532 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE OS. D)C 



Livestock Sanitary Board, and the officers and employees thereof; 

 fixing the compensation of the Deputy State Veterinarian ; and pro- 

 viding penalties for the violation of the Act." It cannot be open 

 to controversy that but one purpose is sought by this enactment, 

 which is intended to embrace the whole subject-matter, and a fair 

 examination of the body of the act, as suggested by the comprehensive 

 title, would lead any inquiring mind to an examination of its con- 

 tents. 



The restricted definition of "domestic animal" was enlarged so as 

 to embrace any equine or bovine animal, sheep, goat, pig, dog, cat, 

 or poultry. Every provision in the statute reasonably and directly 

 related to the general subject-matter of the legislation, and each 

 provision was considered necessary to carry into effect the beneficent 

 purposes of the enactment. The method adopted by the legislature 

 of enforcing the general provisions of the act was clearly within 

 its power, and in defining the authority and duties of the State 

 Livestock Sanitary Board, and the officers and employes thereof, 

 are so necessarily related to the preventing, controlling, and eradicat- 

 ing the diseases against which the enactment is directed, that each 

 is germane to the general subject. The powers and duties devolved 

 upon the State Livestock Sanitary Board and its officers, are but an 

 enumeration of methods referred to in sec. 6, and are clearly within 

 the power therein defined. Such legislation would be of no efi'ect 

 unless the power to enforce its provisions was lodged somewhere. 

 This Board was deemed the most efficient agency for preventing, 

 controlling and eradicating disease, and enforcing the prescribed 

 penalties for violation of the act. And every power given to the 

 Board was deemed to be directly and immediately necessary to ac- 

 complish the expressed objects of the statute. With this authority 

 vested in the Board, the compensation of its employees and all other 

 expenses follow as a reasonable provision, and all are germane to 

 the one object which relates to domestic animals and providing 

 methods of improving the quality thereof. It has been repeatedly 

 stated that our only duty and our only power in scrutinizing an 

 act with reference to its constitutionality is, to discover what, if 

 any, provision of the constitution it violates. The presumption is 

 always in favor of the constitutionality of an act of assembly, and 

 it cannot be declared void unless it violates the constitution clearly, 

 palpably, plainly, and in such manner as to leave no doubt and hesi- 

 tation: Commonwealth v. Moir, 199 Pa. 543. The interpretation 

 of a statute should be determined by its paramount purpose, rather 

 than by the details through which that purpose is to be accomplished. 

 The subject may have but one object, while the measure necessary 

 for the attainment of that object may necessarily embrace many 

 subordinate subjects, differing in their nature and particular effect, 

 yet all contiibuting to it, and comprising within the principal subject 

 everything which the nature of the subject of a title reasonably 

 suggests as necessary or appropriate for the accomplishment of its 

 expressed purpose, is sufficiently indicated by such title: Common- 

 wealth V. Jones, 4 Pa. Superior Ct. 362; Commonwealth v. Pflaum, 

 50 Pa. Superior Ct. 55. 



The several provisions of the Act have a proper relation to each 

 other and all the details constitute essential parts of the general 

 design to accomplish a single purpose, and each relates to the same 



