SEC.  2.  It  being  represented  to  Congress
that  since  the  convention  of  the  26th  of
November,  1861,  that  framed  and  proposed
the  constitution  for  the  said  State  of  West
Virginia,  the  people  thereof  have  expressed
a  wish  to  change  the  seventh  section  of  the
eleventh  article  of  said  constitution  by
striking  out  the  same,  and  inserting  the
following  in  its  place,  namely,  "  The  chil
dren  of  slaves  born  within  the  limits  of
this  State  after  the  4th  day  of  July,  1863,
shall  be  free,  and  no  slave  shall  be  permit
ted  to  come  into  the  State  for  permanent
residence  therein :"  therefore,

Be  it  further  enacted,  That  whenever
the  people  of  West  Virginia  shall,  through
their  said  convention,  and  by  a  vote  to  be
taken  at  an  election  to  be  held  within  the
limits  of  the  State  at  such  time  as  the  con
vention  may  provide,  make  and  ratify  the
change  aforesaid  and  properly  certify  the
same  under  the  hand  of  the  president  of
the  convention,  it  shall  be  lawful  for  the
President  of  the  United  States  to  issue  his
proclamation  stating  the  fact,  and  there
upon  this  act  shall  take  effect  and  be  in
force  from  and  after  sixty  days  from  the
date  of  said  proclamation.
Mr  Lane  of  Kansas  moved  to  amend  the
amendment  by  inserting  after  the  word
"Heiein,'-  and  before  the  word,  ft  There
fore"  the  words:


COLOR    IN    WAR    POLITICS.
159


And  that  all  slaves  within  tlie  said  State
who  shall  at  the  time  aforesaid  be  under
the  age  of  ten  years  shall  be  free  when
they  arrive  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years
and  all  slaves  over  ten  and  under  twenty
one  yea^s  shall  be  free  when  they  arrive  ai
the  age  of  twenty -five  years.
