Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1870-01-12


may with pyopriety be Incorporated
gha Commissioners VIII report tor your
,,onsTE;aration. the revised school laws, as
tbe present edition j. exhausted, and Il
would be inexpedienc to re print them. when
thew might be supereeedcd iy others III me
course OF ire current year.
/ general Toai law. and one i'r the sup
bort and maintenance ol the pl"r. nave
heretofore been reported but Dot deiidiTeiy
acted upon, and the frequent demands inai
are made for such enactmenrs 10 correct M
nv existing abuses, aud supply common
public want, render IL desirable that these
enactmeuts should receive y0ur earliest at
ten:Icn.
The State census viii be taxed during the
year, and the law for its regulation having
In it some provisions not now required Ic
yised bin viii be presented by the Commis
sioners for legislative action
La view of the changes which the revised
code is expected TO produce, It i siraG e
that no more laws of a general character be
enacted than is ind!spensabiy necessary, as
they mig!.t occasion necessity tor reviS
ion Of what has already received apprOpri
ate attention. and cause delay N the com
pletiun OF the work.
STATISTICS.
4 great Inconvenience has long been felt
in every department. Of the executive aud
legislative branches of the government ior
the want OF properly recorded statistical IN
formation relating To the development and
growth of the resources of the Common
wealth. 1t is impossible for any State OH
ccr t" report the acta2l or even the appfoxt
LlaI; amount of aay ui our great natural
resources, and 1t cannot be asceriaincu from
year to year the amount OF coal mined, pc
troIeuu produced, lumber cut Or iron manu-
factured without sEecial rcferenct TO those
who have charge Of the industries growing
out Of these products. At very little cns-
aud labor. statistics relating to all these ob
jects could be gathered and annually en-
braced in report TO lie made to, and pub
lished by the Legislature. The value of
such information would be Of incacuabe
Importance in an official way as Well as in
the general business OF the country II
would stimulate competition, eX hiblt the
inexhaustible materials within our boar1ers,
and give our people and others, a more per
feet idea OF our wealth aud resources. The
recommendation made last year for the es
tablishment of desk for the collection and
preservation of statistics relative to exports
and imports, agriculture, manufactures coal
iron, oil, lumber, &c., and for the collection
of mineralogical and geological specimens,
and other things that may be deemed ap
propriate to such department, Is respect
fully renewed, with the suggestion that he
duties be attached to he Office Of the Libra
rian and his Assistant, with reasonable
increase of compensation, ana an apBropri-
alton for the same.
PRISON DISCIPLINE.
In accordance with law approved Anril
13, 1867, Mahlon Ii. Dickinson, Esq, of
Philadelphia, was appointed TO visit, for
philanthropic purposes, the prisons and
a'mshouses in the various counties of the
Commonwealth. His second report which
is herewith presented, presents a vast a
mount of useful information, and will be
found highly interesting and worthy of ma
ture consideration. 1t viii be seen that
while some OF our county prisons have been
constructed and are being conducted with
strict regard 10 the proper objects OF punish
m2nt, others are utterly unit for any such
purposes, aud are disgrace and reproach
to a civilized age and i Christian people
The ComuiIsslopsr, IN regard 10 some OF
these, describes. Them ''as being unsafe
where prisoners cOuid not be kept unless
loaded with chains, where the sexes were
not separated, where there was NJ disci
pline, or any etfuTt made towards the mora
or religious improvement of the inmates
the buildings totally unfit for the purposes
nf i prison; and where the prisoners be,
come schOOied ia vice, aHd eveHtu"liv grad
ua;e prepared for a lie of lawlessneSs. J"
In some ot the prisons the cells are repre-
sentcd a contracted dungeons, into " hicil
not ray of sunshine or draft OF p.lre ain.
can enter, and in which a human being
could not possibly live Through lengthy
term Of sentence. And in sill others in
consequence OF the want OF proper accom-
modatIOnS, II classes OF criminals from The
most hardened and aged to the youth o:
tender years, are permitted to conzrcrate.
and indulge ia card playing, profanity and
almost every species OF immortality and
crime. Under such circumstance reior.
nation, WHICH is the grand object of divine
and sh5G'I te oF a! hI.NIn iaw- N run
i,amcnts, is rendered impossible whilst
hldeous lessons of vice are taught aud learn
ed, to b. prlcticed when future emporium
ty occurs. This IS all wrong. and a remedy
for the evil should by all means be applied
No community has moral or legal right
- lnalct punishment as a mere retaiiatory
measure, or in such manner as 10 endan
ger the health and life Of the criminal. tC
deaden him to all the better se"SiDiiities %
his nature, and 10 absolutely harden him tc
the commission of crime
The commissioners appointed "t0 ina!irt
into the various systems OF prison discipline
rs practiced in other States and countries
as compared I,l what Is known as th,
Pennsylvania system, viii submit you thei
report al an early day, from which you Wi
learn that the capacity of our renitentia
ries is at present competent for the saf
keeping and proper punishment of all OF
tenders oi the higher grades, and that work
houses anI houses OF correction are neede
for those whose crimes are OF 4 more trivia
character, ,aud whose reformation and futur
usefulness may be accomplished BY a fu
name system Of discipline, such as will b
recommended.
THE JUDICIARY
Communications have been received fror
various parts Of the StaJerepreseatiac tna
the judicial force is inadequate for the pui
poses designed Since the number of iut
ges was fixed. the business of the court
has greatly increased, with our rapidly ez
panding popa alton, and the muluplicatio
of commercial and business operations ,
our growing Commonwealth How far r.
lief should be afforded is we'll worthy
careful consideration.
In one district of the Supreme Cour
over seven hundred new eases have bee
d1cketed within one year. Many Of the: