The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1852-04-15
sEE,ssAGE ERosE eovERNoR nIeLEa.

public debt, State finances, &C. He SAYS there
is nov due and unpaid 50 491 ,255 Of the bonds
of thu Commonwealth. bearing an interest Of six
per cent and balance of near 500, 900 due to
domestic creditors bearing C. like rate OF inter
est besides 81, 1896, 900 at FIVE per cent Over
81, 100000 will fall due in 1858, and about So
| 900, 900 in 1854.
| lie suggests to the Legislature the propriety
of making provision for the cancellation of the
matured binds, and such as may fall due du-
ring the coming year, by authorizing a loan for
that purpose and issuing the bonds of the com
monwealtl, reimbursable in ten or fifteen years,
at rate cf interest not exceeding FIVE per cent.
Or in Other words, borrowing money at five per
cent, or less, and redeeming bonds on which the
| State is paying six per cent, thus reducing the
rate of interest He is fully satisfied that the
bonds Of the State, exempted from taxation, can
be negotiated at such rates of interest, as to
make very desirable saving to the Treasury.
1t is estimated that S772, 600 will be sufi-
cient to complete the North Branch Canal, and
1854 $50 to finish tho road for the avoidance of
the inclined planes on the Portage Railroad
The Governor recommends that money be bor-
rowed for these purposes. With the necessary
appropriations, four of the ten inclined planes
can be avoided during the present season.
He also urges the propriety OF adopting the
system of cash payments on the public works
of fixing time after which the officers on the
works shall not be allowed to contract debts for
any purpose whatever; and suggests the adop-
ton of some more summary mode of disposing
Of cIo NJ, Jar
exercised.
The message closes with the following excell-
ent and judicious remarks upon a subject which
has attracted considerable public attention of
late. The evil complained of, is growing abso-
- ;.,5sst PVl USsO4o, CIV. -, J.,
Gov. Bigler having thus wisely called the stten-
ton of the Legislature to the subject, it is to be
hoped that such action will be taken upon, it, as
to lead to the beneficial results which must in
evitably follow the proper course in the matter:
In conclusion, beg to be INDUCED in sug-
gestion on the subject of special legislation. 1
confident that the General Assembly will a
gree with me, that some reform the subject
is much needed. The yolumns of our laws for
the sessions of 1850 and 81, compared with
those of previous years, show that our legisla-
ton is increasing to alarming degree. BY
reference to these Volumes, for the years have
named, it will be seen that but a comparatively
small portion of the laws they contain ofa
general character, being mainly for local or pri-
vate purposes. These volumes when compared
with the statutes enacted eight or ten years
since, or with those annually enacted by Con-
gress, or any of our sister states, swell into an
astonishing magnitude. This evil is on the in
crease and it seems to me that q remedy is i'm
periously called for. Much may be done to
rest this evil by the adoption of few well di-
gested general laws.
For the purpose of attaining this desirable
end, respectfully suggest for your considera-
ton, the propriety of constituting a commission
of two or three experienced legal gentlemen,
whose duty it shall be to prepare general laws
to meet this object, to be submitted to the con-
sideraton of the next Legislature. 1 know from
experience how difficult it is for the representa-
tives of the people, after their arrival at the
seat of government, to find the necessary leisure
and privacy to enable them to prepare and di-
gest intricate general laws. Each day seems to
bring its labors upon them, and the session runs
by before subject or TINS KIND can receive the
necessary consideration.
The subject of regulating election districts,
naming election houses, which annually occupies
much of the time of the Legislature, and many
pages of the journal and statute books, might
be safely confded to the commissioners Of the
respective counties. The subject of divorces
should, it seems to me, be left entirely with the
courts as well also, as the whole subject Of sell
ling real estate by trustees, guardians and those
acting in representative capacity These mea-
sures, together with few more general statutes
on the snbject of corporations, would l think
have most salutary effect on legislation As
far as possible our laws should be general, and
those that are so should be sternly maintained
against special innovations.
In accordance with Gov. Biglers suggestion
the House has passed bill authorizing the Ex-
ecutive to appoint Commissioners TO revise the
code of the Commonwealth
WASHINGTON MoNUMENT.-The block Of gran
tie which the government of the Swiss Confeder-
alton has had prepared for the Washington
Monument bears this significant inscription.
'Diealte freie Schweiz dom Anderiken de Ge-
neral G. Washington