Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1860-10-18

fects of harsh treatment and exposure, they
are thrown out upon the world, without
penny, to begin a life which should have
commenced fifteen years earlier, when youth,
hope and vigorous health had not been crush
ed out by the iron heel Of an oppressive task
master.
[ object to Sec. 7, because under See. 6,
the female is bound out for so long term.
that, although she is allowed the privilege
under Sec. 7. to choose master for her off
spring. yet, through fear of bad treatment
from her master, she will be induced to Sc
lect him as master for her children, even
though he may be known to her as tyranni-
cal and oppressive. [ object to Sec. s, be-
cause, if an innocent and thoughtless child
should happen to runaway from his master,
he is to be sold as slave for life. This
section, apart from its inhuman and oppres-
sive character, is Objectionable upon the
ground that it lays the foundation for fraud
upon the negroes, for it is an easy matter
for the master to treat his bound servants,
especially whilst young and thoughtless, i'll
such manner as to induce them to runaway
that he may thereby be enabled to convert
them into slaves for life. This law upon
the whole, has no parallel in the annals of
the laws of this country; and, without further
comment upon it's defects, will state that
[ shall oppose it, not only for the reasons
above given, but because it tramples upon
the moral sentiment and express ordinance
of God. I still believe, as have hereto
fore contended, that we need some further
legislation for the better management and
control of this dependant race. At this
time, the control of that branch Of the law,
that relates to free negroes, is invested In
the Justices of the Peace and Orphans
Court of our respective counties, and, as it
is we'll known, is too often evaded-hence
arises the cause of so much dissi sipation, pill
fering and idleness amongst the free negroes.
[ will therefore offer few suggestions, by
which believe this law can be made more
perfect. In addition to the law which we
now have in force, I propose that we have
a law enacted, requiring each free negro to
geta certificate from several of his neighbors,
certifying that he is honest, industrious and
capable of farming on his own responsible
ty-said certificate to be approved and re-
corded by some Justice of the Peace, and
the negro to hold the original certificate as
his authority to farm Should any free
negro fail to obtain such certificate or re-
commendation. then, let him be compelled
to hire himself out by the year. Some ar
rangement of this sort would bring the
supervision of the free negroes moro imme
diately under the eye of the masses Of the
people, who. would be far better judges of
their worthiness or worthlessness than the
Justices of the Peace or Judges of the Orr
phans' Court. Under this system, citizens,
. who happened to have free negroes living
near them, would have the power to break
up all idlers and loafers ; and, worthless ne
groes would be compelled to conduct them
selves in a far different manner, than is their
custom at the present day. 1 believe if d
poll-tax was levied on the young and strong
for the support of the old and infrm, for the
purpose of relieving the county from the
amount of tax it pays for that purpose, is
would be but simple JUSTICE.
From the Planters Advocate.
The law passed by the Legislature, and
to be voted upon at the coming Presidential
election, in relation to the free negroes, is
inhuman, unjust and unnecessary, and will.
i if put in force drive away the worthless por
ton Of the free negroes, and leave the worth
less among US. We want more labor in
Prince Georges County than we have. To
drive away the laboring free negroes would
be bad policy, unless their labor could be
obtained from some other source. Although
there are worthless ones among them, there
are numbers who will work when they are
offered sufficient wages. It cant be said
with truth, that they are in the white Ia
borers way, in our county, for they gener-
ally do the work that white persons don't
care to do. For instance there are rough
carpenters among them who saw at the whip
saw, and hcw out timber for tobrcco houses
E work that white carpenters don't care about
doing Several other callings might be
mentioned. They are useful in many in
stances to persons who do not own slaves !;
free negro women can be hired many times
to do the house work, when a poor mans
wife may be unable to do it. He may some
, times hire free man to help him to do what
he could not do by himself. mean short
Jobs, such as tobacco housing time, harvest
time, &c. Hire them all out by tho year
as the law proposes. then there will be no
free labor to be hired for short terms, but
white labor, and we have not enough of
both together. True there are many worth
less free negroes, all partake of the thought
,, lessness peculiar to the African race. For
the worthless ones, we have plenty of law
on the statute book. BY ARTICLE sc of the
code, vagrant free negroes can be sold or
hired out for year, by any Justice of the
Peace or Orphans Court, and at the end Of
the year if said negro does not within ten
days leave the State or hire himself to re-
spectacle white person, then he is to be sold
as slave for another year, and in like man
ner he may be sold in each and every sue
cessive year thereafter. Children of free
negroes can also be bound out, by the CODE
This law is practicable; can easily be put in
force, and has nothing inhuman about it.
It is also the law for the whole State. 1t
I IL IL 4 Al. l.