The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-12-26
CITY ORDINANCE.

eroes' muia'toeS' ana slaves" approved NAV a.,
thrty-first, eighteen hundred aud trcnty...,. '''
Be II enacted By he Board of AIlsy,,., ,.,,y n.
Of Common Council Of The city of WgsLigo,os ~.
from and after the passage Of this ac, every
gro or muiatto, whether male or female wbo -
come within the city Of Washington or wLo 10y
oe mahumi''eu, or oe made or declared TO he frce
10 any otner manner or form whatsoever In sa;d
c,'y, snan, WITHIN h'e days thereafter, exhibit 70
tne Mayor satisfactory evidence Of his or her title
to freedom, to be recorded by the Recs,or S'sle
rected by the second section of the oc, a.i ~,
An act concerning free negroes. mpla,toos os,
slaves" approved May the thirty frs -" na
hundred and twenty-seven, and shall eptsr 49,
bond to the Mayor, Board Of Aldermen arJ
Board Of Common ouncil, Of the city of VI
iDgton, with one good and sufficient whit e.
hold surety; which said surety shall. before svo
cutting said bond, exhibit satisfactory evidsnon,.
some police magistrate of this Corporation of ~
sutfciency in the premises and which said bonJ
shall also be approved by the Mayor. in the men
atty OF fifty dollars, conditioned for his or her
good and orderly conduct and like bond and -.
curity for each and every member of his or b,r
family, to be executed in the same manner. c5p.
diuoned for the good and orderly conduct Of the
person named therein, that he or she does not be.
come chargeable to or commit any offence against
nj
ted States Prov;ded, Such free negro or nulstto
child or ward be between the ages of twelv. AMI
twenty-one years; but such children or words
shall, upon becoming twelve years of age, be sub
ject TO all the provisions Of this act which bonds
shall be renewed every year on the tenth day Of
December and on the failure to comply with each
and every provision Of this section he. she or
they so failing shall forfeit and pay a sum not
exceeding twenty dollars, and he. she. or thew
and also the persons for whom such failure shall
occur, being minors, shall be ordered by the
Mayor to depart forthwith from the city and on
failure to do so shall be committed to the work
house, and be employed, at the discretion of the
Mayor, until such conditions shall be complied
with, not exceeding six months in any one com.
mitment
Sec 2 Aad he Il enacted, That any free person
or persons of color, who may be imprisoned under
the provisions Of this act may be discharged from
such Imprisonment by order Of the Mayor upon
his or her being able to satisfy the Mayor that
he or she will, with his or her family and depend.
ants, forthwith depart from this city but if be
or she shall fail to depart, or departing shall re-
turn to and be found within the same at any tine
62tana ss>slye months thereafter &e eyshe shall
be again committed as if no such discharge had
taken place PrOridsd, That nothing in this sec.
tiep shsD bs so strued as 10 relfnse tho child
"a cn1oren VI sficn person persons Of color who
may have been bound out to servitude by the
Commissioners Of the ASYLUM under existing
laws until the expiration Of their term Of service
Sec 3. Aad be IL enacted, That from and after
the passage Of this act every free negro or mu-
latto, whether male or female, shall, within five
days after their arrival in this city, and on the
tenth day Of December thereafter, annually, re.
cord his or her name, and the name or names Of
,harn &c harf fam tha hooy
of this Corporation, and at the same time pay into
the treasury of said Corporation, for himself, her
self, and each and every member of his or her
family 80 registered, the sum of fifty dollars upon
which registration and payment of the sum afore-
said the Mayor is hereby authorized and directed
to grant permit Of residence to such registered
free negro or mulatto which shall entitle him or
her to residence within said Corporation and
on failure to comply with each and every provis.
ion of this section he she, or they so failing shall
forfeit and pay to this Corporation sum not less
than ten dollars nor exceeding twenty dollars
and shall be ordered by the Mayor to depart
forthwith from this city; and failing to depart
therefrom, shall be subject TO the conditions and
penalties prescribed in the first section of this
act Proutied, Nothing in this act contained shall
be so construed as to apply to or affect the con.
dition Of any free negro or muatto who may come
into the city in the service of any transient per.
son or member of Congress while in such employ.
ment, or who may have been sent to the city by
his or her employer on temporary business
Sec 4. And be Il enacted That all and every Sec
tion and provision of the act entitled "An act
concerning free negroes, mulattoes, and slaves
approved May the thirty-frst, eishteAa hundred
and twenty seven, and of the act supplementary
thereto, approved October the twenty ninth,
eighteen hundred and thirty-six, well as of any
and all previous subsequent act or acts relating
to the same subject, and not heretofore repealed
and except such as apply to free negroes and mu-
lattoes now residing in this city, and having &C
qured rights under said act acts so far as they
conflict with the provisions of this act he and the
same are hereby repealed
SILAs II. HILL,
President of the Board of Common Council
b. b. French,
President Of tie Board of Ahrmw.
Approved, December 7, 1850
WALTER LENox, Mayor.
We feel bound to express our strong disappro.
baton of this new law of the Corporation. 1t is
uncalled for. The pretence that Virginia is about
to expel her free colored population is false.
South Carolina has rejected an inhuman move.
ment of this kind Virginia is not less civilized
than South Carolina Besides, the increase Of
the free people of color here since 1870 is by no
means alarming" as some of our misguided citi-
zens imagine; for the per cent. increase is much
less than that of the white population.
1t is unwise. At this time, when the question
of slavery is so warmly agitated between North
and South, our City Fathers would have done
well to let legislation on kindred subjects alone
1t can make no friends for the city it will make
enemies.
1t is wrong in principle. The free colored PEG
pie are in the country. No man with brains
to comprehend an argument, or heart alive
with human sympathies, proposes to expel these
people from our shores, though there are those
who would hold out inducements to their volun-
tary emigration. While they are in the country,
justice to them justice from one State to another
from one district to another; Humanity the best
interests Of society, demand that they should have
entire freedom Of locomotion--in other words, be
left free to pursue happiness and better their con.
dition wherever they please. Suppose the policy
of the Ordinance above quoted be adopted by
every State in the Union-and every State has
right to adopt it, if this District has-then, the
free oolored population becomes stationlry--saVes
to the soil Enterprise, the spirit of emigration
the desire of improving their condition, are exun'
guished. We oondemu the political regulations
Of the Old World, which have attempted to re-
strict the Jewish people within certain limits
The police laws or one country imposing fe''tTs
upon free intercourse with another, we pronounce
arbitrary and impolitic And what could we eh'
pect of any white population, compelled to remain
stationary forever within limited area, with u.
mnished means of Subsistence, and no privilege
cmigration7
We must treat human beings "a fellow beng
doing unto them as we would they should % ""'.
us. This is Justice, and sound policy because !"