Case Name: Liggett, County Clerk, v. Orr et. al.
Court: Colorado Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Colorado
Decision Date: 1898-09
Citations: 25 Colo. 462
Docket Number: No. 3968
Parties: Liggett, County Clerk, v. Orr et. al.
Judges: 
Reporter: Colorado Reports
Volume: 25
Pages: 462–468

Head Matter:
[No. 3968.]
Liggett, County Clerk, v. Orr et. al.
Elections—Committees—Authobity on Chaibman.
Where a political convention appointed a number of members of the central committee for a county, and authorized the chairman and secretary of the committee to appoint other members of the committee from precincts of the county from which members had not been appointed, the authority was a joint one, to be exercised by the chairman and secretary together, and the chairman alone had no authority to appoint. And where a majority of the members of the committee as then constituted met and authorized an executive committee to call a convention to nominate a county ticket, a subsequent meeting of members of the committee, a majority of whom had been appointed by the chairman alone, could not rescind the former action of the committee, and a convention called by the subsequent meeting was not a legal convention of the party. A ticket nominated by the convention first called was entitled to be printed on the official ballot under the name and emblem of the party in preference to one nominated by a convention called by the subsequent meeting of the committee.
Upon Review from the District Court of JSl Paso County.
Action by respondents in the court below to review the ruling of petitioner, in refusing to certify them on the official ballot as the nominees of the Silver Republican party for the county of El Paso, and in holding that another set of nom inees was entitled to be so certified, which ruling was reversed by the district court, from which judgment petitioner brings the case here for review.
Messrs. Hall, Prestoh & Babbitt and Mr. George W. Musser, for petitioner.
Mr. J. W. She a for, and Mr. A. M. Nicholas, for respondents.

Opinion:
Mr. Justice Gabbert
delivered the opinion of the court.
In the latter part of July, 1898, a majority of the members of the county central committee of the Silver Republican party, as then constituted, for the county of El Paso, met and appointed an executive committee, the members of which were empowered to fix the apportionment of delegates from the various precincts, and call a convention for the purpose of malting county, nominations. This committee appointed a subcommittee, who apportioned the delegates and made the call for the county convention. In pursuance of this call, a convention was regularly held, and the parties adjudged by the county clerk entitled to be certified upon the official ballot, duly nominated. Subsequent to the date when this call was made, and before the convention in pursuance thereof was held, another meeting of the county central committee was held, at which there were present about forty-six persons, acting as members of this committee. It appears that all who participated in the proceedings of this meeting, but thirteen, had been appointed by the county chairman. At the last regular convention of the party held in 1897, the chairman and secretary of the county central committee were authorized to appoint members of this committee from the precincts of the county in which members had not been selected by the convention, or in which vacancies might occur. This authority was a joint one—that is, such appointments were to be made by the joint act of the chairman and secretary, and not by one. Those present at this last meeting of the central committee who were appointed by the chairman only, had no authority to act, and the committee as constituted at this meeting was illegal, and, therefore, the attempt through such channel to rescind the action of the meeting held in July, and to fix another apportionment and another time and place for holding a convention, was without force or effect. The respondents were nominated at the convention held in accordance with the action taken by this illegal and unauthorized committee. The convention held in pursuance of the action of the committee meeting held in July, was the regular one, and its nominees are, therefore, entitled to a place upon the official ballot, under the name and emblem of the party it represented.
The judgment of the district court is reversed, and the cause remanded, with directions to sustain the ruling of the county clerk and recorder.
Reversed and remanded.