584              JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS [Feb. 21,

ciety has succeeded in establishing and building up such a
Colony, as Maryland in Liberia, now a county of the Inde-
pendent Republic of Liberia.

The officers and managers of the Colonization Society have
seen with regret, some of the proposed enactments introduced
for the consideration of the honorable, the General Assembly
in reference to the colored population, deeming them to be
more stringent and coercive than there is any occasion for
adopting. But as they have always considered that it was
not within their province to interfere in any manner with the
measures of police regulation which the Legislature might be
pleased to enact, so at this time they have forborne to offer
any expression of their opinion of the measures proposed.
They leave this matter where it properly belongs in the hands
of the General Assembly and of its constituents. They beg
leave however respectfully to pray that one provision of a
proposed enactment, especially relating to the Colonization
Society may not become a law. It is that which proposes to
repeal in part, the appropriation made by the act of 1858,
chapter 425. As has already been stated, the board of State
managers have not during the last two years, drawn from the
Treasury, any part of the sum of $10.000, which under the
last mentioned law they were authorised to receive had they
required it for the purpose of carrying out the design of the
said act. But 1 am instructed respectfully to represent to
the honorable the General Assembly, that if it is intended
that the legislation of the present session is designed to be
such as to impose further restrictions on the free people of
color residing here, humanity would seem clearly to dictate,
that the whole past policy of the State, in providing for their
comfortable establishment, should not at such a juncture be
departed from. In the name therefore of the Maryland State
Colonization Society as well as of all others who feel an in-
terest in the welfare of the free people of color, constituting
so large a portion of the inhabitants of the State, I am in-
structed earnestly to solicit that no change be made in the
existing law, making the appropriation for colonization.
Should the amount not be required for its intended objects,
the past course of the board of State Managers gives a guar-
antee that it will not be expended, and should it be wanted,
and the whole amount of $10,000 be called for by a largely
increased emigration, it is believed that the people of the
State will witness with pleasure its expenditure.
I have the honor to be sir,

Very respectfully,

Your obedient servant,

CHARLES HOWARD, President,

Maryland State Colonization Society.
Baltimore, February 22, 1860.