time should come, I was ready.' Now truly it seemed as if 'God's
judgements' were to be abroad in the earth, as if He was
'travelling in the greatness of His strength, mighty to save' the
oppressed; as if 'the Day of Vengeance' were in His heart, and
the 'Year of His redeemed was come'; and, said John Brown's
heart, 'He shall find one loyal henchman; I am ready.'

John Brown's call seemed to come after this wise. The enrolment
of each New State in the Union was the occasion of fierce
contention as to whether the territories should be free or
whether slavery should be permitted. Each party had sought at
such junctures to score an advantage, for the balance was often a
very fine one between them,

The spirit of compromise had from the earliest days prevailed
upon the thorny question. Washington was against slavery.
Statesmen like Adams, Franklin, Madison, and Munroe had opposed
it; but others had been willing to purchase the preservation of
Union by concessions to the South, and toleration had been their
consistent policy.

The Missouri compromise in 1820 had apparently settled the
question as to the new State of Kansas, for all future States
north of the latitude 36d 30m were to be free. But at the
enrolment of Kansas the slave party circumvented this statute,
and ensured local option for the State upon this matter. In 1854
the new State of Kansas proceeded to determine for itself once
for all by popular election the grave question whether she was to
be a Slave or a Free State. But in these young States, which
were being almost daily reinforced by new residents, each at once