Francis Jackson Garrison, William Lloyd Garrison, 1805-1879; the story of his life told by his children: volume 2

[127] it died away, a few hisses were heard in one of the galleries. These elicited another tremendous round of applause. Again a hiss was heard, and then followed another and still more powerful manifestation of enthusiastic approbation of my labors in the anti-slavery cause. I mention this fact to show how vain have been the attempts of my enemies to make me odious even among my abolition brethren.

As every one present must have felt, the mere meeting at the State House was a personal triumph for Mr. Garrison, which eulogy and applause might emphasize, but which no amount of hissing could diminish. Nor had it yet reached its climax. A week before, the ¹ renewal in Congress of the presentation of petitions for the abolition of slavery in the District, chiefly through the untiring instrumentality of John Quincy Adams, had led the House of Representatives to pass a fresh ² resolution to suppress and discourage them.³ ‘All petitions,⁴ memorials, resolutions, propositions, or papers, relating in any way or to any extent whatever to the subject of slavery, or the abolition of slavery, shall, without being either printed or referred, be laid on the table, and no further action whatever shall be had thereon.’ The submissiveness of the North to this outrage was confidently reckoned on by the perpetrators of it, both from the large majority secured for it, and from the precedent of the Pinckney gag of the previous session. They ⁵ overlooked, however, three important factors—the tenacious character and parliamentary skill of Mr. Adams, the indomitable purpose and efficient machinery of the agitators, and the immense growth of the anti-slavery sentiment at large during the twelvemonth. Redoubling their efforts to send up petitions, the abolitionists at the⁶ same time appealed from the free States betrayed and misrepresented in Congress to the same States in their respective assemblies. On the 21st of March, Mr. ⁷ Garri