The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-26
A HITCH 0 CORONERS.
DOUBTS IF THEIR ELECTION IN
THREk BOR0UGHS rs LEGAL.

shertns Are Klected by the Ceunty ana Core.
nera ''shnil ne E1eoted In the Same naan.
psr',-Nine We're Elected ~ Borough Vote
Law Contrndictory ~ to Their Terms.
Members OF the Greater Now York Charter
Commission have been studying their work
since its passage by tho Legislature with n view
to suggesting legislation viii h will correct any
errors which they may find In tho act. In tho
course OF their Investigation they have found
ono error which may not DO remedicd until the
next municipal election. 1t Is one which affects
tho legality Of tho election OF the Coroners
chosen for tho boronghs of Manhattan, the
Bronx, Queens. and Richmond.
Section 1870 OF the charter. which provides
for the election Of four Coroners In Manhattan,
three in Queens, and two in each Of tho other
borouRhs, declares:
"They shall be elected In tho same manner and
at tho same general elections as are the sheriffs
in the several counties in which such boroughs
arc situated. and shall hold their respective
offices for the term of four years, and shall BIO
removable in the same manner as sheriffs."
Tho term Of the Sheriff of New York county ia
two years. 1t therefore follows that the terms
OF the Coroners in Manhattan and the Bronx can
not DO four years II they are to DO elected at the
Same general election with the Sheriff. The
term of the Sheriff in Queens and Richmond
Is three years.
This affects simply the term Of the Coro-
ners-elect. The provision that the Coroners
shall be elected in the same manner as Sherirs
are Is said to affect tho legality of the election
OF ninc OF those chosen at the polls on Nov. 2.
They were not elected in the same manner as
were the Sheriffs OF New York and Queens
counties, for only the borough vote was cast for
any Coroner, while the whole county voted for
Sheriff.
Of the election Of the Manhattan. Bronx. and
Queens borough Coroners. 1t Is to be found In
state respecting Coroners. The charter-sec-
Each Of said Coroners shall possess all tho
powers and perform all tho duties, vested in or
imposed upon Coroners by any existing laws re-
latinR to Coroners In, the city of New York as
heretofore known and bounded. or by any law OF
This keeps alive nearly every provision of the
makes the county law also applicable to them.
Now. tho county law recognizes Coroners as
press forms abolish the county office of Coroner
In the several counties affected as it did in the
o OF R pc sdi"t eoanty once Th Ul eSae'y up naes'u tSe
county lay It is contended that the counties of
are no longer Constitutional officers, there
y no legal Objection to the existence Of six in
properly provided for. The question might be
asked, though, IN case a Coroner had to be desig-
der the law. il a Coroner who was chosen bya
vote of only a section of the county could prop
1t is said that the members Of tho Charter
Commission and other prominent lawyers who
have been investigating the matter are of opin-
ion that there is grave doubt that tho Coroners
in the boroughs Of Manhattan, the Bronx, and
Queens were legally elected. II they are not
Gov. Black will have to straighten out tho diff
hculty by appointing Coroners to fill the vacan-
cies which II shall be decided exist. 1t has been
suggested that the county Coroners elected in
Queens county may have jurisdiction through
out the entire county.
1t must DO said for the Charter Commission
that it is not responsible for the clash as to
terms. Their original draft of section $50 pro-
y,ided that tho Coroners should be elected for
the same term rs tho Sheriff in the several
counties. The amendment making the Coroners'
term four years was inserted by the Legislature.