A Bill

For the release of certain persons held to service or labor in the District of Columbia.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That no person not now within the District of Columbia, nor now owned by any person or persons now resident wsubjection to inor labor proceeding from such causeafter born within it,er held in slavery with notin said District.

Sec. 2. And bfurther enacted, That no now within said District, or now owned by any prinow resident withinsame,hereafter born within it,ever be held in slavery withoutlimitsid District: P, That officers of the Government ofAnd b, being citizens of the slaveholding States, coming into said District on public business, and remaining only so long as may be reasonably necessary for that object, may be attended into and out of said District, and while there, by the necessary servants of themselves and their families without their right to hold such servants in service beingreby impair.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That all children born of slave mothers within said District on or after the 1st day of __, in the year of our Lord 1862, shall be free, but shall be reasonable supported and educand who shall ated by the respective ownerslegal of then mothers, or by their heirs or representativnd who shall shall serve reasonable service as apprentices to such owners, heirs, and representatives until they respectively arrive at the age of twenty-one years, when they shall be entirely tree; and the municipal authorities of Washington and Georgetown, wiirpective jurisdictional limits,eby empower ed and required to make all suitable and necessary provisions for enforcing obedience to this section on the part of both masters and apprentices.

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That all persons now within said District lawfully held as slaves, or now owned by any person or persons now resident within said District, shall remain such at the will of then respective owners, their heirs and legal representatives: Provided, That any such owner or his legal representatives, may at any time receive from the Treasury the United States the lull value of his or her slave of the class in this section mentioned; upon which such slavthe lawful holderse shall be forthwith and forever free: And provided, further, That the President of the United States, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of the Treasury, shall be a board for determining the value of such slaves as then owners may desire to emancipate under this section, and whose duty it shall he to hold a session for the purpose on the first Monday of each calendar month; to receive all applications, and, on satisfactory evidence in each case that the person presented for valuation is a slave, and of the class in this section mentioned, and is owned by the applicant, shall value such slave at his or her full cash value, and give to the applicant an older on the Treasury for the amount, and also to such slave a certificate of freedom.

Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the municipal authorities of Washington and Georgetown, within their respective jurisdictional limits, are hereby empowered and required to provide active and efficient means to arrest and deliver up to theirrs all fugitive slaves escaping into said District.

Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That the election officers within said District of Columbia me hereby empowered and required to open polls at all the usual places of holding , elections on the first Monday of April next, and receive the vote of every free white male citizen above the age of twenty-one years, having resided within said District for the period of one year or more next proceeding the time of such voting for or against this act, to proceed in taking said votes in all respect not herein specified, as at elections under the municipal laws, and with as little delay as possible to transmit collect statements of the votes so cast to the President of the United States; and it shall he the duty of the President to canvass said vote immediately, and it a majorit ty of them be found toor this fthwith issue his proclamation giving notice of the fa;d this act shall only be in full fced effect on and afte day ofroclamation.

Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That involuntary servitude forunintcrime wthe party shall have been duly convedin nowise be prohibited bis act

Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That for all the purposes of this act, the jurisdictional limits of Washington are extended to all parts of the District of Columbia not now included within the limits of Georgetown.