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 within it, shall ever bsubjection toldwithin said Districtce as labor proceeding from such causeinafter noted.

Sec. 2. And bAnd be it further enacted, That no person now within said District, or now owned by any person or persons now resident within the same, or hereafter born within it, shall ever be held in slavery withoulimits of sDistrict,firsGovernment of the United States, 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 intoand who shall legal outof said Districtnd who shall while there, by the servants of themselves and then families, without their right to hold such servants in service being thereby impaired: And provided further, That citizens of slaveholding States visiting or temporarily remaining in the said District may be attended into and out ofDistrict, and while there, byservasmselves andn families, withouiright to hold such servants in service being thereby impaired.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the 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 reasonably supported and educated by the respective owners of their mothers, or by their heirs or representativesthe lawful holders, and shall serve reasonable services as apprentices to such owners, heirs, and representatives, until they respectively arrive at the age of twenty-one years, when they shall be entirely free; and the municipal authorities of Washington and Georgetown within their respective jurisdictional limits, are hereby empowered 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 their respective owners, their heirs and legal representatives: Provided, Thasuchr or his legal representatives may at any time receive from the Treasury of the United States the lull value of his or her slave of the class in tins section mentioned, upon which such slave shall be forthwith and forever free: And provided further, That the Court of Claims shall 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 order on the Treasury for the amount, and also to such slave a certificate of freedom.

Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That all slaves and free persons of color, residents of the said District, may be colonizaled, with their consent, out of the limits of the United States, and the sum of $230,000, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, may be expended under the direction of the President of the United States.6the electifficithin said District of Columbia are hereby empowedd requidopen polls at all the usuallacf holding electn the first Monday of April next, and receive the vote of e free white male citizboveage of twenty-one years, havresiwithin said District for the period of one year or more next procegme of such voting against this act. to proceed aking said votes in all respects notspecified, as at elections undmunicil laws, andh as little delay as possibransmctatementsvotesastPresidentUnStates; and it shall be the dutythe President to canvassvotes immediately,if a majority of themfouo beis act, to forthwith issue his proclamation gnotice of factthis actonly in full force aneffec nd after the day of such proclamation7involuntary servitude for the punishment of crime whereofty shall have been duly convd shall in nowise be prohibi8for 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 hunts of Georgetown.