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[109] Amendment to the Constitution, and cited the massacre of colored soldiers at Fort Pillow and elsewhere as justifying the severest accusations of the abolitionists against slavery, of which it was the natural outgrowth.

W. L. Garrison to his wife.

New York, May 13, 1864.
1 Our two public meetings, at the Cooper Institute and at Dr. Cheever's church, were attended with large and truly respectable and intelligent numbers, and went off with high interest and hearty approval. Thompson acquitted himself admirably on each occasion. Phillips was brilliant and eloquent as usual, but somewhat contradictory in statement, and decidedly opposed to the reflection of Abraham Lincoln. Of course, I briefly expressed my dissent, and gave the reasons why I thought the people would stand by him for another term. The audiences were overwhelming in their approval of my views, though disposed generously to applaud Phillips as far as they could. I trust nothing fell from my lips which was deemed personal or unkind by dear Phillips. He is frank and outspoken in his own sentiments, and will not desire me to be less so. But I did not wish to seem to be in antagonism to himself,—for I know that our enemies would like to see us or put us at personal variance,—and so I said but very little in reply to two long speeches.

Our business meetings would have been very harmonious, had it not been for Stephen and Parker. We had some plain2 things said on both sides; but, on the whole, we got along3 better than I expected, and the Presidential election received no partisan countenance.


Before the Boston meetings occurred, Mr. Phillips had carried his hostility to Lincoln so far as to seek and accept, for the first time in his life, the votes of a political caucus, and he appeared as a delegate from his Ward in Boston4 at the State Convention to elect delegates to the approaching National Republican Convention at Baltimore. In this new role he made a speech in opposition to the5 resolution endorsing Mr. Lincoln, but without the slightest effect, for it was carried by acclamation. His utter failure

1 Ms.

2 S. S. Foster.

3 Parker Pillsbury.

4 May 23.

5 Lib. 34.87, 94.

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