, 1844-11-30

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Justices courts, | accordingly recon-
mend their repeal.
The constitution Of the State makes
il the duty of the General Assembly.
at the expiration Of every period OF
ten years, 10 revise, digest and pro-
mulgate sail the Statute laws Of a
general nature both civil and GRIMM
all"
In furtherance Of this constitution.
al provision. the last General Assem-
bly, passed an act TO provide for re-
vising and digesting the laws of this
State, & appointed VIM. B. Napton,
Henry S. Geyer and William Scott,
commissioners for that purpose, who
were required to prepare n revision
Of the laws and submit the same TO
the present General Assembly. Mr..
Geyer declining to accept, tho late
Executive appointed James w. Nor
row in his place. The commission
ers will, no doubt, at an early day, lay
before you the result of their labors.
1t is needless TO press upon you the
deep importance Of this subject, and
the necessity of giving TO the report,
submitted TO you, a fair and deliberate
examination. The stability of prop
erty, individual liberty. and indeed,
the general prosperity of the people
of our State mainly depend on a
wholesome system of Statute laws,
and nothing produces 4 greater ten
dency to The preservation Of the pub
lie peace and good faith among indi
viduaIs, than well considered and
wisely digested laws.
In DIRECTING the publication Of the
code that may be adopted by the
General Assembly, | recommend that
the number Of copies printed for the
use of the State should not be less
than ten thousand. The increase OF
our population, the corresponding In
crease Of civil officers, and the fact
that three editions of the last code
were printed for the use of the State,
induce the belief that the number re-
commended would not be too large.
From the report Of the Inspectors
of the Penitentiary, which will be
laid before you at an early day in
your session, you will be informed of
the condition and management OF the
prison during the last two years. AT
the time the present Lessees took
possession Of the Peniten,iary, there
were about a hundred and thirty con-
victs in confinement. There are now
about n hundred and eighty in the
Institution and about twenty or
twenty-five, at large, who have es-
capped. There are only eighty cells,
in the prison, consequently two and
sometimes three convicts are neces-
sarily confined in one cell. This is
%subyersive Of all discipline, and is un-
doubtedly one Of the causes Of the
numerous conspIracies and escapes
that have occurred within the term Of
the present lease. An increase of
the present number of cells. under
such circumstances. becomes abso-
lutely necessary. recommend also
that some provision be made for the
separate confinement OF female con-
victs.
feel it to be my duty, to recom-
mend to your serious consideration,
the erection Of a Lunatic Asylum in
this State. From the census Of 1910,
taken by the General Government, it
appears that there are in Missouri
insane and idiot persons.
From a fair proportion Of these
and from the probable increase OF
number since that time, it is rea-
sonabIe to suppose that there are now
in our State about fifty insane per-
sons. By the provisions of our law.
such unfortunate beings are confined
in our county jails, where they sci.
if ever, receive any of those
soft and kind attentions that have
been found so necessary for their re-
covery and r%estorations to society.
This has forced many Of our citizens
10 send to foreign institutions of this
Kind, the insane who happened TO be
connected with them by ties of rela-
or dependence. This should
lot be so, and we should alter, at the
earliest practicable period, our sys-
EN- Of policy which seems to regard
hese hapless beingsa as fit subjects for
association with felons and murder
RS, as men whose misfortunes is
made the subject Of the same punish :
nent as the violators OF the criminal
ode Of the land, and whose secure
confinement in a prison is considered
ssential TO the repose of society.
The very construction Of our
ounty prisons precludes the idea Of
he comfort that is essential TO the