The Secretary read the bill, which provides that it shall not be lawful in any of the States of the U.S. where slavery has been abolished since the year 1861, either by State constitution s, le slative enactments, or by the amendment to the constitution of the U.S. abolishing slavery in the U.S., to indenture as apprentice any child or children of African descent without the consent 1st obtained of the parents, or parent if only one be living, guardian, or next friend. Any indenture of a child or children of African descent as negro apprentices since the year 1861 without the consent of parents, or arent if one be living, guardian, or next frien, is declared to be in violation of the amendment to the constitution of the U.S. abolishing slavery therein, and the indentures null and void. In all cases of indentures of negro apprentices made by any of the courts in the States, if it shall appear on investigation that the consent of the parents parent, guardian, or next friend was obtained by fraud or misrepresentation, or that the indentures were obtained by fraud or misrepresentation of any kind, or that the age or condition of the child or children indentured as negro apprentices was incorrectly stated in the indenture, then the indentures are to be null and void. If any person or persons shall continue to hold in slavery in vioation of the provisionsof this bill any child or children o African descent who may have been indentured as African apprentices Without the consent of the parents, or parent if only one be living, guardian, or next friend, on complaint or information given to any circuit or district court of the U.S., or any judge thereof, or to any court organized by the authority of the Freedmens Bureau of the U.S., those courts or iidges are to cause to be issued the writ of habeascorpus directed to the person orpersons who may be thus unlawfully detaining such apprentices to appear forthwith before such courts or judges, an upon a hearing mi a full investigation of all the facts in the case, if they sh find that the child or children are held in violation of this bill, they shall set the apprentice or apprentices free from such slavery, and may impose rvfine of not less than $800 nor more than $500 upon the offender, or imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or both, in the discretion of the court. Nothing in this bill is to apply to the trustees of the poor or to the managers of the houses of refuge of the several States who indenture children of African descent, on the same condition as white children are indentured.