Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-05-03
HAYNE AND WEBSTER.
A Virginian's Picture of the Famous Con-
fiict

fict.
In the great South Carolina debate,
which took place in the Senate Chamber
upon the tariff question of 1928, I was
in the gallery. The notification fever
had risen almost frenzy high. Members
of all parties had deserted the lower
house to witness the splintering of
lances between Robert Y. Hayne, of
South Carolina, and Daniel Webster.
When entered the hall General Hayne
was speaking; he was a man of general
youthful appearance, with his shirt-col-
lar turned over his cravat, and his hair
smoothly brushed across his forehead.
He was of the middle stature and well
made. He was speaking energetically;
his eyes were peculiarly brilliant, and
his face extremely pale; he moved up
and down the aisle formed between the
desks with rapid and energetic step;
his gestures were vehement, and he ap-
peared to be under high state of ex-
element. I was peculiarly struck with
his whole appearance, and the tone of
feeling evident in the chamber. Mr..
Calhoun (then vice-President) was in
the chair, with his large, steady, and
vigilant eyes witnessing the first great
battle of his doctrine; he seemed the
very spirit of embodied interest; not
word, not gesture of General Hayne
escaped his lion look. The Senate was
deeply interested, as a matter of course.
The language of General Hayne was
rich and vigorous, and his powerful eff
feet of the import-law on the South, the
description he gave of her people, his
own bold and hazardous elocution and
impetuous bearing, were evidently MAX
ing strong impression 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 cover of a
terrible and CALLING fire.
Cold, serene, dark, and melancholy,
that man, thus assailed, sat apart, black
and frowning as a mountain rock. He
evidently felt the gigantic influences
that were at work around him; but his
profound mind was strengthening itself
for the contest. And how deeply solemn
was that hour, that moment; how grand
that scene; and what were the medita-
tons and spirit-rallying of that great,
dark man? His countenance was the
same during the whole of that tremen-
dous speech. Assault after assault was
made upon him; but yet he neither
turned to the right nor left, but calmly
and gallantly, like the soldier awaiting
the signal, he bided his hour. That
time of retaliation came swift as the
thoughts of vengeance to Daniel Web
ster. Who will forget the exordium of
that remarkable effort, the flashing sar-
casm, the whitening tones of that voice,
and the temper of his language? Gen
eral Hayne changed color and appeared
much disconnected. But who that heard
him will permit the peroration to be
forgotten-those closing passages of
grandeur, that majestic allusion to the
flag of freedom and his country? Look
ing 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 apos-
trophe which has never been surpassed,
and seldom equaled. It composed a
figure of the most thrilling interest,"
burst Of solemn and pathetic feeling
and, coming from such source Ga man
generally estimated phlegmatic), it was
electric. It was like the beam of sun
set, or the CLEAN of summer lightning,
radiating the brow of cliff and noun
tain.