Delaware gazette and state journal., 1902-12-11
THE NoTBRIES' BILL.
The Matter Explained TO the Levy Court
BY Hugh G. Browne

The Matter Explained to the Levy Court
BY Hugh G. Browne.
Hugh G. Browne made the following
statement to the Lavy Court, ut its
meeting Tuesday, on behalf Of himself
and Baldwin Springer, the noteries,
who qnaliiied the registration officers
as to the correctness OF their books:
In order to relieve any misrepresentation
that might exist upon the part OF the Levy
Court in regard to tine bill rendered by US
for our services as notaries public, we deaiIe
to make statemen. in regard to II.
the Primary Eleation law, passed IN 1877,
apecihculy says that the registration oificers,
or at enst two of them, shall make cath 10
the correctness OF the books of qualified
yotnrs Tor the primary election. This must
be done immediately after the third sitting
in August. These books ere then turned into
the Department of Elections for the purpose
of holding the primary elections OF the rari-
Gus political parties. Mr.. Springer and my
self at the request of tho Department OF
Elect ons. sat at the departments office for
the purpose of taking these cnths. There
we're two books of qualified voters for the
! urinary elections. In the front Of each book
there was an affidavit. We qualified 1s1
registration officers. There were some dis
| tricts where the full humber of three ofiicerH
| qualified and others where ouly two quail
| fed. But 1877 we're qualified, each to two
! books, making a total of 374 o6ths taken.
\ In order to be perfectly fair about this
matter we come 10 the conclusion that the
| districts would be the proper tasis OF a
] CHARGE. Of~the s5- districts of the city We
qualified TG. There we're two books to a
district, making a total of 152 aiiidayits
taken by us. We made this the basis OF
charge at the rata of 25 centsfor each book,
| whether two or three officers made affidavit.
Charging % cents book o. affidavit wonld
| make total of S33 for the qualifying for
] tho nrirnarv election.
We-lools the same unit of charge in the
general election. Ths General Election law
of iSe specifically says that within three days
nfter tine last day of registration the regis,
tration officers or at leRst two OF them shai
make affidavit to the correctness OF tht
books with the registrars alphabetical lis
of registered voters. Each of these book
was in duplicate, making four books ioi
each district. At this time we qualified ~
registration officers, which would make
total of T76 oeths taken by ue. But, as IL
tho former case, we took the district as thu
unit OF charge. We qualified "a districts
and four books or oaths tothe district woult
make a total of 2e4 atfidavits at the rate o
25 cents per affidavit would make total o
S7l.
Ycu will readily see, therefore, thht tn
number OF oaths taken. for the primary elec
tions. 3i4, plus the humber taken for tn
general election, 716, would lEake tota
of /, 100 oaths or affidayits taken by US, o
| Ht tno fht6 OF 511 Csilts lhf bhtn. iiletcuu
this, as we have called your attention to
before. our charges being based on the dis
tricts. makes total OF 1852 affidavits TO
| the primary election and 288 for the genera
election, a grand total of 436 afiidavi:s 0
) the rate OF IS cents, making total of Slos
. which is cur bill,
Mr.. Armstrong asked Mr.. Brown
if he did not think the registers woult
: have to pay this fee. Mr.. Browne re
piled that they absolutely refused t
r pay 1t soon after the work had begu
: on the 18th OF August. Mr.. Brown
L said he and Mr. Springer we're there
the request of the Department Of Elee
9 tions and did not believe that tn
. registra lion officers should ray the fe
Il anyway; that the laws specifically sal
!. that they should receive S5 per day fc
Z sitting as registrars and that additions
/ duties were imposed upon them fc
3 which they must pay, and that the la
. did not contemplate that their per diei
!, should be abridged; that as the la
d imposed these additional duties a
,r them 1t was the business of the con
IT munity to pay for it; that II the 10
i imposed duty which would take
s. cents srom their salary 1t could impoi
L a duty which would take the whole
:, their saIary,a and in conclusion that IL
n law never contemplated any SUCH COT
d dition Of affairs.
le The court did not take any action
of regard to tie matter.