Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1830-04-23
SLAVERY IN THE DIST. OF COLUMBIA.

MIR. WASHINGTON, from the Committee for the
District of Columbia, reported the following
| bill concerning slavery in the District OF Co.
lumbia:
BE 1t enacted by the Senate and House of Re-
preSeatatiues of the United States of .4merica in
! Congress assembled, That it shall not hereafter
be lawful tor any person to import or bring with
In the District of Columbia, except as is herein
after provided, any slave or slaves, whether held
to service for life, for any term of years; and
any person imported or broug into said District
as slave, contrary to this act, if slave before,
shall Immediately be free; and the freedom given
by this act, shall not be deemed mere penalty
upon the individual importing or bringing IN any
person as slave as aforesaid, but shall be the
right and privilege, and for the benefit of the
person so imported and brough in; and this Sec
ton shall, in regard to the right of such person,
be construed to be d remedial law.
SEC. Q. find be 1t further enacted, That citi-
zens Of the said District owning slaves, or ac-
quiring them in any lawful manner in any of the
States OF Territories Of the United States, may,
from time to time, remove their slaves into said
District. Any persons travelling, making
temporary or transient stay in the said District,
may bring in and keep with them their domestic
trict; but it shall not be lawful for any person to
sell any slave permitted to be brought into said
District, in either manner as aforesaid, until such
person shall have continued to reside with such
slave in said District, at least three whole years
next before such sale, except in case of DISPOSE
ton by the last will and testament of the owner
of such slave, or of disposition by law for pay
ment of bona fde debts. or consequent upon in
testacy; nor shall any thing contained in this
act be construed to apply to slaves hired IN said
District, and owned by citizens of Virginia or
MARYLAND.
1 Sec. S. find be 1t further enacted, That no.
thing in this act shall be construed to prevent any
person residing in the said District from sending
his or her slaves out of the said District upon his
or her own business, and bringing such slave or
slaves back again, so as such slave or slaves not
be kept out of the said District more than one
whole year at any one time; nor shall any such
return or bringing back be deemed an importa-
ton or bringing in of such slave or slaves, so as
to entitle such slave slaves to freedom; and If
any slave shall have been carried out of the said
District, during the infancy, or without the con-
sent of the lawful owner of such slave, or shall
have run away, such lawful owner may at any
time thereafter bring such slave into the District
of Columbia again, and hold him or her as his
slave.
Sec. 4. find be 1t further enacted, That no
dealer in slaves, nor other person WIZ may have
purchased, or claimed to have purSLRsed, any
slave. for the purpose of carrying yAch lave out
of the District of Columbia, shall. IN said Dis
riot. confine ~ imprson, or cause to be confined
or imprisoned, in any house, or other building, or
in any ship, Or other vessel, any slave held by
such dealer, or purchased, or claimed to have
been purchased, as aforesaid, by such other per-
son, until the name agv, sex, last place of resi-
dence, and former owner (if any of such slave,
shall have been reported, in writing, TO the Clerk
of the Circuit Court of the county IN which such
slave NAV be holden, and certified copy of such
report, under the seal of the court, shall have
been obtained and delivered to the person who
NAV occupy, or nave charge of, the house, build
inc, ship, or vessel, in which such slave is to be
confined; which certified copy shall be, BY the
person to whom the same shall be delivered as
aforesaid, shown to any person desiring to see
the same; and, if any slave dealer, or other per-
son, shall conhne or imprison. or cause tobe con-
fined or imprisoned, any such slave, contrary to
the true intent and meaning of this section. such
slave dealer, or other person, shall forfeit and
nav fifty dollars for every slave so unlawfully
confined or imprisoned, one half to the United
States, and the other half to the informer: and
if the occupier, or person who has the charge of
the house, building, ship, or vessel, in which such
slave NAV be confined or imprisoned. shall refuse,
while such slave shall be so confined or i'm
prisoned, to show the certified copy of the said
report to any person, on demand, the person so
refusing, shall forfeit and pay twenty dollars for
each slave so imprisoned on confined one half
thereof to the United States, and the other half
to the informer.
Sec. 5. find be 1t further enacted. That, for
every certificate granted by the Clerk as afore-
SAID. ne shall be entitled to receive the sum of
twenty-five cents for the certificate, and FIVE
cents additional for each slave SO reported as
aforesaid. And the penalties hereby imposed
shall be sued for, and recovered, in the Circuit
Courts for the counties of Alexandria and Wash
ington, in the same manner as other penalties.
(,,rse and $uperior Eeef.