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


raj papers proposing details of legislation
upon minor points, which were thought
by those who suggested them, and by
others, to be of consequence. Two sub
jects of primary Importance occupied
most of the committees time. These
were the proposed expulsion from Mary
land of the free negroes now residing in
the State, and the policy adopted by the
legislature in 1881 of restraints upon
manumission, and the necessity of pro-
curing additional legislation to give vita
lily and vigor to the law of that year,
which, probably, from the imperfection
of its details, has fallen into disuetude.
In regard to the first of these ques-
tons, the committee came to the conclu-
sion that it was highly inexpedient to
undertake any measure for the general
removal of our free black population from
the State, and that the best interests of
the State, and of that class of people too,
require only due enforcement of the sta
tutes on this subject already existing,
and of such additional laws as seem to
be necessary to carry out the purposes of
former legislatures, and make these peo-
pie orderly, industrious and productive.
By the last census this class of our pop
ulation numbered about 1000. With
in the last nine years they are estimat-
ed, by natural causes and manumissions,
to have reached over $4,000.
The existence of so large a number of
free blacks in the midst of slavehold-
ing State is believed to be of itself an
evil, and this evil is readily perceived to
be greater when it is considered that a
portion of them are idle, vicious and I'M
productive. This, however, is not the
case with the majority of them, and
their removal would, as the committee
believe, be far greater than all evils the
people of Maryland ever suffered from
them. In the city of Baltimore, it is
estimated that there are more than 25,-
600 of them, employed chiefly as domes-
tic servants, or as laborers in various de-
partments of industry. In many of the
rural districts of the State, where labor
is by no means abundant, they furnish a
large supply of agricultural labor, and
it is unquestionable that quite large
portion of our soil could not be titled
without their aid In some districts they
supply almost all the labor demanded by
the farmers.
Their removal from the State would
deduct nearly so per cent. from the
household and agricultural labor furnish
ed by the people of this color, and in
disponsa5lo to the people Of The State +;
would produce great discomfort and incon-
venience to the great body of household
ers; would break up the business and
destroy the property of large numbers
of landowners and land-renters-ac class
whose interests are entitled to as much
consideration as those of any other por-
ton of our citizens; would be harsh and
oppressive to those people themselves
would violate public sentiment, which is
generally not only just, but kindly, and
would probably lead to other evils which
the committee forbear to mention.
We are satisfied that such measure
could not receive the legislative sanction
and would not be tolerated by the great
body of the people of Maryland, ever
with that sanction. The committee
therefore, cannot recommend their ex.
pulsion from the State Still more un
willing should they be to favor any mea
sure which looked to their being depriv
ed of the right to freedom which they
have acquired by the indulgence of oul
laws and the tenderness of their masters
whether wise or unwise, or which they
have inherited as birthright.
On the other proposition-the re
straints upon manumission-the commit
tee think that the policy in this regard
adopted by the act of 1881, oh. 2Sl, wa.
wise and proper. That act provided fol
the compulsory removal of all blacks
manumitted after the passage of the law
Its provisions were numerous and cum.
brous. 1t provided for the appointment
of board of three managers, who
should be members of the Colonization
Society, whose duty it should be to re.
move such people of color as should be.
come free in this State thereafter re.
quired clerks of courts and registers Of
wills to inform this board of managers Of
every manumission by decd or will with
in five days after the recording Of the
one, or the probate of the other; re-
quired the board of managers to notify
the Colonization Society, and arrange
with them the removal of each manu-
mitted slave to Liberia. If the Society
declined to do so, the board was to re-
move them to some other place without
the State, with their consent, and if they
refused to leave the State, then the She
riff Of the county was to be notified by
the board, and thercupon it was the du-
ty of the sheriff to arrest and remove
them beyond the State.
1t directed the sheriffs Of the several
counties to make an enumeration and
list of the names Of all the free blacks
in the respective counties, but it express
ly recognised the right of all free blacks
then in the State to remain therein if
they SO pleased.
Thus it is evident that the policy of
the State in 1881 was the compulsory re-
moyal from the State Of slaves manumit-
ted after the date of the act, with view
TO prevent the too great and rapid in
crease Of this part Of our population. =
The committee see no reason for discard
ing this policy now, but believe that the
same reason which influenced the legis-
lature of 1881 exis t in greater force.