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 | The Repeal of the Missouri Compromise |  |
And was our champion all alone
When liberty was cloven down?
Was he the only Congressman
Who countenanced the treacherous plan?
Was he the only advocate
Who, from a free and liberal State,
Gave to the measure his support,
The Southern patronage to court?
No! Douglass only took the stand
As captain of the reckless band;
He undertook the vile crusade,
And others rallied to his aid:
Not all the Southern Enterprise
Could have repealed the Compromise,
Or ever brought the measure forth,
Without assistance from the North,
It would most certainly have died,
If Southerners had not applied
To Northern skill for a receipt
To cause its snaky heart to beat.
When liberty was cloven down?
Was he the only Congressman
Who countenanced the treacherous plan?
Was he the only advocate
Who, from a free and liberal State,
Gave to the measure his support,
The Southern patronage to court?
No! Douglass only took the stand
As captain of the reckless band;
He undertook the vile crusade,
And others rallied to his aid:
Not all the Southern Enterprise
Could have repealed the Compromise,
Or ever brought the measure forth,
Without assistance from the North,
It would most certainly have died,
If Southerners had not applied
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To cause its snaky heart to beat.
| The Repeal of the Missouri Compromise | |