Year: 1860

without first requiring security to be given to
the Commonwealth for the prompt repayment
of the sums deposited that all checks. is
sued by the State Treasurer, shall be counter.
signed by the Auditor General, before they
are used and that daily accounts of the
moneys received, deposited and disbursed shall
be kept in the Office Of the Auditor General
as we'll as in the Treasury Department; and
that weekly statements of the balances in the
Treasury, and places and amounts of deposits,
shall be kept in book to be provided for tn at
purpose in each department.


The Commissioners appointed in pursuance
of the resolutions of the 10th of April, 1858,
to revise the Penal of Code of this Common
wealth, have presented to me their final report
which is herewith transmitted to the General
Assembly It's Importance to our whole CON-
munity, and the great labor devoted to its pre-
paration, commend it to your early and earnest
attention The manner in which the duties of
the commission have been performed cannot
fail, in my opinion, to receive your approba-
ton.


commend to your fostering care the State
Lunatic Asylum, at Harrisburg-the Western
Pennsylvania Hospital for the insane, at Pitts
burg-the Asylum for the Blind at Philadel-
phia-the Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, at
Philadelphia Pennsylvania Training
School for idiotic and feeble minded children,
at Media-the House of Refuge, at Philadel-
phia-and the Western House of Refuge, at
Pttsburg These excellent, charitable and
reformatory State institutions have done, and
are doing, al most incalculable good, in the re-
lief of suffering humanity, and the reclama-
tion and reform of the erring young They
have strong claims upon the continued bounty
of the Commonwealth The annual report of
these noble charities will be laid before you,
and will exhibit, in detail, their operations dur
ing the past year.


refrain from recommending, as proper OBJ
jects for the bounty of the State number of
benevolent and charitable associations, equally
humane and benefcent in their operations be-
cause they are entirely local in their character,
ard however meritoriouS their claims may be,
and unquestionaby are, upon the respective
communities for whose particular use they are
founded and conducted, in my opinion they
have no claims upon the Treasury of the State
which can be recognized with a just regard to
the interests and rights of other sections of
the Commonwealth.


The editor OF the Colonial Records and
Pennsylvania Archives has prepared copious
index to the whole work, which will be laid
before the Legislature, at an early day Of the
session This publication is now completed,
and it is a satisfaction to know. that the re-
cords of the colony, as well as those of the
State, preceding the adoption of the Constitu-
tion of 1890, are now of easy access to the
public, and in a condition which renders their
entire destruction impossible. / recommend
that suitable sum be paid by the Common
wealth, to the editor of the Records and
Archives, for the work performed by him since
the disrontinuance of his salary.


have so repeatedly presented my views to
the Legislature, of the evils arising from local
and class legislation, that it is not necessary
again to repeat them. | desire, however, to
call the attention of the General Assembly to
the fact that We have, on our statute books,
general laws providing for the incorporation Of
railroad turnpike .Liage, plank road gas, wat
er. insurance and other similar companies, and
that all corporate powers granted by the Leg
islature, to such companies, should be under
these general laws, so that there may be uni
formity in the provisions of similar associations,
and that the time of the General Assembly
may not be occupied in passing bills of great
length, when simple reference to the details
of the General laws would answer every pur-
pose.


The practice Of sending to the Executive a
large number of bills Immediately preceding
the final adjournment of the Legislature, is
highly Objectionable, and ought, as far as prac~
ticable to be discontinued Its necessary con-
sequence is, either to compel the Executive to
approve bills which he has not fully examined
to sign them after the final adjournment, or,f
he disapprove them, to return them to the
~ nc
Thus imposing upon a succeeding Legislature
the final disposition of bills, with the origin
and passage of which it had no connection
To illustrate the evils resulting from this prac-
tce, it is only necessary to inform you, that of
the large number of bills presented for my ap-
proval, within day or two of the adjourn
ment of the last Legislature, | am constrained
by sense of duty, to return, with my objec-
tions, twenty-three to the present Legislature,
for reconsideration.


1t is apparent from the exhibit Of the fnan-
cial condition of the General Government re-
Gently made public, that the wants OF the
Federal Treasury will demand a revision ofthe
existing tariff laws of the United States, with
view to an increase Of the revenue derivable
from imports When this revision shall take
place, it is greatly to be desired, that pro-
per regard for the industrial interests Of the
country will prompt the Congress of the Uni
ted States. to place her revenue laws upon
such basis, as to afford to our great mining
and manufacturing interests the largest Incl.
dental protection. The substitute specific for
ad valorem duties, on a certain class of articles
which from their nature are of equal or near
ly equal value-or to change the foreign to
home valuation, with moderate increase of
the rates now imposed, would, am satisfied,
infuse new life and vigor into all the various
departments of industry, and, at the same
time, without imposing burdens upon the peo-