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Constitution of Mississippi (with regard to slaves). 1839 455 (1839)

handle is hein.slavery/ssactsms0180 and id is 1 raw text is: CONSTITUTION.

Sec. 17. No new county shall be established by the
legislature, which shall reduce the county or counties,
or either of them, from which it may be taken, to less
contents than five hundred and seventy-six square
miles; nor shall any new county be laid off, of less
contents.
Sec. 18. The legislature shall have power to admit
to all the rights and privileges of free white citizens of
this state, all such persons of the Choctaw and Chick-
asaw tribes of Indians, as shall choose to remain in
this state, upon such terms as the legislature may from
time to time deem proper.
SLAVES.
Sec. 1. The legislature shall have no power to pass
laws for the emancipation of slaves without the con-
sent of their owners, unless where the slave shall have
rendered to the state some distinguished service; in
which case, the owner shall be paid a full equivalent
for the slave so emancipated. They shall have no
power to prevent emigrants to this state from bringing
with them such persons as are deemed slaves by the
laws of any one of the United States, so long as any
person of the same age or description shall be contin-
ued in slavery by the laws of this state: Provided, that
such person or slave be the bona fide property of such
emigrants: And provided, also, that laws may be pass-
ed to prohibit the introduction into this state of slaves
who may have committed high crimes in other states.
They shall have power to pass laws to permit the ow-
ners of slaves to emancipate them, saving the rights of
creditors, and preventing them from becoming a public
charge. They shall have full power to oblige the ow-
ners of slaves to treat them with humanity, to provide
for them necessary clothing and provisions, to abstain
from all injuries to them extending to life or limb, and

455

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