124|THE GRANITE MONTHLY.
wicked designs to sever and destroy the only good government on the globe, and that prosperity and happiness we enjoy over every other portion of the world. Hainan's gallows ought to be the fate of all such ambitious men, who would involve their country in civil wars and all the evils in their train, that they might reign and ride on the whirlwind and direct the storm. Take care of your nullifiers; you have them among you. Let them meet the indignant frown of every man who loves his country. The tariff is now well known to be a mere pretext, and disunion and a Southern confederacy the real object. The next pretext will be the negro or slavery question."
President Jackson's prediction that nullification was dead, did not prove true. "The snake was scotched not killed." But his prophecy that disunion and a Southern confederacy were the real objects then sought for, did prove correct; and that negro slavery was made the new living issue for the express purpose of obtaining the desired object.
We close this chapter by adverting to the interesting prophecy of Daniel Webster, made to me on my last interview with him, on the 15th day of July, A. D., 1852, about three months before his death. Our conversation on that occasion had led us into a review of his life. He alluded to his long public services, and to the various duties, trials, aspirations, and disappointments incident to the official stations he had filled. His health was now precarious, and he remarked he was admonished by recent events to retire to private life, and to surrender to others the responsibilities of his office (he then being Secretary of State under President Fillmore).
He then remarked that he looked at the future of our country with gloomy forebodings. In return, we said to him that we had recently mingled in the society of many of the southern people, and from the tenor of their conversation we trusted his fears for the dissolution of the Union would not soon be realized, and that good counsels would yet prevail, and that harmony of feeling would gradually be restored to the different sections of the Union, and that his alarm on this subject was too great. "O no!" answered he, with much emphasis, "though I have often earnestly endeavored to rouse your attention to the dangers impending over us, yet you turn a deaf ear to my voice. I know the South are getting ready for disunion. I know they are getting ready their new state constitutions; holding their conventions, ostensibly to promote trade, or new commercial relations, but really to establish a new Southern Confederacy, and to destroy our present form of government. In the mean time the North will not yield an inch, but continue their agitation. I have tried, to some extent, to study the causes of this strife, and, so far as possible, to conciliate their clashing interests. I have often held up before the people the dangers of disunion. Still my voice has not been heeded; my motives have been misrepresented; the strife goes on, and is every day becoming more bitter. I have honestly felt alarm, and have endeavored to diffuse or spread abroad this feeling so that the people might seasonably take warning and adopt a policy that might make for peace. Looking forward, I now feel discouraged. My efforts have proved fruitless."
This discussion was had while sitting on the same sofa. Mr. Webster being now much excited, extending his right hand toward me with much energy, exclaimed, "I shall not live to see an open attempt to break up this Union, but I think you may."
This language was uttered under the influence of a deep, serious, melancholy feeling, making upon me at that time a powerful impression. And when, less than ten years afterward. internal war had actually come, its whole prophetic meaning was fully realized, and felt to be sorrowfully fulfilled.
