 | The Repeal of the Missouri Compromise |  |
But in the councils of the nation
Some lofty minds endured temptation,
No threats nor bribes which men could quote
Could gain their favor or their vote.
Though not unfrequently beset
By President and Cabinet,
They stood unterrified and free,
And would not basely bow the knee.
They sought the right, eschewed the wrong,
And battled earnestly and long
Without prospective victory,
Like those of old Thermopylæ.
Some lofty minds endured temptation,
No threats nor bribes which men could quote
Could gain their favor or their vote.
Though not unfrequently beset
By President and Cabinet,
They stood unterrified and free,
And would not basely bow the knee.
They sought the right, eschewed the wrong,
And battled earnestly and long
Without prospective victory,
Like those of old Thermopylæ.
| The Repeal of the Missouri Compromise | |