Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-12-31
HAYNE AND WEBSTER.
A Virginian's Picture of the Famous
Conflict

| "a ' H oAhibh VI Ent L dUuUuS
Conflict.
A correspondent of Baldwin s
Monthly from Warrenton, Va, gives
the following account as it fell from
the lips of his father, an eyewitness.
It is in some respects much the finest
picture ever drawn of the scene,
especially in its description of the
gallant Col. Hayne:
In the great South Carolina de
bate which took place in the Senate
Chamber upon the tariff question of
1928, I was in the gallery. The nul>
LITIGATION fever had risen almost
frenzy high. Members of all parties
had deserted the lower house to
witness the splintering of lances be-
tween Robert Y. Hayne, of South
Carolina. and Daniel Webster, of New
Hampshire (sic) When I entered
the hall Col. Hayne was speaking; he
was man of general youthful ap-
pearapce, with his shirt collar turned
over his cravat, and his hair smoothly
brushed across his forehead. He
was of the middle stature and well
made. He was speaking energeti-
cally, his eyes were peculiarly bril-
liant, and his face extremely pale;
he moved up and down the aisle
formed between the desks with a
rapid and energetic step; his gestures
were vehement, and he appeared to
be under high state of excitement.
[ was peculiarly struck with his
whole appearance, and the tone Of
feeling evident in the chamber
Mr., Calhoun Chen vice-president)
was in the chair, with his large,
steady and vigilant eyes, Witnessing
the first great bottle of his doctrine;
he seemed the very spirit Of en-
bodied interest; not word, not
gesture of General Hayne escaped
his lion look. The Senate was deep
ly interested, as matter of course.
The language of General Hayne was
lich and vigorous, and his powerful
effect of the impost law on the
South, the description he gave of
her people, his own bold and hazard
Gus elocution and impetuous bearing,
were evidently making strong i'm
preston on the body. From time to
time attention would be directed
from him to the gentleman who was
expected to answer him, and whom
the general attacked under the cover
of terrible and CALLING fire.
Cold, serene, dark and melan-
choly, that man, thus assailed, sat
apart, black and frowning as noun
tain rock He evidently felt the gi
gantic influences that were at work
around him; but his profound mind
was strengthening itself for the con-
test. And how deeply solemn was
that hour, that moment; how grand
that scene; and what were the medis
tations and spirit rallying of that
great, dark man? His countenance
was the same during the whole of
that tremendous speech. Assault
after assault was made upon him;
but yet he neither turned to the
right nor left, but calmly
and gallantly, like the SOL
der awaiting the signal, he bided
his hour. That time of retaliation
came as swift as the thoughts of
vengeance to Daniel Webster. Who
will forget the exordium of that re-
markable effort, the lashing sar-
casm, the whitening tones of that
Gen. Hayne changed color and ap-
peared much disconnected. But who
that heard him will permit the pc
roration to be forgotten-those clos
ing passages of grandeur, that ma~
jestic allusion to the flag of freedom
and his country? Looking, with his
dark and lustrous eye, through the
glass dome of the Senate chamber,
over which he could see that banner
floating, he delivered an apostrophe
which has never been surpassed and
seldom equaled. 1t composed fig
ure of the most thrilling Interest,"
burst Of solemn and pathetic feeling
and, coming from such source "a
man generally estimated phlegmatic),
it was electric. It was like the beam
OF sunset, or the CLEAN OF summer
lightning, radiating the brow of cliff
and mountain.