On January 20th, 1880, the Maine Legislature adopted the following resolution:
Resolve providing for a Seal of the State.
Resolved, that the Secretary of State be and is hereby directed to procure a suitable Seal, which shall be of the same form and device as the Seal last in use acknowledged as the Seal of the State, and that said Seal when so completed be deposited in the Office of the Secretary of State, and that the same shall become and be the Seal of the State.
On January 24th, 1880, the Maine Legislature passed the following law:
An Act in relation to the State Seal, public records, and documents and to certain public officers and their duties.
Section 1. Whoever shall knowingly and wilfully remove the Seal of the State of Maine, from the office or custody of the Secretary of State at Augusta, or shall knowingly and wilfully secrete, deface, injure, or destroy said Seal, or wilfully aid, or assist in so doing, or having said seal in his possession, or under his control, shall wilfully neglect, or refuse to deliver upsaid seal to the Secretary of State upon demand therefor shall be punished by imprisonment not less than one nor more than five years and by fine not exceeding five thousand dollars.
Section 2. Whoever shall knowingly and wilfully use the Seal of the State of Maine, or take any impression therefrom for any purpose, in any other place than the office of the Secretary of State at Augusta or shall knowingly and wilfully issue, or be issued and act thereon, any commission, record, document, parchment, instrument or paper bearing the impression of said Seal, unless such Commission, record, document, parchment, instrument or paper shall be sealed in said office of said Secretary of State at Augusta, shall be punished by imprisonment not more than three years and by fine not exceeding three thousand dollars.
Section 3. This section deals with public documents.
Section 4. This act shall take effect when approved.
On February 4th, 1880, the Maine Legislature adopted the following resolution:
Resolve in reference to new State Seal.
Resloved. That the new State Seal procured by the Secretary of State under authority of the joint resolution, passed on the twentieth day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty, be deposited in the office of the Secretary of State, and that the same shall become, and be the Seal of this State.
