Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-08-20
LAST SESSIONS LEGISLATURES.
New Laws 70 bo Noted.

went by with almost nothing done, there
were one hundred and eighty three acts
added to the statute book when the gov
ernor had got through with the mass of
legislation which the Assembly left in his
hands On the day of adjournment. OF
this large number of bills passed, only
seven had become laws on the 7th of
April, at which time the session had
lasted three months and four days, am
pie time for all the legislative
work necessary to be done, and
much more than enough for that
actually accomplished. On the 1st day of
June, then nearly at the end of the fifth
month of the session, only forty-two Of the
hundred and eighty-three of the approved
| acts had become laws Then the rush be-
| engaged the attention of the governor
during the remaining seven or eight days
of the session, and for thirty days after
the Legislature had adjourned. This re-
sumo of dates will give the public some-
thing of notion of the idleness of the first
three months the laziness of the next
two months-fve in all that were Idle or
lazy-and of the headlong rush of the last
eight or ten days prior to the adjourn
| ment.
There has been good deal Of tinkering
at the law-we mean law in the broad
sense rs it affects the legal relations of par
ties. We can do no more here than indi-
cate the subject, so that lawyers, judges
and other persons connected with the pro-
fession, who are now enjoying their sum-
mer vacation, may have something to re-
mind them that there is additional law on
those subjects which it is necessary for
them to look up. On page 13 the re is an
act relating to executions, the return of
writs of .Jfera .facias, and the number of
jurors on inquest upon real estate levics.
On the next page is an act extending the
provisions of the act Of 1866, providing
additional remedies against trustees in
certain cases of trust for life or
during marriage. Page II contains
an act of five lines relating to ac-
ccptances of bills of exchange aud
page 20 presents an act enabling parties
in interest to testify in certain heretofore
prohibited cases. Page "a brings us all
other patch on the statutory law relating
to cases in ejectment; and on page 80 there
is a One-section act relating to appeals and
writs of certiOrai aud of error requiring
surety for costs. On page 81 is ali act de-
filming defeasances in this Commonwealth
and on 9G is one to enable mothers to ap
point testamentary guardians for her child
or children in certain cases. Then follows,
on page 81, an act regulating the satisfac-
tion Of mortgages where the legal presump-
tion of the payment Of the same exists from
the lapse of time and no satisfaction ap-
pears of record. An act appears on page
1O2 authorizing courts to make distribu-
tiOn of the proceeds of sale, where there
have been sales under assignment for the
benefit Of creditors, of real estate encum-
bered by liens; and on page 1O6 there is
an amendment to the act of 1859 relating
to executors, administrators and guardians,
enabling a ward who is Of lega! age, and a
married woman to give her own refunding
bond to her guardian or his legal represen-
/ tative.
The foregoing embrace mainly. il not
entirely, the acts Of the last session regu-
| legal standing of parties. We 60 now to
other descriptions of legislation, as re-
minders to those who DO not keep the pro-
ceedings OF the legislature in their memo
ries from ono session to another. There
are two acts of strong interest to the ma
nipulatOrs OF tho party nominating ma
chimes. One of these (page 7O) is directed
| to the punishment by fine and imprison-
| ment OF all bribery and fraud connected
| with delegate elections for nominating
| conventions, returning boards county or
| executive committees, &C., &c. Both the
briber and the bribed person arc punish
| able-and SO arc persOnatOrs, repeaters
and other frauds the same as at public
elections. This act and another on page
12S, are bread in their sweep, and cover
| most, if not all of the usual tricks, games
and Swindles resOrted to for cheating in
| delegates and committeeman and in pack
ing conventions. The second act above
referred to regulates the holding of prim-
ary elections and any violation of it is
punishable by fine and one years impris
| Onment. Aspirants for party nomina-
tiOns, their friends, champions, ''strikers'
and the men who run the machines, will
do themselves a friendly turn by taking
full notice of these laws, and try to keep
out of Jail accordingly.
There arc three new acts relating to ta-
verns on pages 12, 80 and 1G2, respec-
lively. The first of these makes it an i'm.
prisonable misdemeanor for any minor
embracing all boys) to represent himself
as of full age, in order to get Intoxicating
liquor at any sort of tavern, saloon or res.
taurant the second (page 37) Furnishes
by fine and Imprisonment any tavern, res.
taurant, hotel or saloon keeper, who per-
mits the game of pool Or any other game
Of chance for ''drinks," on his or her
premises the third prohibits the issue of
licenses for the sale Of liquors to theatres,
circuses, or any places of amusement, or
for any place that has an opening into q
theatre, circus, museum, or other place of
amusement. This is an exceedingly blum.
dering piece of legislation. Still the pro-
hibitOry part of the act will hold good,
and violators of it can be punished under
other laws. In this general class of legis-
lation we note also (page 49, an act max
ing it an imprisonable misdemeanor for
any person engaged in the brewing of ale,
beer OR other malt liquors to use UNIV
poisonous or deleterious drugs or chemi.
calls, or impure or injurious materials-or
materials prejudicial to the public health
in the fermentation, distillation or man.
ufacturo Of their liquors. Probably there
are but few brewers subject to this law
but it will operate as check on the scamps
who are.
OF other miscellaneous acts, mention is
made of the following : On page Sc is an
act giving mechanics liens of work done
Or materials furnished priority of lien over
advance money mortgages; on page 80 an
act for the punishment of the thoughtless
youngsters, uncomfortable grown up
scamps, and pestiferous tramps, who break
through or jump over fences, trespass
upon fields, grounds and gardens for the
purpose ofstealing fruits nuts, vegetables,
flowers or other growing things and on
page SO the act that obliterates the color
line in the public schools.