Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1859-06-17

uncalled for by any public exigency
which could justify it.
ResOlved, That the free negro popula-
ton should be well and thoroughly con-
trolled by efficient laws, to the end that
they may be orderly, industrious and
productive.
ResolUed, That for the purpose of
diminishing as far as possible the evils
which proceed from an excessive and
increasing free negro class, the policy of
the State, declared in 1881, should be
reafhrmed, and such amendments be
made to the act Of that year as will give
to it active force and certain operation,
and as will either prohibit emancipation
altogether or compel the prompt remova
from the State of those emancipated; ant
that the Legislature should be asked t.
review and amend the laws relating Il
free negroes and to emancipation, so a
to remedy all the defects of system
which time and experience have dis
closed.
ReSolycd, That committee of - b
appointed to submit the views of thi
convention and to ask appropriate legis
lation by the General Assembly.
Mr.. Jacobs, of Worcester, presented
a minority report, with the following
resolutions:
Whereas the State of Maryland, for ;
long succession of years, has been aug
menting her free negro population til
their numbers have attained to 80, 600
who are positively injurious to the best
interests of this State therefore be it
Resolred, That the Legislature of this
State at its next session be requested by
this convention to terminate free negro
ism in Maryland at an early day and on the
most advantageous terms to our white
population.
Resolged, That no STAKEHOLDER now
owning limited number of slaves shall
be eligible to become the owner Of any
such conscript slaves, and that no per-
son not now an owner of any slave, shall
become the owner of more than limited
number of such conscript slaves; and
that the price of said conscript slaves be
made so low, and the payments thereof
in such instalments, as to enable our
citizens of limited means to become the
owners of such slaves.
ResolUed, That law ought to be
passed to exempt from execution one or
more slaves belonging to any one per-
son.
Resolved, That if freedom is really
worth anything to our free negroes, we
advise that they shall be required to
leave the State if they wish to retain
their freedom and that laws be paced
to allow them to re-enslave themselves
voluntarily to our citizens and thai
failing to leave the State or go into slav
cry within the time limited, they anC
their posterity be sold for life to GU
citizens.
Resolued, That all bound or appren
ticed free negroes, or slaves held to ser
vice for term only, be placed under tn
same restriction, and subject to the sam
laws as are indicated by the preceding
resolution, when their several terms Q
service shall have expired.
Resolved, That the Legislature be al
so requested to inaugurate an eihcien
black police system throughout the State
whose duties shall extend to all classe
of negroes, slaves as well as free, ii
the latter becomes extinct in the State.
Resotred, That in adopting the afor'
going resolutions, prudent discrimina
ton should be made in the case of mer
torious and aged free negroes.
Mr.. Jacobs defended the resolutions b
heightened argument. He had bee
f the friend of the negro from his youth
, for their moral and intellectual welfare
At the North the question Of negr
equality was insisted on; but it was
mere abstraction. Caroline county, tn
smallest of the State of Maryland, con
tanned more free negroes than the State
of Maine, Vermontand New Hampshire
combined, If the people Of that part o
the country want to help the free negroes
they could take them and furnish then
with white wives, citizenship and al
other privileges. But they would moi
do it. In Pennsylvania petitions had
been laid before the Legislature asking
the prohibition of the admission Of free
negroes into that State, and New York
had passed such law. They would
soon be elbowed out of New York. In
Massachusetts there are not moro than
800 of this class, and yet the papers Of
that State ask what is to be done with
them. If the small number in Massa-
chusetts was a clog to the prosperity of
that State what was the condition OF
Maryland with 80, 900? The free States
had taken such steps. Ohio, Indiana
and other States had passed laws denying
privileges to the free negroes.
In bleeding Kansas white man had
been discharged to give employment to
free negro, but tho people rose up
against it, and that man was compelled
TO pledge himself not to employ negro
while q white man could be found lie
thought the people did right, for the
negro had no right to be there. Then
why should the free negro come into
competition with the white man in Ma
ryland? The free negro paid nothing
for the support of government, nor had
they originated any thing Of benefit. If
the system Of emancipation was per-
mitted to 90 on, all the avenues Of cm-
ployment would have to be thrown open
to them. In the rural districts, the free
negro was generally indolent, and lived
by plundoring at night, and. when per-
mi,ted they always take slave wives,