battle to the strong.
But if they were to conquer, whom would
they conquer A foreign foe-one who
had insulted our flag, invaded our shores
and laid our country waste ?
"No, sir I; no, sir. 1t would be con-
quest without laurels, without glory-a self,
a suicidal conquest CONQUEST OF BROTH
ERs OVER BROTHERS, ACHIEVED BY ONE OVER
ANOTHER PORTION OF THE DESCENDANTS OF
COMMON ANCESTORS, who, nobly pledging
their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred
honor, had fought and bled, side by side, in
many o hard battle on land and ocean,
severed our country from the British crown,
and established our national independence.
"The inhabitants of the slave States are
sometimes accused by the northern breth-
ren with displaying too much rashnsss and
to the operations and proceed
ings Of abolitionists But, before they can
be rightly judged, there should be areversal
Of conditions. Let me suppose that the
people of the slave States were to form
societies, subsidize presses, make large pc
cnniary contributions, send for numerous
throughout all their own bor-
ders, and enter into Vaccinations to burn
their beautiful capitals, destroy the produc-
tive manufactures, and sink in the ocean
the gallant ships Of the northern States.
Would these incendiary proceedings be re-
garded as neighborly and friendly and con-
sistent with the fraternaI sentiments which
should ever be cherished by one portion Of
the Union towards another2 Would they
excite no emotion Occasion no manifes-
tations Of dissatisfaction, nor lead to any
acts Of retaliatory violeuceg But the sup
posed case falls far short Of the actual one
in most essential circumstance.
"In no contingency could these capitals,
manufactures, and ships, rise in rebellion
and massacre the inhabitants of the north
ern States"