28 Del. 213 | Del. Super. Ct. | 1914
delivering the opinion of the court:
This is a motion to quash the return for insufficiency, uncertainty, argumentativeness and as being contrary to law.
This motion is resisted for three reasons: First, that the answer conclusively shows that the Department of Elections in the appointment of said registration and election officers acted within its discretion and in accordance with the law; second, that in the manner of making the appointments the provisions of the statute are merely directory and not mandatory; and third, that if the court should hold, that the provisions of statute in regard to the manner of the appointments of said registration and election officers is mandatory then said provision of law is unconstitutional.
The contention made by the respondents on the first proposition is the same as was urged on the motion to discharge the rule and dismiss the petition, and the authorities then cited are relied upon.
Our attention is directed to errors and mistakes in the list
The authorities relied upon are Attorney General v. Detroit, 58 Mich. 213, 24 N. W. 887, 55 Am. Rep. 675; State ex rel. Holt v. Denny, 118 Ind. 449, 21 N. E. 274, 4 L. R. A. 65; People ex rel. Le Roy v. Hurlbut, 24 Mich. 44, 9 Am. Rep. 103; Rathbone v. Wirth, 150 N. Y. 459, 45 N. E. 15, 34 L. R. A. 408; Baltimore v. State, 15 Md. 376, 74 Am. Dec. 572; and Bowden v. Bedell, 68 N. J. Law, 451, 53 Atl. 198.
We will dispose of the last proposition immediately.
It is said in 15 Cyc. 313, F:
“This subject, however, has not been much attended to in other jurisdictions, but where the question has been raised it has been held that such a provision does not establish such a political test of office as is repugnant to the Constitution, but is rather a rule for the guidance of the appointing power.”
Without going into a general discussion of the question raised, we think the provision of the statute objected to as unconstitutional is reasonable within legislative intendment to promote fair elections, and that it is not within the prohibitory clause of the Constitution or repugnant thereto. In re Wortman (Sup.) 2 N. Y. Supp. 324; State v. McAllister, 38 W. Va. 485, 18 S. E. 770, 24 L. R. A. 343; Rogers v. Buffalo, 123 N. Y. 173, 25 N. E. 274, 9 L. R. A. 579; and Com. v. Plaisted, 148 Mass. 375, 19 N. E. 224,
Proceeding to the consideration of the merits of this case, we cannot now do much more than announce the conclusions which the court has reached.
A fatal defect in the list with respect to one or more districts does not have the effect in law or good reason to vitiate and make illegal the remainder of the list. So far as the list which is required to be filed is in full compliance with the statute with respect to one or more districts, it is good and sufficient as to such district or districts. The list filed with the Department of Elections which has been under consideration does not appear to have been prepared with careful attention. But this fact does not warrant the action taken thereon with respect to some of the districts in question. The object of the statute is obvious, and the appointing power should never lightly disregard its purpose.
All allegations in the alternative writ sufficiently pleaded and not denied by the return are to be taken as admitted. By the return, the allegations in the first, third, fourth (except in so far as the latter charges fraudulent and illegal neglect, etc.) and seventh paragraphs of the petition are admitted.
A general denial is made of the fifth and sixth paragraphs. We do not think it necessary for the purpose of this case to incorporate those paragraphs in the opinion.
It is shown by the return that the list filed by the relator was filed on the twenty-eighth day of May, A. D. 1914, and that on the sixteenth day of June following, the Department of Elections for the City of Wilmington at its meeting accredited to the Democratic party two appointments for certain of the several one hundred and eighteen election districts in the City of Wilmington as therein mentioned, including the Fifth and Tenth Districts of the Third Ward, and the Tenth District of the Seventh Ward, being three of the districts in question, and likewise one appointment in certain other of said districts, including the Sixth District of the Second Ward, and the Third and Eleventh Districts of the Tenth Ward, the remaining three districts in question.
It.is averred that the executive committee of the Democratic party of the City of Wilmington did not furnish the Department of Elections on or before the first day of June, A. D. 1914, for each appointment so accredited to the Democratic
With respect to the three districts accredited with two Democratic appointments, it is averred in the return as to the first mentioned that one of the persons on the list, naming him, does not reside at the address given; as to the second, that one of the persons in- the list, naming him, does not reside in the district; and that two other persons on the list, naming them, do not reside at the addresses given; as to the third, that one of the persons on the list, naming him, does not reside at the address given, but at Atlantic City, State of New Jersey. With respect-to the remaining three districts accredited with one Democratic appointment, it is averred as to the first mentioned that three of the persons on the list, naming them, do not reside at the addresses given; as to the second that two of the persons, naming them, do not reside at the addresses given, and which are not located in the district, and that one of the persons named, is not a qualified voter, and as to the third, that one of the persons named removed from the address given before filing list, and another person named does not reside at the address given.
The same principle applies when only one appointment is accredited to a party. And if, in such a case, six names are furnished, and three of the names are properly qualified persons, the appointment must be made from the list.
The return is insufficient as to the Sixth District of the Second Ward, the Third District of the Third Ward, and the Third and Eleventh Districts of the Tenth Ward, and as to these four districts the return is quashed. With respect to the appointments alleged to have been heretofore made in these four districts of persons whose names were not on the list furnished the Department of Elections, we will say that in contemplation of law the department in attempting to make these appointments exceeded the discretion permitted by the law. The return is sufficient as to the Fifth District of the Third Ward and the Tenth District of the Seventh Ward and as to thesé two districts, the motion to quash the return is denied.
It is ordered that a peremptory writ of mandamus as prayed for issue directed to the respondents with respect to the Sixth District of the Second Ward, the Third District of the Third Ward, the Third District of the Tenth Ward, and the Eleventh District of the Tenth Ward.