Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1868-01-17

the contract was $s 200. Il Join the COM
missioners, therefore, in requesting al addi-
tsonal appropriation Of three thousaad, 10
be used, or SO much thereof as may be me-
cessary, to complete the undertaking.
Your patriotism viii doubtless give IA
vorablc response 10 this request; and the en-
lightened people of the Commonwealth, ris-
ing above selfish and partisan feelings, viii
sanction such expenditure for the erection
Of this honorable menento. AState that
has been prodigal Of her millions in the EN-
ployment Of her physical resources and in
the performance of every noble and disinter-
ested act which philanthropy could suggest,
cannot forget her gallant sons whose suffer
ings and sacrifices for their country have
never been fully appreciated, and whose re-
mains repose among strangers, in foreign
land, without stone, however rude, to In
dlcate their last resting places, or distinguish
their graves from those Of their fallen enc
mics.
BURIAL OF DECEASED SOLDIERS IN THE
HARRISBURG CEMETERY.
A communication from the board of man
ayers OF the Harrisburg cemetery is here
with transmitted, to which your attention is
invited. The subject of which it treats,
relative to the burial Of deceased soldiers
during the late war, is worthy Of legislative
consideration.
CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS.
The Pennsylvania Institute for the Deaf
and Dumb, the Institution for the Iustruc-
ton of the Blind, the Training School tor
Feeble Minded Children, the Northern
Home for Friendless Children, the Houses
of Refuge, several Soldiers Homes, and
other similar charities, which have received
aid from the State, are, according to the re-
ports of the principals and superintendents,
all, In their different spheres, accomplish
ing much good for the unfortunate classes
for whose benefit they were established
Detailed accounts of the affairs of the
Pennsylvania State Lunatie Hospital at
Harrisburg, and of the Western Pennsylva-
MIA Hospital, at Pittsburg, viii be found in
the reports of the trustees and superintend-
ents. Both these Institutions, as well as
others in the State for the care of insane, are
crowded. The inhrmaries for the hospital
at Harrisburg, for which appropriation was
made last year, with large number of ad-
dItional wards, have been erected, and will
be ready for occupation during the winter.
A liberal appropriation for the Western
Hospital was devoted to the erection Of
buildings, on the Ohio river, seven miles
below Pittsburg, known as the Dixmont
Hospital for the Insane. The greatincrease
of population renders necessary the estab-
lishment of other institutions of this kind.
1t is estimated that the ratio of the insane
is one to every thousand persons, and on
assuming the population of the State to be
about three millions five hundred thousand,
we have about three thousand five hundred
insane. The hospitals in the State afford
accommodation for only two thousand.
Hence there are fifteen hundred for whom
no provision is made, and many of them are
languIshing IN the county prisons and aims
houses.
REVISION OF THE CIVIL CODE.
Pursuant to the first section of joint res
olution of the Legislature, approved on
the 10th of April last, Hon. David Derrick
son, w. Maclay Hall, Esq, and Wayne
NJ eigh, Esq, were appointed to 'treYise,
colate and digest all such public acts and
statutes of the civil code of this State, as
are general and permanent in their nature" F"
These gentlemen have commenced the work
assigned them, and from which the follow
ing benefits are hoped to be derived
First. The correction of the redundancies,
omissions, repetitions and inconsistencies
of the existing statutes.
Second. The framing of general laws as
substitutes for tEe innumerable local stat
utes, which for many years have comprised
the bulk of the acts of Assembly and occu-
pied the attention of the Legislature to the
detriment of general legislation.
Third. The comforting upon the courts
many powers now exercised by the Legisla-
ture, and which, it is believed, will greatly
relieve that body by decreasing the lemand
for special legislation and allowing ampler
opportunity for the consideration of the
public interests.
The gentlemen comprising the commission
have prepared large number of bills, most
of which will be laid before you ut an early
day. The most important of these, which
the commissioners, in harmony with my
own views, are ofthe opinion should receive
early and favorable action of the Legislature,
are those relating to corporations, the poor,
public highways, railroads, evidence and in
terest The others, with, perhaps a few
exceptions, might be left unacted upon until
entire work of revision is completed. The
enactment ofthe bill on corporations into a
law, at an early period of the session, would.
doubtles, serve to prevent much legislation
that might be called for on subjects which
the bill itself contemplates and for which it
makes ample provision. The bills relating
to the poor and public highways demand
early attention. as the laws now in force on
these subjects are so numerous and diyersi-
fed that scarcely any two counties IN the
State are controlled by the same law, and 1t
is earnestly to be desired that they receive
the earliest practicable sanction of the Leg
islature.
The commissioners desire to be allowed,
so far as possible, to complete the work and
present it as symmetrical whole, rather
than in detached parts, and express their
opinion relative to the time requisite for its
satisfactory completion. They ask a repeal
Of so much of the first section of the Joint
resolution as excepts from their labors
those statutes revised, eodifed and enacted
under the resolution approved March 23,
1880, and an amendment of the fourth Sec
tien, so as to attend from two" to three
years, the time allowed for the completion
of the work. The proposed amendments
will give them control of the whole body of
the statute law, aud such allowance of time
as they deem necessary for its satisfactory
The accumulation of our public
statutes, during period of nearly two CEN
turies, can hardly fail to present confusion
which it is eminently desirable should be
corrected; and the only practicable mode of
accomplishing this is the one indicated by
the resolution Of the last Legislature, and
having confidence in the gentlemen selected
for this work, it is due to them, as well as
to the public, that they should not be re-
either as to time OF by exceptions,
which would prevent perfect and desirable
embodiment of public statutes.
The task is one of more than ordinary
magnitude, requiring deliberate considera-
Il