The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1877-01-11
Gov, Connor's Address.

| In his inaugural address Gov. Conner begins
by abiding to the inactivity in business which
has prevailed in Maine in common with the
rest of the whole country. Still the chief re-
source of the State has kept faith with the SOW
er of the seed and yielded rich harvests; some
manufacturing industries and branches Of bust
ness have been exempt from the prevailing
dullness and there remains to all the hope and
promise of the near dawn of prosperous days.
The laws have been well enforced throughout
the State, and every department of the Govern
ment and all public institutions have been etfi-
GENTLY and economically managed. The re-
ceipts of the Treasury for the year amount to
81 ,310, 605.49; balance in the Treasury JAN |,
1876, $377 ,093.S4; expenditures for the year
1876, 81, 293,277.06; amount in Treasury Dec.
81, 1876, 1884 ,422.27. No indictments have
been found in any of the Courts during the
year for any capital offence. 1t would be obvi-
Ously unjust to draw from the experience of
less than single year sweeping and conclu-
sive inference as to the comparative efficacy of
the law passed by the last Legislature abolish
ing death as a punishment for crime, and the
law it displaced / am glad, however, to re-
mark the evident fact that the substitution of
Imprisonment for life for the death penalty has
not been followed by an increase of the crime
which it is the object of the law under consid-
Grafton to punish, or any instance of crime en-
couraged by the mitigation of the penalty. The
receipts of the Land Office for the year ending
November Both, were $40 ,399III, from the sew
fed in the Land Agents report. Conveyances
of 22,304.3S acres of land were made to actual
settlers. Lands to the amount of IL 054 69
acres were contracted to actual settlers; of the
remaining State lands 26, 339 acres are I'M
sold and 121 $685. acres are in possession of
actual settlers and are to be conveyed when
the settling duties shall have been performed.
No new savings banks have been organized the
past year. Since August, 1873, four of the six
ty-four savings banks in the State have become
nsolvent and been placed in the hands of receiy-
erS and three others have suspended payment.
One of these latter the Waterville Savings
Bank, has resumed payment by the action of
the depositors. No arrangement has yet been
accepted by the depostors Of the two other
banks. The amount of deposits and profits of
the sixty banks doing business was, on the 9th
of November last, S21 ,SlS, 1914 20, decrease
during the year of 81 ,264 ,5495S, including ST.
9,9G3.9 % of deposits placed in the hands of re-
teivers. The number of depositors decreased
is 9O62l, and the depositors average 1906 to
each deposition. Twenty miles of railroad
have been built the past year; eight miles by
the Piscataquis Company in extension OF their
line from Abbot to Blanchard, and twelve
miles from Fort Fairfield to Caribou i'll the
town of Lyndon by the Aroostook River Com
pany. The Railroad Commissioners report
that the roads in the State have continued to
improve in condition and management, as
evinced by their remarkable exemption from
accidents Inc STATISTICS Oh the common ScnOOls
for the school year ending April 1st, 1876, do
not differ materially from those of the preced-
ing year. They indicate, howeyer,a continued
interest and progress in all that relates to them
The sum OF 81, 053, 491 was expended for public
schools, to which the State contributed the
available amount of $3.5,S52. Eighty six
school-houses were built during the year at 4
cost of S164 ,399 The Governor calls attention
to the necessity of Il rearran2ement OF the lnte-
rior of the State House, and makes variety of
recommendations of local interest. The all
dress concludes with an allusion to National
politics, as follows: A heated Presidential
contest has not been followed, as is customary,
by the acknowledged election of the candidate
of one party and the ready submission of the
defeated party to the result. But there is no
present reason for forebodng. Partisan clamor
will be hushel in the majestic presence of the
law of the land when the time comes for it TO
manifest and assert itself. We cannot doubt
that the tribunal upon which devolves the set
Element of the veNed question, composed of
men chosen of the nation for wisdom and pat
riotism, will establish the right by clear proof
of law and ancient custom, and that the gen
eral voice Of a law abiding people will accept