St. Mary's gazette., 1867-04-18
April 18th, 1867.

Secretary OF the Senate
April 18th, 1867.
! An Act to provide by law for taking ani per
petuA,ing the evidence OF the number of per
| sons held 10 labor and service IN The STATE 81
Mary Land aud emancipa'ed by the GonS'itu
ton, adopted IN the year eighteen hundred
and SIXTY f,ur, s,nd by whom such person:
! We're so held,
Whereas, By n ont resolution approved Arri
/ I0h, 1862, Congress resolved that the United
States oGgt.t to co-Cner;;tc y lth any State winch
may aio't gradual nhol Shment ot slavery. s!v-
lng To such Ht>tc peruallry md 10 be usct by
such State III rs dIScrr ION, to compensate for
4 the Inconvenience, punEc AID private, Produced
by such change o. SvsSn.
And whereas, BY the 9th Sccten Of the act
! of Congress, approved on the 24th February
/ 1861, provision VAS made for rolling ali aoe-
bodied male coiorcd persons reSiiIr. the
tnI.ed Sia eS as part Of The national forces. Il
/ for awarding to each loyal person whom II
colo ei vo!u nieer might owe e, IuSt
/ conlpenS 1Ion h, exceeding three hundred du,-
| lars for elch colorcd yollnicer. and unde SAID
! PROV isionS and previous the co, nEicr the
military authority. OF lhe United S'a'es. larS,,
nuciher Of ayes owing ServIte To loyal cI.I ems
! Of Mary lani induced 10 leave their owNerS
and enlist IN :hs m'ary service + the United
| States or ere received on board OF steamers
| II der the nord of the SAID military. and
| carried away from the service OF SAID owners by
SAID military. So that their Servi"e was totally
! lost their said owners, ana very W of the
SAID loyal owners have ever received compenSa-
! ,ion for slave volu,tee s. enlisted or for ser
vice 80 Lost.
An! whereas, Bv the 24th Article Of the
! Declaration % Rights ot the Constitution ot this
State. which went mo tui operation on the
/ first day Of November, IN n" Year 1874, "A
persons held To service or laor rs slaves IN thiS
| State were thereby dcclated to be free
And whereas, No compensation for the IN
conscn.ynces, public and private. produced by
| ~urh chan .es of system "has been made, by
living To .;.Is Sta:e pc .unr,ry aid according to
! the f,Ith of the Federal Government Soiemniy
pledged by the JOINT resolutions atot esaid.
And where's, The Gcacr~l Assembly OF
! Mary and 3y IpInt resolutions passed at ,hI Is;
present sesstr1 has resolved '',h,t the State of
NARY land has a good, valid and jns' clam upon
the Government of the United States for reason :
able and adequate compensation Tor the said
property, and that II ought not To b. doubted
that the tedelal Governn ent, when the pas
sions excited by the late unhappy civil war
shall have subsldcd will recognize me juS;re of
| the sald claim and faith fully perform her man
fest duty IN re,a d to IT." And further, ''thnt
| the General Assembly ought 10 provide by law
! for taking and perpetu itlng The evidence of the
number and value of the pe.sols held % la''o'
and service aforesaid, by the loyal cizens
Of Maryland, and aforesaid, discharged from
such serrlcs and labor" Therefore,
Sec |. Be il enacted by the General ssenl-
| blv of Muty Wand, Thtt The Governor, by and
! with the advice and consent of the Sena e, and
| prcvIoas to the adjourn neat Of the present
session, shall appoint person of suI:aHte
charactec and ability, resident II each county "f
/ the State, and one IN Balumore city, who shall
/ De styled a "COmml$SIoIer of Slave St'ii$ics,
and who before catering upon the discharge OF
MS dtties, hereinafter described. shRI give
! bond In the of i've thousand dollars. to be
! apprn, ed toy the Clerk 81 tne Circuit tourt OF
! each county, and of the SuucrIpr Court OF
Baltimore c.ty, tor the faithful performance of
his duties rs such CommI- -SIon-r aud Subscribe
to ;he following oath before the sad Clerk, VIZ:
/ |, -, do soI-Eny swc.r o. atlrm that I
7 viii faithfully and .npartHlly dlschnr&e the
uutics of Commissioner of Slave Statistics to
;ue best OF my judgement and a'ni'tN according
To the laws OF Maryland, SO help me q oi
And any sac ,ncy cur'in@ by the death,
RESIGNATION or other cause of any of the Com
! m;s ssIolcrS 50 appointed after the adjournment
of the Leg yisiature, shall be led 10y The Go'c.nor
of the State.
Section .. And he it enacted, That the Com
mlssiuners 50 appointed shat procure suitable
printed bialsi forms or tabular st,,rme.ts
which, when proper file up or maze acco.d-
ing 10 the PROV "ns uf tnI1 ue', sna eNhlrIt
the. names cf HE former owners of slaves IN
~ tr42ec,ive counties or districts ut the tne
of the adoption of ttte Constitution IN ihe year
1854 the names, number, a%c, sex ana phySI-
r,l condition ot Such sayeh whether they
we're slaves Tor life or for term ot years, and
how many Years ; whether hey had been
enlisted or drafted INTO C military service Of The
United Sta.es so far nnown to sad
sttt,r .tltv