MR. WHIPPLE'S REPORT, AND MR. OTIS'S LETTER.
Boston: Printed by Cassady and March, 1839. 30, [2 blanks] pp. Stitched, untrimmed, partly uncut. Scattered light foxing, else Very Good.
The pamphlet is a response to Resolutions passed by Congress in late 1838. The Resolutions asserted that Congress should not legislate on slavery, even in the District of Columbia, because doing so would be part of a plot to abolish it in the States and Territories. Moreover, the Resolutions sought to table all petitions offered in Congress concerning the abolition of slavery-- a parliamentary maneuver scornfully known as the 'Gag Rule'. Many northern States protested these Resolutions, especially the Gag Rule. But the Gag Rule had its supporters too, and here Whipple defends it with vigor and history purporting to demonstrate limits on the right of petition. The venerable Harrison Gray Otis rebuts Whipple in a spirited debate.
Sabin 57858. Not in American Imprints, Dumond. Item #32848
Price: $65.00