Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1860-10-04
= N ACI-

- Il
TO ADD A NEW ARTICLE 30 THE CODE OF
PUBLIC LOCAL LAWS FOR ST MARY'S.
CALVERT, HOWARD, KENT, BALTIMORE,
WOeCCESrER, SoAlERsET, TALBOT. QrE1s
ANEE'S PRINCE GEORGES AND CHARLES
COUNTIES, ENTITLED AN ACT TO Ap-
POINT 4 BOARD OF C0MM.S>IO NERS FOR
THE BETTER CONTROL AND MANAGE
MENT OF The FREE COLORED P0PUIA
d. TON OF SAID COUNTIES.
SECTION /. Aaad be ii enacted 6g the General As
semby Of NaryGad, That the County Commission
of St. Mary's, Calvert, Toward, Kent and Bal
tinorc Counties, be ana they hereby authoriz-
ed to appoln. .IcnniaIy, three sober and discreet
men in each Election District in said counties. to
be styled Board Of Commissioners, for the better
control and management OF the free colored popu-
lation, ma jority of whom shall at all times
stitue quorum for the discharge of the duties Of
the act.
SEC. 3 And be at enacted, That it shall be the
duty of the said Boai d of Commis sioners to assem-
BILE at the usual places of holding elections in their
respective districts, the first day of December
eighteen hundred and sixty, ana the same day
and month in every year thereafter, and adjourn
from day to day, to any named day, for the
purpose Of discharging the duties imposed by this
SEC. 8. And be 1t enacted, That the said Board of
Commissioners SHALL under their hands and seals,
issue summons to be directed to more con-
stables, as they may fit, of their respective dis
tricts, whose duty it is hereby made to the
same upon every free negro of all ages and sexes
in said districts, and by virtue of which il shall be
the duty of said constable to have said free negroes
so summoned before the said Board of Commission
at the time and place specified in said sum-
mons.
SEC. 4. And be it enacted, That it shall be the
duty of said Board of Commissioners to duly noti
fly all said free negroes when brought before thcm
except such shall be other rwise provided for in
the subsequent sections, that unless they shall pro-
vide homes by hiring themselves to some industri
and respectable citizen, hereafter provided,
to labor and service by the year, they, the said
Commissioners, will expose said free negroes at
public sale to the highest bidder for the term of one
year.
SEC. 5. Aad be 1t enacted, That it shall be the
duty of said Board of Commissioners, after having
given the aforesaid notice. to expose at public sale
to the highest bidder for the term of twelve months,
all such free negroes who shall fail to produce be-
fore said Commissioners or before the first day
of January, eighteen hundred and sixty-one, and
on or before the first day Of January of every sue
Seeding year, the note or bond of some respectable
and worthy citizen, with security thereon, to be
approved by the same for the hired services of said
negro or negroes for the tern term OF twelve We. months
tions of the parties, and shall be subject to suit as
other notes or bonds are, before justice of the
peace, the Circuit Courts for st. Mary's, Calvert
Howard, Kent, Baltimore, Worcester, Somerset
Talbot, Queen Anne's Prince Georges and Charles
Counties, may be required by the amount of con
sideratlon in said bond.
SEC g. Ind be 1T enacted, That it shall be the
duty of said Board of Commissioners to indcnture
to citizen of the said counties, all free negroes
negroes to serve until they arrive at the age OF
twenty-one, and said females until they arrive al
the age of thirty the party giving bond to the State
at Maryland for the good treatmeat and care OF
SEC. 7. 14ad be it enacted, That it shall be the
duty of said Board of Commissioners to require OF
the party to whom any female aforesaid, any
other female hired bound under this act, may be
bound to provide for and support all existing or
subsequent issues of said female during her term OF
indenture hire, until they arrive at the period OF
four years of age, at which time it shall be the du
ty of said Commissioners to bind out the said issues
in the manner and for the period specified in the
foregoing section; it being the intent of this act
that all free negroes minors from the time of brit!
TO the period of four years of age shall be exempt
from the hiring and binding provisions of the same
and it shall be the further duty Of the said Com
lcct the individual to whom said issue shall be
bound; Provided, said individuals shall execute 3
pond with approved security to the State cf Mary
land, as before required.
SEC. 8. 4nd be it enacted, That in the event Of
any free negro hired or bound under this act, shall
refuse to faithfully, the party to whom he OF
she may be bound for the full term of his her in
denture, either by absconding, secreting
ming away from the service of said party, it shall
be the duty of said Board of Commissioners Oh
complaint of the party and proof of the same, by
some reliable and dsinterested person under oath
to expose the said hired bound free negro, al
public sale to the highest bidder, to be sold as a
slave for life, the proceeds of which shall be paid
by said Board to the Register of Wills of ST. Marys
Calvert, Howard, Kent and Baltimore Counties, to
be appropriated by him to the primary school fund
Sec. 9. ind be it enacted. That it shall be the
OF OF commissioners 10 pfONldC
fund for the support of such free negroes they
may fail to hire indenturc, because of til eir
treme old age disability Of any kind and for any
female and her issues whom they may be unable
to hire because of the membranes of said issues
and which said issues may not be subject to hire by
said Board under the provisions of this act, which
said fund shall be subtractcd from the gross amounts
of the hire bonds executed for the services of afore
said free negroes, and the said shall be sub
tracted as well from the bonds of such
who shall annually hire themselves to labor and
service from the bonds of such free negroes who
may be hired by the said Commissioners.
SEC. 10. And be 1T enacted, That it shall be the
duty of said Board of Commissioners to collect by
suit or otherwise, the amount stipulated in each
bond, and report the same annually to the County
commissioners with statement of all the expenses