"While thus the thought of dissolving the Union occurred readily to the
Southern mind, the thought of maintaining the government and preserving
the Union by means of force hardly occurred to anybody. It seemed to be
taken for granted on all sides that if the Southern States insisted on
cutting loose from the Union, nothing could be done but to let them go."
The two sections were at this time so evenly balanced that the
maintenance of the Union by force could not have been successfully
attempted. The compromise which admitted Missouri to the Union as a
slave State, and recognized the right of settlers to carry slaves into
the territory south of 36 deg. 30', was carried through by the splendid
leadership of Clay, who thus earned the title of "the great
pacificator." Future historians will accord to him the title of the
savior of the Union.
Upon the adoption of the compromise measures Mr. Clay resigned his seat
in Congress to give his attention to his private affairs, being
financially embarrassed by indorsing for a friend. During his stay at
home there was a fierce controversy over the issue of paper money and
relief measures to favor debtors who had become involved through the
recklessness following such inflation. Against what seemed to be an
overwhelming popular feeling, Clay arrayed himself on the side of sound
money and sound finance. In 1823 he was again returned to the House of
Representatives without opposition, and was chosen Speaker by a vote of
139 to 42.