Calhoun was the hero of the South. Calhoun bound himself and his
State to take certain steps toward secession at a certain day if
that tariff were not abolished. The tariff was so absurd that
Jackson and his government were forced to abandon it--would have
abandoned it without any threat from Calhoun; but under that threat
it was necessary that Calhoun should be defied. General Jackson
proposed a compromise tariff, which was odious to Calhoun--not on
its own behalf, for it yielded nearly all that was asked, but as
being subversive of his desire for secession. The President,
however, not only insisted on his compromise, but declared his
purpose of preventing its passage into law unless Calhoun himself,
as Senator, would vote for it. And he also declared his purpose--
not, we may presume, officially--of hanging Calhoun, if he took that
step toward secession which he had bound himself to take in the
event of the tariff not being repealed. As a result of all this
Calhoun voted for the compromise, and secession for the time was
beaten down. That was in 1832, and may be regarded as the
commencement of the secession movement. The tariff was then a
convenient reason, a ground to be assigned with a color of justice
because it was a tariff admitted to be bad. But the tariff has been
modified again and again since that, and the tariff existing when
South Carolina seceded in 1860 had been carried by votes from South
Carolina. The absurd Morrill tariff could not have caused
secession, for it was passed, without a struggle, in the collapse of
Congress occasioned by secession.

The bounty to fishermen was given to create sailors, so that a
marine might be provided for the nation. I need hardly show that
the national benefit would accrue to the whole nation for whose
protection such sailors were needed. Such a system of bounties may