His speech was a strong assertion of the right of the west
to equality of treatment with the old sections of the country. "A
new world," said he, "has come into being since the Constitution was
adopted. Are the narrow, limited necessities of the old thirteen
states, of, indeed, parts only of the old thirteen states, as they
existed at the formation of the present Constitution, forever to
remain the rule of its interpretation?" [Footnote: Annals of Cong.,
18 Cong., 1 Sess., I., 1315; Colton, Private Corresp. of Clay, 81.]
In contrast with the united attitude of the west upon internal
improvements, which Henry Clay voiced with such lofty accent, the
south showed divisions which reflected opposing economic interests
in the section. Not only were the representatives of Maryland almost
a unit in support of the bill, but also the western districts of
Virginia and North Carolina, as well as a considerable fraction of
the representatives from South Carolina and Georgia, supported the
cause of the west on this occasion.
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