State ex rel. Funkhouser v. Spencer

63 S.W. 1112, 164 Mo. 23, 1901 Mo. LEXIS 196
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedJune 18, 1901
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 63 S.W. 1112 (State ex rel. Funkhouser v. Spencer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. Funkhouser v. Spencer, 63 S.W. 1112, 164 Mo. 23, 1901 Mo. LEXIS 196 (Mo. 1901).

Opinion

MARSHALL, J.

— This is an original proceeding in prohibition, to prohibit the respondents from carrying out an order of the Hon. Selden P. Spencer, as judge of the circuit court of the city of St. Louis, on the other respondents as election commissioners of that city, to -examine the ballots and compare them with the voting lists, east at the general election, in the year 1900, in the city of St. Louis, for the office of coroner of that city.

Robert M. Eunkhouser, the relator, was the Democratic nominee for the office of coroner of St. Louis, at the general election in 1900, and Henry Lloyd was the Republican nominee. Funkhouser was declared elected, and Lloyd instituted a contest for the office, and among other grounds therefor he [30]*30procured from the board of election commissioners a printed copy of the entire list of registered voters of the city of St. Louis, containing about 130,000 names, and after erasing a few hundred names therefrom, made the' same a part of his notice, and stated in the notice that the list contained 'the names of voters to whom he objected, stating his reasons for so objecting. Among the names of persons so objected to was that of Lloyd himself. Thereafter, he applied to Judge Spencer for an order on the election commissioners to examine and recount all the ballots cast at said election for said office, and to compare such ballots with the voting lists, and to certify the result of such examination, recount and comparison to the circuit, court. Judge Spencer, sitting as such judge of said court, made the order asked, the portion thereof essential to this controversy being as follows:

“Now, therefore, these presents are to command you, and each of you, acting as the said board of election commissioners, or as deputy election commissioner and secretary of said board, and as the said board of election commissioners, and as deputy election commissioner authorized by law to exercise the full power and authority of the said board whenever occasion so to do shall arise under the law, to proceed to open, examine, count and compare with the list of voters in your office, all the ballots that were cast at the general election aforesaid for the office of coroner for the term above mentioned, and that you certify to this court, under your hand and seal, and as required by law, the result of such count, comparison and examination of the said ballots so far as the same relate to the office aforesaid, in contest in the election contest above mentioned; and in so certifying the result of such count, comparison and examination of the ballots you shall intelligently distinguish between ballots which were counted and those which were rejected by the judges of election acting in the several precincts of the city of [31]*31St. Louis, at the election aforesaid, and show the numbers upon said ballots and the initials and other writing .upon each such ballot, whether counted or rejected; .and you are further directed to begin the said count, examination and comparison of said votes, according to the directions of this writ, and to proceed with the same with all convenient and practical speed.
“To assist you in the performance of the duties herein required, you are authorized and directed to detail not exceeding four of the regular sworn assistants of your office, who shall he, however, sworn to secrecy in the same manner that the paHies and thew attorneys are required to he sworn, according to the provisions of section 7046 of the Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri 1899.
“You, and each of you as the board of election commissioners, as members of said board, and deputy commissioner, and all clerks detailed as assistants under authority herein granted, and each and all of you, are further required and commanded that in obeying this writ you shall proceed in all things according to law, and further that immediately upon the receipt of this writ you shall fix a day not more than thirty days after the date of the receipt of this writ, on which yóu will proceed to open the said ballots, and to count, examine and compare the same, as herein required, and you shall cause notice in writing of the "day so fixed by you to be served on the contestant, Henry Lloyd, and the contestee, Robert M. Eunkhouser, or their respective attorneys of record in this proceeding, at least five days before the date so fixed by you to open the said ballots, and count, compare and examine the same; and, further, that on thé day so fixed by you you shall proceed in your office to open the said ballots in the presence of the said contestant, Henry Lloyd, and of the said contestee, Robert M. Eunkhouser, and their respective attorneys, not to exceed two for each of the parties, all of whom shall be attor[32]*32neys of record in this cause, -or such of them as may demand to be present, and after administering to all such persons an oath binding them, as required by law, that they will not disclose any fact discovered from such ballots, or by or through the examination of the said ballots and the comparison thereof with the said list of voters, except such facts as may be contained in your certificate of the result of siich count, examination and comparison, and you shall exclude from your office during the time while such ballots are open and being examined and counted and compared, all other persons whatever.
“You are further commanded in such count, examination and comparison of the ballots aforesaid, that you shall permit the said contestant, Henry Lloyd, and the said eontestee, Robert M. Eunlihouser, to be present during all of your proceedings, either together with their respective attorneys of record in this cause — not more than two for each party — or separately, and shall also permit the said attorneys for the contestant and eontestee separately to be present during all the said proceedings, and shall permit them and each of them, as they may request to fully examine said ballots and voting lists, and to compare the same, and in the return or certificate which you shall file staling your proceedings under this writ, you shall also return to this court under your hands and official seal all the facts which either of the parties to the aforesaid election contest may desire and request to have returned, and which may appear from the said ballots and the examination and comparison thereof, affecting or relating to the election for the office now being contested in this proceeding. Herein fail not at your peril.”

The election commissioners gave relator notice of intention to comply with the order, and thereupon he applied for and obtained from this court a preliminary rule against the said judge, the election commissioners and Henry Lloyd, con[33]*33testee, prohibiting them from proceeding as proposed. The returns set np the order and justify it. • The relator moved to quash the return of the judge, and demurred to the return of Lloyd.

I.

The pivotal question involved is whether the circuit court had power to order the election commissioners and the parties litigant to make a comparison of the ballots with the voting lists and to require the election commissioners to return and certify to the court “all the facts which either of the parties to the aforesaid election contest may desire and request to have returned, and which may appear from the said ballots and the examination and comparison thereof.”

Section 3 of article 8 of the Constitution is as follows:

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State ex rel. Funkhouser v. Spencer
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Bluebook (online)
63 S.W. 1112, 164 Mo. 23, 1901 Mo. LEXIS 196, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-funkhouser-v-spencer-mo-1901.