492 



MAINE. 



the duty of the Board to appoint a commis- 

 sioner of immigration and an agent resident 

 in New Sweden. The commissioner is required 

 to collect information regarding the climate, 

 soil, and resources of the State, the amount 

 and location of unsettled lands, and the terms 

 offered by the State to settlers,, and to cause 

 the same to be translated into Swedish, and 

 distributed in Sweden and in the United 

 States. The commissioner also has a general 

 oversight over immigrants^ and is required to 

 give them all needed information and assist- 

 ance. The Board of Immigration may expend 

 a sum not exceeding $8,000 for provisions, 

 tools, etc., to be sold to immigrants, and paid 

 for in labor on public works ; and may also 

 assign to each man over twenty-one years of 

 age one hundred acres of land, to which a valid 

 title will be given in four years, if he has made 

 his residence thereon, built a comfortable home, 

 and cleared fifteen acres of the land, ten of 

 which shall have been laid down to grass. 



Another act establishes a tax of one mill per 

 dollar on all the property in the State for the 

 support of common schools. The fund so 

 formed is to be distributed on the 1st of Janu- 

 ary of each year to the several cities, towns, 

 and plantations in the State, according to the 

 number of scholars in each. Each town, city, 

 and plantation, is also required to raise and ex- 

 pend annually for the support of schools not 

 less than 80 cents for every inhabitant. 



An act was passed prohibiting the manufac- 

 ture and sale of prize packages of candy, sta- 

 tionery, or other merchandise, under a penalty 

 of imprisonment for not more than thirty days, 

 or a fine not exceeding $20. Solitary impris- 

 onment in the State-prison, except for prison 

 discipline, was abolished, and the act relating 

 to the organization of corporations, passed in 

 1871, was repealed. 



The political canvass in Maine excited un- 

 usual interest this year, owing to the fact that 

 her State election was the first of those held 

 early in tne autumn and preceding the elec- 

 tion for President and Vice-President of the 

 United States; and both parties were deter- 

 mined to bring out their full strength and give 

 the key-note of the presidential contest. The 

 Republican Convention was held at Lewiston, 

 on the 13th of June, and Sidney Perham was 

 renominated for Governor by acclamation, and 

 Samuel E. Spring, of Portland, and Alexander 

 Campbell, of Cherryfield, were named as presi- 

 dential electors for the State at large. The 

 following resolutions were offered : 



Resolved, That the Republicans of Maine, assem- 

 bled by delegates in State Convention, reaffirm the 

 declaration of principles made by the National Re- 

 publican Convention at Philadelphia, and point with 

 pride to their past record in war and in peace, as the 

 best and only political organization, because of its 

 ability _and disposition, to wisely and successfully 

 deal with whatever questions may arise in the 

 future. 



Resolved, That the Republicans of Maine most cor- 

 dially and unitedly indorse the nomination of Gen- 

 eral Grant as President and the Hon. Henry Wilson 



as Vice-President, and pledge to the great soldier 

 and patriot, and the eminent Senator and friend of 

 the working-man, the electoral vote of Maine, by a 

 majority even greater than was given the Republican 

 ticket in 1868. 



Resolved, That the thanks of the people of this 

 State are due to Congress and to our own delegation in 

 that body, through whose able and earnest advocacy 

 the measure was secured for the recent legislation to 

 promote ship-building and revive our commerce ; and 

 we accept wnat has been accomplished as an assur- 

 ance that their efforts in this direction will continue 

 until that great interest is placed upon an equitable 

 basis. 



Resolved, That we view with satisfaction the great 

 progress that the cause of temperance has made dur- 

 ing the year, and especially extend our cordial sym- 

 pathy to the temperance-reform movement which is 

 spreading throughout the State. 



Resolved, That the presentation of the name of the 

 Hon. Sidney Perham for Governor of the State for 

 the third time is justly due to him for his fidelity 

 to the interests of the State, and for the prudence 

 and care with which he has performed all his public 

 duties. 



The following, presented by a minority of 

 the committee, was substituted for the fourth, 

 and then the series was adopted without op- 

 position : 



Resolved, That we reaffirm our faith in the princi- 

 ple of prohibition and its impartial enforcement, and 

 we view with satisfaction the popular movement in 

 favor of temperance reform recently inaugurated in 

 this State. 



The Democratic State Convention met at 

 Bangor, on the 18th of June. There was some 

 debate on the expediency of accepting the can- 

 didates of the Liberal Republicans for Presi- 

 dent and Vice-President, which was settled 

 by the adoption of a resolution declaring that 

 "the principles enumerated by the late Cin- 

 cinnati Convention, taken in connection with 

 the letter of Horace Greeley accepting the 

 nomination of that convention, constitute a 

 platform on which all the elements in opposi- 

 tion to the present corrupt administration of 

 the Federal Government can stand." These 

 principles were then set forth in terms froi 

 Horace Greeley's letter, and formally adopt 

 as "the platform of the Democracy of Maine." 

 An additional resolution declared "that w< 

 believe the great reforms, for which patriotic 

 men of all parties are now laboring, can be best 

 obtained by supporting, as the candidate for 

 our next President, Horace Greeley, and we 

 recommend to our delegates to vote for the 

 Cincinnati candidates." 



Delegates to the National Convention at 

 Baltimore were chosen by this body, nnd 

 Charles P. Kimball was nominated for the 

 office of Governor. 



There was a convention of the soldiers nnd 

 sailors of the State, at Portland, about the 1st 

 of September, at which resolutions were 

 adopted declaring that the continued success 

 of the Republican party was the sole security 

 of reform and progress, and pronouncing 

 strongly in favor of Grant, and against Greeley, 

 for President. 



The State election occurred on the 9th of 



