500 



MAINE. 



of criminals for counties and State, including 

 the deficiency in the State-prison account, 

 $107,014.16. With regard to the effect of the 

 abolition of capital punishment, it is to be 

 noted that no indictment for an offense hither- 

 to called capital was found in the State during 

 the year. A man was, however, arrested for 

 the murder of three persons at Bucksport in 

 October, and is likely to be indicted. 



The regular annual session of the Legisla- 

 ture began on the 5th of January, and came to 

 an adjournment on the 26th of February. 

 General acts were passed providing for the or- 

 ganization of corporations for business pur- 

 poses, for the organization of savings-banks 

 and trust and loan companies, and for the or- 

 ganization of railroad companies. The new 

 town of Kossuth was incorporated, in Wash- 

 ington County, and the name of the town of 

 Dalton was changed to Ashland. The most 

 important act of the session was one abolishing 

 capital punishment for the crime of murder. 



A railway convention was held at Augusta 



on the 30th of March, and participated in by 

 delegates from Canada. It was called in tbo in- 

 terest of a projected line of railway from Que- 

 bec through the valleys of the Chaudiere and 

 Kennebec Rivers, ma Augusta, to the Atlantic 

 coast at Wiscasset. The entire distance is 225 

 miles, of which 90 miles is in the Province of 

 Quebec. This is to be traversed by the Levis 

 & Kennebec Kail way, which is about half 

 completed. Of the 135 miles in Maine, about 

 30 miles is now traversed by railroad. 



The delegates at large to the National Re- 

 publican Convention were selected by the Re- 

 publican members of the Legislature at the 

 close of the session. These and all those 

 chosen in the congressional district conven- 

 tions were pledged to support James G. Blaine 

 as the candidate for President of the United 

 States. 



The Democratic State Convention, which 

 was held at Bangor on the 13th of June, select- 

 ed the delegates at large to the National Con- 

 vention at St. Louis, chose a Central Commit- 



IIIfllHI! 



BATES COLLEGE, LEWISTON. 



tee, and nominated John C. Talbot, of East 

 Machias, for the office of Governor. The fol- 

 lowing resolutions were adopted, as express- 

 ing the political sentiments of the convention : 



Resolved, That, reaffirming the principles asserted 

 in the resolutions adopted by the late Democratic 

 State Convention, we submit as the present great 

 issue of governmental reform, which shall abolish 

 sinecures, reestablish, reform salaries for all public 

 officers, introduce economy in the public service, 

 strike down every abuse of pow^r, and. by an honest 

 administration of public affairs, shall lighten the 

 public burden, and restore peace, contentment, and 

 national prosperity. 



Resolved, That the Democratic House of Repre- 

 sentatives in Congress deserve the thanks of the 

 nation for wbat they have already done in the great 

 tfork of unearthing and draerging to light the cor- 

 ruption that pervades and permeates the Adminis- 

 tration. We say to them. Go forward in your patri- 

 otic -labors in the cause of honesty and reform. 



Resolvel, That we are opposed to any inflation of 

 our national currency, and that gold and silver form 

 the only money system. 

 1 'Resolved, That, in accordance with the sentiment 



of the Democracy of Maine, this convention declares 

 Samuel J. Tilden, the able, zealous, enterprising, 

 and successful reform Governor of the Empire State, 

 to be its first choice for President, and recommends 

 his nomination by the National Democratic Conven- 

 tion as eminently fit and proper. 



Resolved, That it is the setitiment of this conven- 

 tion that the rules adopted by our late National 

 Democratic Convention requiring two-thirds. of the 

 delegates to concur in making its nominations, be- 

 ing at variance with the well-established Democrat- 

 ic principle of majority control, should be aban- 

 doned. 



The Republican State Convention wns held 

 at Bangor, June 22d, and General Selden Con- 

 nor was renominated for Governor. The fol- 

 lowing resolutions were adopted : 



t Resolved, That this convention accepts the resolu- 

 tions of the recent National Convention at Cincin- 

 nati, as a correct statement of the principles of the 

 Republican party, and hereby pledges the Republi- 

 cans of Maine to use all honorable means to carry the 

 resolutions into effect in the future acts and policy 

 of the Government. 



