MAINE 



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MAINE 



the legislature. The governor has power to 

 remit penalties, grant reprieves, pardons and 

 commutations. In case of vacancy in the office 

 the president of the senate and the speaker of 

 the house are next in line for the governor- 

 ship. The state secretary and treasurer are 

 elected biennially by joint ballot of the legis- 

 lature. 



At the head of the judiciary department is 

 the supreme court, meeting each year at 

 Augusta, Bangor and Portland, and having 

 eight judges appointed for seven years by the 

 governor. There are superior courts, each hav- 

 ing one judge, in the counties of Cumberland 

 and Kennebec. These are appointed for a term 

 of seven years. Probate judges are elected by 

 the people of each county for four years. 

 Municipal and police court judges are ap- 

 pointed for four years by the governor and 

 council. The attorney-general is elected for 

 two years on joint ballot of the legislature. 



Maine is notable as being one of the leading 

 states in the prohibition movement, having 

 passed a prohibition law in 1846, which was 

 made part of the state constitution in 1884. 

 As early as 1677 and 169.0 laws were made in 

 the colony that "henceforth no rum or other 

 strong liquor be sold except in case of neces- 

 sity." In 1913 a law was passed against public 

 drinking of any intoxicating liquor. 



Maine is the only state retaining organized 

 "plantations," which are unorganized townships 



of at least 200 inhabitants, having charters, 

 officials and school councils, and being free 

 from state taxation except by special legisla- 

 tive order. Other unincorporated districts 

 called grants, surpluses and tracts still exist. 



In 1908 the initiative and referendum were 

 adopted by the people (see INITIATIVE AND 

 REFERENDUM). Recent state legislation shows 

 increasing interest in charitable institutions, 

 and in industrial and welfare movements. In 

 1913 a state board of charities and corrections 

 was created; a law was passed requiring state 

 aided hospitals to receive inmates of state 

 schools without charge; farms for inebriates 

 were established in Cumberland and Penobscot 

 counties.. In 1915 laws were passed prohibiting 

 children under fourteen years of age from em- 

 ployment in factories or mercantile establish- 

 ments, and providing that all children's homes 

 be licensed. An industrial accidents law was 

 passed in 1913 and the next year a workmen's 

 compensation law was enacted (see EMPLOYERS' 

 LIABILITY). 



There is a state prison at Thomaston ; a re- 

 form school for boys at South Portland; an 

 industrial school for girls at Hallowel; a mili- 

 tary and naval orphanage at Bath; institutes 

 for the blind and deaf at Portland ; insane hos- 

 pitals at Augusta and Bangor, and a home for 

 the feeble-minded at West Pownal. All of 

 these are maintained by the state. Almshouses 

 and asylums are supported by counties. 



History of Maine 



Exploration. Probably the first white men to 

 visit Maine were the Norsemen under Thor- 

 wald, who are believed to have made a settle- 

 ment there in the eleventh century. The 

 region remained practically unknown, however, 

 until 1524, when Verrazano discovered the Gulf 

 of Maine, and called the country New France. 

 Gosnold, DeMonts, the Cabots and Weymouth 

 explored the coast, and John Smith in 1614 

 mapped the shore line and gave the territory 

 the name of New England. 



Settlement. In 1603 Henry IV of France 

 granted a charter to DeMonts for all of the 

 territory between 40 and 46 N. latitude and 

 called it Acadia. Upon this charter and the 

 voyage of Verrazano the French based their 

 claim to the region. In 1607 the territory was 

 granted by James I to the Plymouth Company, 

 and a colony under George Popham and 

 Raleigh Gilbert was established at the mouth 

 of the Kennebec. 



In 1622 the territory between the Merrimac 

 and Kennebec rivers was given to Mason and 

 Gorges. In 1636 Gorges established a govern- 

 ment in the eastern section, which was the first 

 organized government in Maine. The next year 

 a charter naming this land the Province oj 

 Maine, to distinguish the mainland from the 

 numerous islands off the coast, gave the terri- 

 tory to Gorges, and Georgiana, the first incor- 

 porated town of America, was founded here in 

 1641 on the present site of York. 



As a Part of Massachusetts. In 1677 Massa- 

 chusetts purchased the province, which, after 

 being again made a royal territory by William 

 and Mary, was incorporated with Massachu- 

 setts by charter in 1692. Maine gave loyal 

 support to England in the French and Indian 

 wars, to the colonies in the Revolution, and 

 to the states in the War of 1812, during which 

 its manufacturing industries suffered greatly. 

 The population was decreased by the Ohio 



