Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-01-30

] IIlIS SdIIlc SIldI DC JUL HC llOiH the general revenue of the county.
 Sec. II. The County Central Com- mittee shall convene at noon of the Friday following the primary on Tues day, and the returns, one of the lists of voters and the ballots of each vot- ing precinct are required to be de- livered to said committee as hereto fore provided on or before said time. l If the returns and ballots of any precinct are not then delivered, the committee shall send any peace officer for the returns and ballots, and the peace officer so selected is authorized to take the same, forcibly if necessary, from anyone in whose possession they may be, and immediately bring the same to said committee. If all returns and ballots are not before the commit tee by Friday noon, it may adjourn un- til it receives them, not later than Sat urday noon. The committee shall can- vass the returns. and when demanded examine the ballots; may hear testi- mony, if offered, of fraudulent prac- tices and illegal votes, and may cast out illegal votes, fraudulent returns, and find the true and legal vote cast for each candidate, and shall certify l the result not later than Monday fol- lowing the primary.
 Said committee shall certify the nomination of all county and township officers, and shall further certify the vote of all candidates for circuit and district offices to the Circuit and Dis trict Committee (including congress sional districts), and shall certify the ] vote for candidates for United States l Senate and for all state offices to the State Central Committee.
 The State Central Committee and | District and Circuit Committees, or other committees or conventions as are or may be authorized by law, shall re- ceive the returns from County Central 1 the result thereof as now provided by law, and said committees, or their of- ficers, shall, when ordered by Cir cult Court as hereinafter provided, an- null the qualifications made and make qualifications in accordance with the judgment of the Circuit Court.
 The County Central Committee. inn mediately upon having canvassed the returns and where demanded examin- l ed the the ballots, and upon having certified the results of the primary as herein required, shall and it is hereby made obligatory upon it and it's chair man and secretary, to file in the office of the county clerk of said county, and in the district of said county where there is more than one district where the meetings of the Central Commit tee are held, all the returns. all poll books, and all ballots, together with all the poll tax receipts, all certifi- cates of payment of poll taxes, affi- davits and other documents received from the judges of election to be pre- | served by said county clerk, for the period of six months, subject to the orders of any court of competent fur isdiction, or if a contest is pending until said contest is determined, and the failure of the county clerk to so preserve the said returns, poll books, ballots and documents accompanying same, shall be misdemeanor and punished by fine and imprisonment as is provided for other misdemeanors under this act.
 The County Central Committee shall deliver the ballots to the county clerk in the ballot boxes of the respective voting precincts locked and sealed, and shall take the receipt of the clerk therefor and the clerk shall not unlock said ballot boxes or break the seal thereof except upon order and dlrec- tion of the court having jurisdiction over the contests as provided in this act, and he shall keep said ballot boxes in vault, if there is vault of suf- ficient capacity in the court house; otherwise in room under his control. under lock and key. At the end of six months. if no contest is pending involving the inspection of said bal lots, the county clerk shall, in the pres ence of the chairman and secretary of the County Central Committee, or a committee of not less than three per son appointed by the County Central Committee for that purpose, open said ballot boxes, and without examining the ballots burn the same, and take from the chairman and secretary of the County Central Committee, or the witnesses designated by the County Central Committee, certificate show ing the facts in connection with the burning of the ballots, and file the | same as a permanent record in his office, and he shall thereupon return to the County Central Committee the ballot boxes.
 Sec. 12. A right of action is hereby conferred on any candidate to contest the certification of nomination or the certification of vote as made by the County Central Committee.
 The action shall be brought in the Circuit Court. If for the office of rep-
 resentative or a county or township office, in the Circuit Court of the coun- tv; and if for circuit or district of flee. within any county in the circuit or district wherein any of the wrong full acts occurred; and if for United
 States senator or state office, in the
 Pulaski Circuit Court.
 The complaint shall be supported by the affidavits of at least 10 reputable
 citizens. and shall be filed within 1C
 days of the certification complained of if the complaint is against the cer-
 tification in one county and within 20 days if against the certification ir
 more than one county. The complaint
 shall be answered within 10 days.
 If the complaint is sufficiently defi- nite to make a prima facie case. the
 judge shall, unless the Circuit Court