Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/602

 480 UNITED STATES: — MASSACHUSETTS

MASSACHUSETTS.

Constitution and Government. — After various attempts had been made to colonise the coast of the region which was afterwards called New England, the Plymouth Companj^ in 1614 undertook exploring expeditions and obtained a Royal Charter granting sovereign poAvers over the region lying to the north of Virginia, It is supposed that the coast of Massachusetts was visited by the Norsemen as early as the year 1,000, but the first permanent settlement within the borders of the present state was made at Plymouth in December, 1620, by the Pilgrims from Holland, who were separatists from the English Church. This was the nucleus of the Plymouth Colony. In 1628 another company of Puritans settled at Salem, and from that beginning the Massachusetts Bay Colony was formed. In 1630 Boston was settled. In 1629 the whole region called New England was formed into a province. By a special Charter the Government was divided between the colony of Plymouth and that of Massachusetts Bay, but in 1692 they were re-united, and thenceforward acted together both in peace and war. In the straggle which ended in the se])aration of the American colonies from the mother country, Massachusetts took the foremost part, and became one of the thirteen original States of the Union.

There is a legislative body consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives, styled collectively the General Court of Massachusetts. The Senate consists of 40 members elected annually by popular vote, the State being divided into 40 senatorial districts each of which returns one senator. The House of Representatives consists of 240 members, elected in 173 districts, each of which returns one, two, or three representatives according to population. There is an annual session of the Legislature.

Male citizens of the United States who can read and write may vote in all State elections, provided they are not paupers or under guardianship, and provided they have lived one year in the State and six months in the election district or precinct.

The State sends 2 Senators and 16 Representatives to the Federal Congress.

Governor. — Eugene N. Foss, of Boston, re-elected for 1913, third term, (salary, 8,000 dollars).

Secretary of the Commonwealth. — Frank J. Donahue, 1913.

There are 14 counties in the State, varying largely in population, and there are 33 cities and 321 towns. The State Capital is Boston.

Area, Population, Instruction.— With aland area of 8,040 square miles Massachusetts had, according to the United States census of 1910, a population of 3,366,416, representing an increase of 561,070 or 20"0 per cent, over 1900. The average number of persons per square mile v^as 418 '7 in 1910, as compared with 348 9 in 1900. The total population of the State in 1910 was 3,366,416, and the number of legal voters in 1905 was 674,164. Ot the total population, 1,655,226 were males and 1,711,190 were females ; 3,325,053 were white ; 38,042, coloured; 2,493, Chinese; 140 Japanese; and 688 Indian. The native born numbered 2,085,636 and the foreign born, 918,044. The returns for nationality of the foreign born showed that the leading nationalities of the foreign born were: Irish, 236,373; Canadian-French, 118,247 ; English, 83,893 ; Nova Scotian, 66,131 ; Italian, 50,558 ; Canadian- Englisli, 49,978 ; Russian, 49,304 ; Swedish, 37,517 ; German, 30,358 ; Canadian (New Brunswick), 24,715; Scotch, 24,663; Polish, 21,490;