Booth & Flinn, Ltd. v. Miller

Citations

• 237 Pa. 297
• 85 A. 457
• 1912 Pa. LEXIS 935

Syllabus

<p>Constitutional law — Title of statute — More than one subject— Appropriation — Act of May IS, 1909, P. L. 8S5.</p> <p>1. It is not an infringement of Article III, Section 3, of the Constitution if there are several provisions in a bill, providing they are connected with and germane to the one general object of the legislation. It is sufficient if they relate to and are a means of carrying out the one general provision of the act.</p> <p>2. The title of a bill- need not embody all the distinct provisions of the bill nor serve as an index or digest of its contents, but it is sufficient if the title fairly gives notice of the real subject of the bill, so as reasonably to lead to an inquiry into what is contained in the body of the bill.</p> <p>3. The Act of May 13, 1909, P. L. 835, entitled “An act making an appropriation to the Western Pennsylvania Hospital” and providing for the appropriation of a sum of money and further that the amount so appropriated should be a non-interest bearing lien upon the premises “for the use of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania” to be refunded if the hospital building should be converted to private use, does not offend against Section 3, of Article 3, of the Constitution. The one subject of the act is the appropriation made to the designated beneficiary; the security and lien were not separate and distinct subjects, but simply provisions to compel the hospital to apply the appropriation to charitable purposes and they are naturally and properly connected with the main subject.</p> <p>Constitutional law — Special legislation — Creation of liens— Section 1, Art. Ill, of the Constitution — Appropriations.</p> <p>4. The Act of May 13, 1909, P. L. 835, providing for an appropriation of money to the Western Pennsylvania Hospital, and directing that the amount so appropriated should be “a non-interest bearing lien on the said premises for the use of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” does not violate Section 7, of Art. Ill, of the Constitutio