Nevertheless,  scarcely  one  year  had  elapsed,  K'fore  the  privileged
class,  using  some  of  our  own  representatives  as  their  instruments,
broke  up  not  only  this  compromise  of  1850,  but  even  the  ooropro-
mise  of  1820  and  the  ordinance  of  1787,  and  obtained  the  declaration
of  congress,  that  all  the^e  settlements,  so  tar  us  they  were  adverse  to


TR£  AQORESSIOXS  OF  SLAVfiRY.
285


jmyueged  class,  were  uncoustitutioaal  usuipalious  of  Icgislutivo
Fer.  I  do  not  stop  to  stigmatize  or  eveu  to  chai-acterize  these
•ggreaaioDS.  Of  wliat  use  would  it  be  to  charge  j»erfidy,  when  the
loaaes  we  deplore  have  resulted  from  our  own  imbecility  and  cow*
vdioe?  I  do  uul  dwell,  as  others  so  often  aud  so  justly  do,  upon  the
AtruciouB  asurj>atioii  of  the  government  of  Kansas  by  the  slavo-
bolders  of  Missouri,  nor  even  on  the  barbarous  and  tyrannical  code
which  they  have  established  to  stifle  freedom  in  that  territory,  nor
even  j^et on  the  fraudident  and  nefmioua connivance  of  the  president
with  the  usurpers.
