The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1876-01-12

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character Of these gentlemen and
their familiarity with the various
methods Of prison discipline, togelh-
err with The necessity Of making some
provision for this excess Of prisoners
10 the Eastern PeniteD,iary, will. |
am confident, obtain consideration
for their opinions and suggestions.
COLONIAL RECORDS.
The publication of the Second Sc
ries Of Pennsylvania Archives, au-
t:rorized by act of May 18Th, 1874.
has been carried forward to the com
%ple,ioC of two vUlumes-the first and
third Of the series. The second,
which will embrace such of the rolls
as are exiant, and memoranda OF the
officers and soldiers from Pennsylva-
MA, who.served in the Revolutionary
war, has been DELAYED that it may
be rendered more authentic by COM
piIation of such records as may be
found 10 the Department of State and
Pension Office al Washington, and
10 the archives of historical societies.
The building containing the War
Office al Washington was burned
with all its records, by an accidental
fire which occurred November Sth,
1890. Consequently the records
which remained in The Office OF The
Secretary are the only authentic me
moral of the Pennsylvania soldiers
Who participated in every battle oil
the Revolution from The time they en-
tered the trenches 10 front of Boston,
in July, III, including the night at
tack at Sharon, Georgia, May "a,
1882, until July, 1888, when the last
Pennsylvania troops embarked gu
transport at James Island, South
Carolina for Philadelphia. The ma
%,erials for one volume embracing the
documents relating 10 the "Whl,key
insurrection," are ready for the print
er, aud considerable progress made 10
preparing remaining papers, Of which
the act authorizes the publication.
The series can probably be restricted
To six volumes.
SALARIES o COUNTY OFFICERS.
BY the provisions Of section 8 Of
the 18th article of the new Cons:itu-
ton, ''in counties containing over one
hundred aud fifty thousand inhabiG-
ants, all county officers shall be paid
by salary, aud the salary Of any such
officer and his clerks heretofore paid
by fees shall not exceed the aggre-
gate amount of fees earned during
his term and collected by or for him."
The Legislature passed a bill al
the session of 1874 to make the law
conform to this requirement, bat as
some of its provisions were at vari-
ance with the Constitution, it did not
receive Executive approval. 1t is to
be hoped that at this session OF the
Legislature an act TO meet the objec-
tons will be framed and become "a
law. There is grave and reasonable
complaint made about the enormous
amounts received in fees by the oc-
cupanIs of some of tie Offices in
our larger cities, and it is time these
revenues should be diverted into the
Golfers of the people, aud not be made
10 enrich the few whose fortune it
may be to possess them. The con
tes> for these Offices, on account
of their emoluments, are, moreover, q
fruitful source Of the evils that al.
tenn upon nominations and elections,
aud have a tendency 10 degrade and
demoralize our politics, 1t is the
part of wisdom and economy, there
fore, and in the interest of good gov
eminent that a change in this regard
should be speedily made. In any
measure you may adopt, however,
it should be remembered that these
offices are trusts of great RESPONSE
biIity, and that the salaries paid
should be commensurate with the
duties and accountability of the in.
cuubents.
POLL TAX.
Under existing laws, many Of the
counties, cities aud towns of the
State impose a tax upon trades, Oc.
equations aud professions, the pay.
ment Of which is necessary before u
voter can exercise his elective fran.
chise. In other portions Of the Stase
this tax is So light that it is only a
nominal qualification of the rights Of
the eieclor. This inequality is pal
pably unjust, and the tax is often
bnrdenSome, and small as it.may be,
frequently prevents a laboring man
from going to the polls. There is Ne
good reason why the right of suffrage
in one county should be attended
with greater burdens than in another,
aud on the contrary, there seems
great Injustice in such a regulation.
| renew therefore my suggestion OF
last year, that all the laws imposing
taxes on trades. occupations aud pro-
fessions be repealed, aud that a uUi.
form poli-iux be imposed, and thai
this tax be I.ade so reasonable, that
its pay ment will be within the ability
ut every man III the State.
BOUNDARY LINES.
The New York Legislature, by an
act passed May &c, 1875, authorized
the Regents of the University of New
York, TO resume the work of exami-
nation as To the true location of the
monuments which mark the several
boundaries of the State, aud in con-
uection with the authorities of PenL-
s~ylvania. to replace any monumen's
when have become dilapidated or
been removed on the boundary line
of the two States, and respectfully
recommend that authority be given to
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES tie act in con-
Junction with those Of New York, and
that a suitable appropriation be
made, so that the necessary steps
eau be taken to accomplish the very
proper object indicated 10 the above
act.
BANKS.
My opinions in regard to the or
ganization and management of banks,
savings funds and trust companies,
aud the restrictions and safeguards
that should be around these institu-
lions, were elaborately presented in
my annual messages of 1874 and
1875. and have undergone no change,
but have rather been confirmed by