Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1843-06-29
From lhe Providence JouInsi Of Monday.
The General Asse IMbly.

elected A large amount of private business
was transacted, and the docket Of private
petitions is left unusually small Several
public acts Of great importance were passed.
The Judiciary Bill makes great and de-
| sirable reform which Inns long been agltated,
which almost every body has approved. but
| which has for various reasons been postponed
from session TO session and from year to year
| The Supreme Court is mnde to consist OF one
| chief justice and three associate justices,
| each of whom is a presiding justice of the
Cour, Of Common Pleas, and s assisted by two
II associa iate Justices in each county. The JUS
ices of tie Supreme Court make their own
II Arrangements for the attendance OF one OF
,hsn at the terms of the Court of Common
| Pleas in the several counties. In cases of
lappeal to the Supreme Court, the justice who
presided in the same case in the court below
does not sit. The compensation OF the lns'
tees of the Supreme Court consists OF their
salaries $3.50 per annum for the chIei JUS
,lce, and $3.50 for the associate Justices, and
|, of the fees and entries now received by the
Courts of Common p lens, ,aednctlng thereifom
four dollars n day for each OF the associate
ndges of the Courts of Common Pleas. THIS
| will afford them handsome incomes, aud the
tenure of their Office will probably remain as
heretofore. virtually permanent. The euect
of this bill will be to give uniformity aud sta
biliiy to the decisions, to elevate The charac-
ter of the judiciary, and to diminish The
amount Of litigation. We ieel assured that
when i. becomes known and Its practical
operation is understood, 1t will gam the re-
spect and regard of The people, and that no
RI barty will risk an attempt 10 overthrow 1t and
. return To tho old system.
n The lHHtia Bill makes an entire change
II - ,bn II ia huep mn
the yoluninry systen,. The militia is arranged
in one division aud five brigades, one in each
county. The militia is divided into two
classes, the active aud the enrolled. All
persons liable to perform military service III
each town, are to be enrolled BY the asses
sors Of town taxes, who are to assess against
each person so enrolled, fifty cents annually
This body constitutes the enrolled mlhhd,
having no duty to perform III time OF pence,
no arms or equipments To proyidc, and only
the above tax TO pay in conmutatlop for mli-
;ary service. I'm time of war or insurrec-
ton, drafts from the enrolled militia will be
made into the active militia, if required, for 4
war establishments The town clerks are TO
make returns of the enrolled militia to the
J Adutant General. The collectors of taxes
A are to collect the tax Of fifty cents from the
members of the enrolled militia, excepting
those who are exempted by law from the
l performance Of military service and those
who ore engaged in the active militia, and to
L return to the GeGcral Treasurer the amount
4 collected, which is to form fund for the
Ipayment Of the active militia.
I The nctire militia is to consist Of the char
tered companies which may accept oil ihi'
D act within 90 days, and all companies which
n may be hereafter chartered. No company
4 - ~ al
nv, 80 privates, and If artillery or infantry. ~
y Arms and equipments are TO be furnished oy
| he State when the company is uniformed
These companies have power to admit 5OC
men each, which is their war complement as
Regiments. They are called regimenta com
panle-, or reduced regiments on the peace
e establishment, and are TO be numbered thro
N the division according to the dates of then
"A creation. They are to have each full cen
It plcmcnt of rcgmcntal officers, who will nc
= az company officers in time of peace, and al
rcgimenta officers 10 time of war, or III time
of peace in case the regiments are hI'ed VI
bv voluntary admissions, In which case iuI
> llprovison is made for the appointment q
C company officers by the commander ~ chie
r Each member Of the active militia, who ha
Of performed military service four times dnrIn!
the wear, is entitled TO draw 10 his own or
der the sum OF five dollars annually from TN
fund collected OF the enrolled militia. Prov
n ded such sum be sufficient! and if not to draw
:, his proportional part of It.
The officers of The regimcn'al companic
; are be elected according 10 their charters
10 The Brigadicr Generals are To be elected b.
y the General Assembly upon the nomination o
~ the commissioned officers Of the regimen'a
conpnnes, if such nominations be made ant
4 L.. xt.,l hnu 81
l. TO be elected by the General Assembly with
Ia out such nonnaion. The Major General
lr to be elected IN ike manner by the Genera
ia Assembly, upon the nomination OF the BrIga
!, dicr Generals The Brigade Inspectors an
- Qunr,crmnstcrs in like manner by the Gene
raj Assembly. upon the nomination Of ihei
Irrespective Brigndler Generals. Officers &
the General Staff and the Division lnspecto
" are elected by the General Assembly.
70 commissions are to run for five years, at tn
n expiration of which time the othcer - en-,
9 l,ted to an honorable discharge. The Gene
raj and Staff officers elected by the Gener'
:" Assembly this year, are To hold their office
r. until the first Tuesday of May, after wlilc
II, the system goes into full operation
When rcgimenlal cOmponies oct togetht
they take post according to the arm OF sc
vice to which they belong; if Of the sam
nj arm Of service, according TO the number, al
,r the senior officer present commands.
nv there be two Of the same date, they are
= draw lots for the command. The commI
:" sions issued TO the officers of all companlC
&c which accept the act within sixty days al
re- to bear the same date. Companies which {
cl. not acccp, this act, within sixty days, will n
,Ie be entitled to any pay or rank under 1t, b
- will remain entirely unaffected by 1t. Comp
!" MES winch do accept the act, are fully 8
TO cured in their corporate names and rights
ay property, and upon The repeal of the act n
to be restored to all their present corpora
rights. The tax Of fifty cents paid by Il
enrolled militia will 90 towards the nmon
to necessary to ent,le the payer to vote. III
of school fund will not he lnjuriously atfect'
:, by this act, because under a compulsory sy
=" TEN, all the enrolled militia would be Qua
or fed to vote by the performance OF mllita
M service, and without the payment OF al
ma registry tax; whereas under this sysie
=, many will pay fifty cents 10 the military iuI
NJ and fifty cents 10 the school fund
pc The system has been maured with gre
md care, md the act has received very close n
49,, tention IN all its stages. The old mlII'