When the history books are written, Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) said, he does not wish to be “the great compromiser,” the nickname of another Kentucky senator, Henry Clay, who helped postpone the Civil War through legislative wrangling.

Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

Rather, Mr. Paul compared himself and the tea party movement to the abolitionists of the antebellum era during his maiden speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate this morning. The freshman lawmaker, who sits at Mr. Clay’s desk in the Senate chamber, drew parallels between the fight over slavery and country’s current fiscal woes.

“Is compromise the noble position? Is compromise a sign of enlightenment?” asked Mr. Paul, standing in a dark suit, white shirt and red tie. “Yet we do face a fiscal nightmare.”

Mr. Paul reached back to the 19th century, spending much of his speech bashing Mr. Clay, who last stood on the Senate floor in 1852. “Before we eulogize Henry Clay, we should acknowledge and appreciate the contrast with contemporaries who refused to compromise,” he said. “Henry Clay made no room for true believers.”…