more counties.compose a district.

deposited.

computing and certifying said returns. When two or more cases where two or counties are connected for the election of any officer, the courts of such counties shall each appoint a return judge to meet at such time and place, as required by law, to compute and certify the vote of such district. All officers provided compensation of for by this act shall be compensated as like officers are paid officers. by existing laws. Whenever a place has been or shall be where boxes to be provided by the authorities of any city, county, township or borough, for the safe-keeping of the ballot-boxes, the judge and minority inspector shall, after the election shall be finished, and the ballot-box or boxes containing the tickets, list of voters and other papers, have been securely bound with tape and sealed, and the signatures of the judge and inspectors affixed thereto, forthwith deliver the same, together with the remaining boxes, to the mayor and recorder of such city, or in counties, townships or boroughs, to such person or persons as the court of common pleas of the proper county may designate, at the place provided, as aforesaid, who shall then deposit the said boxes and keep the same to answer the call of any court or tribunal authorized to try the merits of such election. Whenever the election officers of any election district shall require the election boxes of such district, to hold any election which, by law, they are or shall be required to hold, they shall keep the same securely in their possession without opening, until the morning of such election, and until they shall severally be sworn or affirmed not to disclose how any elector shall have voted, and after being so sworn or affirmed, they shall open the said boxes and burn and Ballots an other totally destroy all the ballots and other papers which they be destroyed. shall find therein, before proceeding to hold such election. SECTION 14. That from and immediately after the passage Court to appoint of this act, the court of common pleas in the proper county, assessors in cerin election districts wherein assessors have not heretofore been elected, shall appoint one reputable person in each election district to be the assessor thereof, who shall perform all the duties relating to elections now required to be performed by assessors under the provisions of this act. Such assessors shall be appointed as nearly as can be ascertained from the party having a majority of the votes in their respective districts.

Not to be opened

until morning of election and off

cers sworn.

papers therein to

tain cases.

Election of judg

sessors.

SECTION 15. That at the election to be held on the third Tuesday of February next, and at the election annually inspectors and as thereafter, there shall be elected in each election district in the state, as well in those wherein the registration of voters has heretofore been made by officers appointed, and not chosen by the people to perform the duty, as in all others, one person as judge and two inspectors, in conformity with the general laws of the commonwealth, to conduct the elections for one year, and also an assessor who shall perform the duties incident to elections as required by the provisions of this act.

fourteenth section

SECTION 16. That the assessors appointed under the four- Duties of assessors teenth section of this act shall, within five days after their appointed under appointment, proceed to make out lists of the qualified elec- of this act. tors in their respective election districts, and deliver the

same to the commissioners, who shall transmit a certified copy of the same to the judge of each election district, at least forty-eight hours before the election to be held on the third Tuesday of February next. Said assessors shall also post ten copies thereof in conspicuous places in each election district at least ten days before said election. And the lists so made by the assessors during the two secular days preceding the day of the delivery thereof to the commissioners, (of which days public notice shall be given by handbill throughout said district,) shall be open for inspection and inspection and cor- correction in the custody of the said assessor, from ten, A. M. to three, P. M., and from six, P. M. to nine, P. M. of each of said days, in the manner provided in section second of this act; and all of the remedies, privileges and powers secured and provided thereby, are hereby made applicable to the lists herein named.

Lists made by

them to be open for

rection.

Power to administer oaths.

False swearing.

Compensation of

assessors.

Not to assess tax within sixty-one days of election.

Penalty.

Penalty for neglect of duty by election officers, &c.

SECTION 17. The respective assessors, inspectors and judges of the elections shall each have the power to administer oaths to any person claiming the right to be assessed, or the right of suffrage, or in regard to any other matter or thing required to be done or inquired into by any of said officers under this act; and any willful false swearing by any person in relation to any matter or thing, concerning which they shall be lawfully interrogated by any of said officers or overseers shall be perjury.

SECTION 18. The assessors shall each receive the same compensation for the time necessarily spent in performing the duties hereby enjoined, as is provided by law to assessors making valuations, to be paid by the county commissioners as in other cases; and it shall not be lawful for any assessor to assess a tax against any person whatever within sixty-one days next preceding the annual election in November; any violation of this provision shall be a misdemeanor, and subject the officer so offending to a fine, on conviction, not exceeding one hundred dollars, or to imprisonment not exceeding three months, or both, at the discretion of the court.

SECTION 19. Any assessor, election officer or person appointed as an overseer, who shall neglect or refuse to perform any duty enjoined by this act, without reasonable or legal cause, shall be subject to a penalty of one hundred dollars; and if any assessor shall knowingly assess any person as a voter who is not qualified, or shall wilfully refuse to assess any one who is qualified, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor in office, and on conviction be punished by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, or imprisonment not exceeding two years, or both, at the discretion of the court, and also be subject to an action for damages by the party agFor altering list of grieved; and if any person shall fraudulently alter, add to,

voters, &c.

deface or destroy any list of voters made out as directed by this act, or tear down or remove the same from the place where it has been fixed, with fraudulent or mischievous intent, or for any improper purpose, the person so offending shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars, or imprisonment not exceeding two years, or both, at the discretion

Overseers.

For intimidating &c., by persons

officers, voters,

not of the district.

of the court; and if any person shall, by violence or intimi- For obstructing dation, drive, or attempt to drive from the polls any person or persons appointed by the court to act as overseers of an election, or in any way wilfully prevent said overseers from performing the duties enjoined upon them by this act, such person shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, or by imprisonment not exceeding two years, or both, at the discretion of the court. Any person who shall, on the day of any election, visit a polling place in any clection district at which he is not entitled to vote, and shall use any intimidation or violence for the purpose of preventing any officer of election from performing the duties required of him by law, or for the purpose of preventing any qualified voter of such district exercising his right to vote, or from exercising his right to challenge any person offering to vote, such person shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, or by imprisonment not exceeding two years, or both, at the discretion of the court. Any clerk, overseer or election officer, who shall disclose For disclosing how how any elector shall have voted, unless required to do so voted. as a witness in a judicial proceeding, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, or by impris onment not exceeding two years, or both, in the discretion of the court.

SECTION 20. If any prothonotary, clerk, or the deputy of either, or any other person, shall affix the seal of any court to any naturalization paper, or permit the same to be affixed, or give out, or cause or permit such naturalization paper to be given out in blank, whereby it may be fraudulently used, or furnish a naturalization certificate to any person who shall not have been duly examined and sworn in open court, in the presence of some of the judges thereof, according to the act of congress, or shall aid in, connive at, or in any way permit the issue of any fraudulent naturalization certificate, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor; or if any one shall fraudulently use any such certificate of naturalization, knowing that it was fraudulently issued, or shall vote or attempt to vote thereon, or if any one shall vote or attempt to vote on any certificate of naturalization not issued to him, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor; and either or any of the persons, their aiders or abettors, found guilty of either of the misdemeanors aforesaid, shall be fined in a sum not exceed ing one thousand dollars, and imprisoned in the proper penitentiary for a period not exeeeding three years.

SECTION 21. Any person who, on oath or affirmation, in or before any court in this state, or officer authorized to administer oaths, shall, to procure a certificate of naturalization for himself or any other person, wilfully depose, declare or affirm any matter to be fact, knowing the same to be false, or shall in like manner deny any matter to be fact, knowing the same to be true, shall be deemed guilty of perjury; and any certificate of naturalization issued in pursuance of any such

electors have

Penalty for fraudof naturalization papers.

ulent issue or use

Penalty for false alization.

swearing on natur

Certificate se obtained void.

on such certificate.

deposition, declaration or affirmation, shall be null and void; and it shall be the duty of the court issuing the same, upon proof being made before it that it was fraudulently obtained, to take immediate measures for re-calling the same for canPenalty for voting cellation; and any person who shall vote or attempt to vote on any paper so obtained, or who shall vote or attempt to vote on any paper so obtained, or who shall in any way aid in, connive at, or have any agency whatever in the issue, circulation or use of any fraudulent naturalization certificate, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall undergo an imprisonment in the penitentiary for not more than two years, and pay a fine not more than one thousand dollars, for every such offence, or either or both, at the discretion of the court.

Secretary of commonwealth to prepare blanks.

County commissioners to furnish copies, and pay expenses for lights, fuel, &c.

To apply to all elections.

Duties of city comdelphia.

SECTION 22. It shall be the duty of the secretary of the commonwealth to prepare forms for all the blanks made necessary by this act, and furnish copies of the same to the county commissioners of the several counties of the commonwealth; and the county commissioners of each county shall, as soon as may be necessary after receipt of the same, at the proper expense of the county, procure and furnish to all the election officers of the election districts of their respective counties copies of such blanks, in such quantities as may be rendered necessary for the discharge of their duties under this act, and shall pay all necessary expenses for lights, rent, fuel and stationery, on bills certified by the election officers.

SECTION 23. Special elections, and all elections for city, ward, borough and township officers, for regular terms of service, shall be regulated and conducted in like manner as general elections, and by the same officers, who shall perform the same duties and be subject to the same penalties as are provided for general elections, unless otherwise provided for in this act.

SECTION 24. All the duties imposed by this act upon county missioners, Phila- commissioners, shall be performed, in the city of Philadelphia, by the city commissioners.

How fines to be applied.

Repeal.

SECTION 25. All funds arising from fines imposed and collected in pursuance of the foregoing sections, shall be ap plied to the common schools of the county in which said fines may have been collected, and to be apportioned among the several school districts according to the population thereof. SECTION 26. All acts or parts of acts inconsistent with this act be and the same are hereby repealed.

APPROVED-The 30th day of January, A. D. 1874.

J. F. HARTRANFT.

No. 2.

AN ACT

Relative to vacancies in the office of prothonotary or clerk of the several courts and in the office of register or recorder.

act in cases of vacaney.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted, &c., That whenever the office of Principal deputy to prothonotary, clerk of the court of quarter sessions of the peace, orphans' court, oyer and terminer and general jail delivery, register of wills or recorder of deeds, shall become vacant by death, resignation or otherwise, it shall be lawful for the principal deputy of such officer to discharge the duties imposed by law upon his principal until the appointment and qualification of his successor: Provided, That the said deputy, before taking upon himself the duties of said office, shall give a bond similar to that of his principal, to be approved by one of the judges of the court of common pleas of the county in which the vacancy may occur.

To give security.

SECTION 2. That from and after the passage of this act, it Each prothonotary, &c., to appoint shall be the duty of each prothonotary, and other officers principal deputy. mentioned in the first section of this act, to appoint one principal deputy to act in the case of the death or resignation of his principal, or when said office shall become vacant from other causes.

APPROVED-The 12th day of February, A. D. 1874.

J. F. HARTRANFT.

No. 3.
AN ACT

Regulating the publication of applications for local or special leg

islation.

plication for special

SECTION 1. Be it enacted, &c., That no local or special bill, How notice of apeither to repeal or enact a law, shall be passed by the legis- legislation to be lature, unless notice of the intention to apply therefor shall published. be published in the locality where the matter or thing to be effected may be situated, which notice shall state specifically the title and objects of the bill, and shall be published by not less than four insertions in at least two daily or weekly newspapers, one of which may be in a language other than English, once a week for four consecutive weeks, printed in the county, or in each of the several counties, where such matter or thing to be affected may be situated; the first insertion to be at least thirty days prior to and within three months immediately preceding the introduction of such bill into the general assembly, and be signed by at least one of the parties applying therefor: Provided, That the publication in one newspaper shall be deemed sufficient where but one is published in the county or counties aforesaid.