State ex rel. McKinney v. Partridge
State ex rel. McKinney v. Partridge
Opinion of the Court
This is an application for a mandamus to compel the defendant, who is county clerk of Adams county, to issue a certificate of election to the relator as justice of the peace. He alleges in his petition that he is a qualified elector of the city of Hastings; that “the city of Hastings is a city of the second class having more than 5,000 inhabitants, and is governed by the- laws of the state of Nebraska applicable to such cities; that the respondent herein is the county clerk of Adams county, and whose duty it is, among other things, to issue, under the seal of said county, certificates of election to the different persons elected to the several county, precinct, and township offices at the general elections held in said county; that the general election held in said city and county aforesaid, on the 5th day of November, 1889, among other offices to be filled and voted for at said election, was that of two justices of the peace for the district comprising the city of Hastings, in said county, and at which said election as aforesaid, the following named persons were voted for for said offices of justices of the peace in said city, lo-wit: E. Hoeppner, A. C Moore, C. W. Pease, W. S. McKinney, R. R. Morledge, U. S. Eohrer, N. B. Vineyard, J. C. Williams, F. M. Alexander, Jacob Wooster, and George Haller; that on the - day of November, 1889, said votes, among the other votes cast at said election, were duly canvassed by the canvassing board convened for such purpose,- and by which canvass it was ascertained that the vote for justices of the peace resulted as follows,‘to-wit:
E. Hoeppner received.................................256 votes
A. C. Moore received.................................188 “
C. W. Pease received................................... 64 “
W. S. McKinney received.............................272 “
E. E. Morledge received..............................201 “
IT. S. Eohrer received.................................201 “
J. C. Williams received................................191 “
George Haller received.....■...........................185 “
F. M. Alexander received.............................187 “
Jacob Wooster received................................184 “
•which said vote was duly certified by said canvassing board, to this respondent, county clerk, as aforesaid. That this relator received the highest number of votes east at said election for said office of justice of the peace in said city of Hastings, and thei’eby became entitled to a certificate of election from this respondent, and that on the 9th day of November, 1889, this relator, in a respectful manner, applied to this respondent, and requested him to issue to him, this relator, a certificate of election to the office of justice of the peace, to which he had been elected as aforesaid, and that said respondent then and there refused, and does still refuse, to issue such certificate to this relator, as he was and is entitled to under the laws of the state.”
To this petition the respondent answered, in effect, that Adams county has adopted township organization and is divided.into sixteen townships, viz., West Blue, Highland, Verona, Kenesaw, Wanda, Juniata, Denver, Blaine, Hanover, Ayr, Roseland, Cottonwood, Logan, Silver Lake, Zerd, and Little Blue, and, in addition, all that part of the west portion of Blaine township and that part of the east portion of Denver township, then included in the corporate limits of the city of Hastings, was by said board of supervisors recognized in said division as the city of Hastings; that said city of Hastings is, and has been for the last two years, divided into four wards, for municipal purposes, viz., First ward, Second ward, Third ward and Fourth ward; that in June, 1887, the board of supervisors of said Adams county, while in regular session, divided said city of Hastings into four election districts corresponding with the ward boundaries, and named the said election districts for election purposes as the First ward,
“ For A. C. Moore, a resident of said First ward, 188 votes.
“For Jacob Wooster, a resident of said First ward, 184 votes.
*752 1 “For C. W. Pease, a resident of said First ward, 62 votes.
“ For E. Hoeppner, a resident of said Fourth ward, 60 votes.
“For W. S. McKinney, the relator, and a resident of said Second ward, 71 votes.
“ That at said election, on the 5th. day of November, 1889, aforesaid, there were cast in the Second ward of said city for justices of the peace for said Second ward the following votes:
“ For R. R. Morledge, a resident of said Second ward, 201 votes.
“ For U. S. Rohrer, a resident of said Second ward, 201 votes.
“For W. S. McKinney, the relator, and a resident of said Second ward, 67 votes.
“ For E. Hoeppner, a resident of said Fourth ward, 70 votes.
“That at said election on the 5th day of November, 1889, aforesaid, there were cast in the Third ward of said-city for justices of the peace for said ward the following votes, viz.:
“ For Geoi’ge Haller, a resident of said Third ward, 185 votes.
“ For N. B. Vineyard, a resident of said Third ward, 200 votes.
“ For W. S. McKinney, the relator and a resident of said Second ward, 80 votes.
“ For E. Hoeppner, a resident of said Second ward, 72 votes.
“ That at said election, on the 5th day of November, 1889, aforesaid, there were cast in the Fourth ward of said city for justices of the peace for the said ward the following votes: ■
“For J. C. Williams, a resident of said Fourth ward, 191 votes.
*753 “ For F. M. Alexander, a resident of said Fourth ward, 187 votes.
“ For E. Hoeppner, a resident of said Fourth ward, 54 votes.
“For W. S. McKinney, the relator, and a resident of said Second ward, 54 votes; scattering, 1 vote.
“All of which will more fully appear from the certificate of this respondent, as county clerk.
“ That said A. C. Moore and Jacob Wooster having received the highest number of votes cast in said First ward for justices of the peace for said ward, and being legally entitled thereto, this respondent issued to each of them a certificate of election for justices of the peace in and for said First ward; that said R. R. Morledge and U. S. Rohrer having received the highest number of votes cast in the Second ward for justices of the peace for said ward, and being legally entitled thereto, this respondent issued to each of them a certificate of election for justices of the peace in and for said Second ward ; that said N. B. Yineyard and George Haller having received the highest number of votes cast in said Third ward for justices of the peace for said ward, and being legally entitled thereto, this respondent issued to each of them a certificate of election for justices of the peace in and for said Third ward; that said J. O. Williams and F. M. Alexander having received the highest number of votes cast in the Fourth ward for justices of the peace for said ward, and being legally entitled thereto, this respondent issued to each of them a certificate of election for justices of the peace in and for said Fourth ward.”
To this answer the relator demurred, and the cause is now submitted to the court thereon.
Sec. 9 of art. 2 of ch. 14, Comp. Stats., provides that “ Precinct lines in that part of any county not under township organization, embraced within the corporate limits of a city of the second class, shall correspond with the ward
In 1889 the legislature passed an act in relation to cities •of the first class having less than 25,000 inhabitants'which provides for two justices of the peace to be elected by the city at large. That act is not applicable to this case. In 1889 section 7 of the election law was amended as follows: In counties not under township organization one county judge, one sheriff, one coroner, one county treasurer, one county clerk, one county surveyor, and one county superintendent of public instruction shall be elected in the year eighteen hundred seventy-nine (1879) and every second year thereafter, and in each precinct two justices of the peace and two constables shall be elected in the year eighteen hundred seventy-nine (1879) and every second year thereafter, except as hereafter in this section provided, and three judges and two clerks of election, one assessor, and one •overseer of highways for each road district shall be elected in the year eighteen hundred seventy-nine (1879) and annually thereafter, and one county commisioner shall be elected annually, who shall serve three years. In counties under township organization, one county judge, one sheriff, one coroner, one county treasurer, one county clerk, one •county surveyor, and one county superintendent of public instruction shall be elected at the first general election after the adoption of township organization, and every second year
The provisions of the act just quoted control the election of justices in cities of the second class having more than 5,000 inhabitants and they modify sec. 9, art. 2, ch. 14, of Comp. Stats. Each city of the kind designated is entitled, therefore, to elect two justices of the peace in each ward of the city. The words “in each ward and in each village having more than 500 inhabitants, two justices of the peace and two constables shall be elected at said election,” are clear and unambiguous and were evidently intended to authorize the election of two justices of the peace in each ward of the city.
As there are four wards and such officers have been
The writ is therefore denied.
Writ denied.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.