MAIMB
543
BtAMB
Initiative and Referendum, — An amendment to the
Constitution, which came into effect in the first Wed-
nesday of January, 1909. established " a people's veto
through the optional referendum and a direct initia-
tive by petition and at general or special elections *\
Executive Department. — In the executive depart- ment of the government, the governor has associated with him seven executive councillors, each represent- ing one of the seven councillor districts into which the state is divided. These are chosen by the legislature in joint convention at the be^nning of the session; and to this board the nominations made by the gov- ernor are submitted for confirmation. Under the state government, the following are the principal heads of departments: state auditor, chosen by popular vote at the September election; attorney-general; secre- tary of state; state treasurer; three state assessors, chosen by the legislature; superintendent of public schools; highway commissioner; auditor of state printing; land agent and forest commissioner; insur- ance commissioner; bank examiner; state liquor commissioner; pension clerk; commissioner of inaus- trial and labour statistics; commissioner of agriculture; inspector of workshops, factories, and mines; three railroad commissioners; three enforcement commis- sioners; state librarian; three commissioners of inland fisheries and game; three commissioners of sea and shore fisheries; keeper of the state arsenal; three com- missioners of harbours and tidal waters; three cattle commissioners; three commissioners of pharmacy; agent of the Penobscot Indians; agent of thePassama- quoddy Indians; three inspectors of prisons and jails; two inspectors of steamboats; inspectors of dams and reservoirs.
There are also appointed eight medical men to con- stitute a state board of health; six medical men to constitute a board of registration; five lawyers to make up a board of legal examiners; three veterinary surgeons to form a board of veterinary examiners, and five dentists to constitute a board of dental examiners. Besides these there are numerous boards of trustees to supervise the management of state institutions . A 11 of these are nominated bjr the governor and confirmed by the council. The principal ones are: Maine Insane Hospital at Augusta; Eastern Maine Insane Hospital at Bangor; state prison at Thomaston; State School for Boys at South Portland; Maine Industrial School for Girls at Hallowell; Military and Naval Orphan Asylum at Bath; the University of Maine at Orono; College of Law of the University of Maine at Bangor; state nor- mal schools at Castine, Farmington, Gorham, Presque Isle, and Calais; the Madawaska Training School at Fort Kent, and the Maine School for the Deaf at Port- land. In this connexion, although not immediately under state authority, may be named certain institu- tions of a public nature, such as the Maine General Hospital at Portland, Central Maine General Hospital at Lewiston, Eastern Maine General Hospital at Bangor, the Eye and Ear Infirmary at Portland, Maine State Sanitorium Association and Maine Insti- tution for the Blind — all of which have received assist- ance from the state.
Judicial Department. — ^The judicial department is composed in the first place of a supreme court of eight justices, viz. a chief justice and seven associate jus- tices. These sit individually in the several coimties of the state to hear cases at nisi prius, and as a court of law to hear cases brought before them on exceptions at three different places, namely Portland, Bangor, and Augusta. These judges are also vested with full equity powers to hear and determine cases in equity with or without the inter\'ention of a jury. Besides these, superior courts have been established in the counties of Cumberiand and Kennebec with a jurisdic- tion fixed by the acts establishing them, and broad enough to enable them to hear and decide the vast majority of cases arising within their respective couDr
ties. Each city and a number of the larger towns have
municipal courts of limited jurisdiction in both civil
and criminal matters, and fijmlly in every county in
the state are trial justices having jurisdiction in petty
civil and criminal cases subject to an appeal to a
higher court, and authority to issue warrants for the
apprehension of offenders in all crises, and to bind over
the party accused for trial at the Supreme or Superior
Court as the case may be. The municipaHties are
divided into three classes: cities, towns and planta-
tions. Augiista is the capital of the state. Portland,
the largest city in the state, is one of the most beauti-
ful residential cities in the whole country. Maine has
21 cities, 430 towns, and 73 plantations.
Religion. — ^The declaration of rights prefixed t© the Constitution of Maine, article 1, section 3, reads a£ follows: — "All men have a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences^ and no one shall be hurt, molested or restrained, in his person, liberty or estate, for wor- shipping God in the manner and season most agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience, nor for his reli- gious professions or sentiments, provided he does not disturb the public peace nor obstruct others in their religious worship; and all persons demeaning them- selves peaceably as good members of the state shall be equally under the protection of the laws and no sub- oixlination nor preference of anyone sect or denomina- tion to another sliall ever be established by law, nor shall any religious test be required as a qualification for any office or trust under the state; and all religious societies in this state whether incorporate or unincor- porate shall at all times have the exclusive right of electing their public teachers and contracting with them for their support and maintenance." The fore- going is the only constitutional provision having refer- ence to religious opinions or practices.
Lord's Day. — ^Tne statute provides penalties for "whoever on the Lord's Day or at any other time, behaves rudely or indecently within the walls of any house of public worship; wilfully interrupts or dis- turbs any assembly for public worship within the place of such assembly or out of it"; for one "who on the Lord's Dav, keeps open his shop, workhouse, ware- house or place ot business on that day, except works of necessity or charity " ; for an innholder or victualler who, " on the Lord's Day, suffers any person, except travellers or lodgers to abide in his house, vard or field, drinking or spending their time idly at play, or doing any secular business except works of charity or neces- sity. " " No person conscientiously believing that the seventh day of the week ought to be observed as the Sabbath, and actually refraining from secular business and labour on that day, is liable to said penalties for do- ing such business or labour on the first day of the week, if he does not disturb other persons." Service of civil process on the Lord's Day is also forbidden, and, if in tact made, is void.
Administration of Oaths. — Oaths may be adminis- tered by all judges, justices of the peace, and notaries public m the form prescribed by statute as follows: the person to whom an oath is administered shall hold up his right hand, unless he believes that an oath ad- ministered in that form is not binding, and then it may be administered in a form believed by him to be bind- ing; one believing any other than the Christian Reli- gion, may be sworn according to the ceremonies of his religion. Persons conscientiously scrupulous of taking an oath may affirm.
Blasphemy and Profanity. — ^The statutes provide that "whoever blasphemes the Holy Name of God, by denying, cursing or contumeliously reproaching God, His creation, government, final judgment of the work), Jesus Christ, the Holy Gnost, or the Holy Scriptures as contained in the canonical books of the Old and New Testament or by exposing them to contempt and ridicule, shall be punislied by imprisonment for not
