Daily national Democrat., 1861-01-13
An UntenabIe Declaration.

The Express, the other day, contained a
lengthy editorial in which it was quite pomp-
ously maintained that South Carolina, in the
Notification crisis of 1882 and 93, so far from
being subdued by the General Government,
carried her point and cowed the whole Uni
ted States into the recognition of her pre-
tences. We know not what sources of in
formation may be accessible TO the Express,
but we have certainly never read the history
of the period in that way. The history that
we have read plainly demonstrates that the
Nullifers were in a very tight place, and
that they availed themselves of a mighty
small hole to crawl through in order to get
out of their very peculiar and somewhat dan
gerous dilemma What they called the
Compromise" of 1888 was gotten up by Mr.
Clayton and carried through by Mr.. Clay and
others, and finally acquiesced in by General
Jackson, not from any fear of South Carolina,
but, for the purpose of affordng John C. Call
houn and his followers half decent method
of getting out of a scrape from which they
to be extrieated.
Mr.. Clay, himself, gave an account of the
secret under-eurrent of that Compromise, -
Compromise, as it was called, for South Caro-
lima was made to submit, in that compromise,
to the very thing of which she chiefly COM
planned. Mr.. Clay related that John NJ.
| Clayton, of Delawa came to him one day,
and said "these South Carolinians act very
badly, but they are good fellows, and it is a
pity to let Jackson hang them" 1t was to
relieve them from the inevitable hanging that
they would have got from Jackson, they be-
ing very clever fellows, that it was thought
best to give them the chance to escape which
was finally afforded.
Mr.. Letcher, of Kentucky, first conceived
an idea through which South Carolina might
be relieved of her position. Says Benton, in
his Thirty Years View, he communicated it
to Mr.. Clay, who received it at first coolly
and doubtfully. Afterwards. beginning to
entertain the idea, he mentioned it TO Mr..
Webster, who repulsed it entirely, saying
1t would be yielding great principles to fac
tion and that the time had come to test the
strength of the Constitution and government.
After that he was no more consulted"
Mr.. Clay drew up his bill and sent it to
Mr.. Calhoun. Mr.. Calhoun couldn't agree to
it, but stated his objections decidedly. "Mr.
Clay" says the Thirty Years View, "remain-
ed inneXible, saying that If he gave up the
parts of the bill objected to- it could not be
passed and that it would be better to give
it up at once. In the meantime Mr.. Letcher
had seen the President, and sounded him OH
the subject of a compromise; the President
answered he would have no negotiation, and
would execute the la,eS This was told by Mr.
Letcher to Mr.. McDuAie, to go to Mr.. Call
houn Soon after, Mr.. Letcher found himself
required to make direct communication to
Mr.. Calhoun. Mr. Josiah S. johnson, Sena-
tor from louisiana came to his room in ihe
night, after he had gone to bed, and informed
him of what he had just learnt which was,
that G zen. jackson would admit of no further
delay, and was determined to take at once a
decided course with Mr. Calhoun, fan arrest
and trial for high treason being understood J
Mr., johnson deemed it of the utmost moment
that Mr. Calhoun should be instantly warned
Of his danger, and urged Mr. Letcher to go
and appFiae him. lie went--found Mr. Cali
honn IN bed-was adnittedt to him informed
him. lie 'as eOida,tly disturbed"
Well, the bill was put under weigh with
its amendments. "Mr. Clay and Mr.. Calhoun
ogreed to the amendments, and all voted for
them, one by one, as Mr.. Clay offered them.
until it came to the last-that revolving
measure of the home valuation. As soon as
it was proposed Mr. Calhoun and his friends
met it with violent opposition, declaring it
to be unconstitutional, and an insurmounta-