1922 Encyclopædia Britannica/Maine

MAINE (see ). The pop. of the state in 1920 was 768,014, in 1910 742,371, an increase of only 3.5%, as compared with 14.9% for the United States in the same period and 6.9% for Maine in the previous decade. There was a significant increase in urban population. The proportion living in places of 2,500 or more was 33.5% in 1900, 35.3% in 1910 and 39% in 1920. In 1910 the rural pop. was 480,123; in 1920, 468,445. The only one of the 16 counties showing a marked increase in rural pop. was Aroostook, which is one of the richest farming regions of New England.

The principal cities of the state, with their pop. of 1920 and rate of increase, were as follows:&mdash;

Of these cities Bath showed the largest increase, 56.8%, due to the shipbuilding activity in the World War period.

History.—In Jan. 1911 Frederick W. Plaisted was inaugurated governor, the first Democrat to hold that office since 1880. The same month Charles F. Johnson, of Waterville, a Democrat, was chosen U.S. senator; and in Sept. another Democrat, Obadiah Gardner, of Rockland, was appointed senator. This was the first time since the Civil War that the Democrats had held

these three major offices. In Sept. 1911 the state voted on the repeal of the prohibitory amendment to the constitution; in an extraordinary vote the amendment was retained by 60,853 votes to 60,095. The surprisingly large vote for repeal was due in large measure to the disgust of the voters at the lax enforcement of the law. It is interesting to note that this large vote against prohibition in the state of Neal Dow came only a few years before the adoption of national prohibition. At the same election a law which applied the direct primary to all candidates for state and county office was passed. In the Nov. election of 1912 Woodrow Wilson won the electoral vote of Maine by reason of the split in the Republican ranks between Taft and Roosevelt. In 1916 the split was healed, and Maine has since that time run true to form as a Republican state. In 1917 the Legislature was much concerned with the question of water-power, and under the leadership of Percival P. Baxter, of Portland (afterwards governor), refused to allow the transmission of power outside of the state. In Sept. 1917 in a referendum woman suffrage was overwhelmingly defeated, 38,838 voting &ldquo;No&rdquo; and 20,604 voting &ldquo;Yes.&rdquo;

Maine took an active part in the World War, being the first in the Union in the number of volunteers in the army and navy in proportion to population, and the second state to organize a committee of public safety. Up to Dec. 31 1917 over 10,000 men had volunteered. The first drafted man to reach a Federal camp was from Princeton, Maine. Maine was throughout the struggle distinguished for the unity and whole-heartedness of her support, as in the few months after the war she was distinguished for having no radical agitation and no arrests of Reds.

In Jan. 1921 Maine had three governors, Carl E. Milliken until the inauguration of Frederic H. Parkhurst Jan. 6, who served until his sudden death on Jan. 31, when he was automatically and immediately succeeded by Percival P. Baxter, of Portland, the president of the Senate. Governors since 1911: Frederick W. Plaisted, Dem., 1911; William T. Haines, Rep., 1913; Oakley C. Curtis, Dem., 1915; Carl E. Milliken, Rep., 1917; Frederic H. Parkhurst, Rep., 1921; Percival P. Baxter (acting), Rep., 1921.


 * (K. C. M. S.)