1316 ARTICLE 33.

pended in any way whatever for political purposes. The president, the
several directors and every other officer of any corporation which shall
violate any of the provisions of this section, and the president or director,
or other officer, or agent of any corporation, who shall personally violate
any of the provisions of this section, shall be deemed guilty of a misde-
meanor, and shall be punished by a fine of not more than five thousand
dollars for each offense, and imprisonment for not more than three years
in jail or penitentiary.

An. Code, sec. 175. 1908, ch. 122. 1912, ch. 228, sec. 173.

187. At any time within thirty days after any election or primary
election held under the laws of this State, any defeated candidate at such
election, or any ten duly qualified voters at such election, may present
to the Circuit Court of any county, or to the Superior Court of Baltimore
City, a petition setting forth under oath that corrupt practices, contrary
to the provisions of any section of this article, were committed at or pre-
liminary to such election, within the county or city aforesaid, naming the
successful candidate or candidates as defendants, and praying that the
facts alleged may be inquired into. The Court, upon said petition and
the affidavit or affidavits filed therewith, shall promptly order such rea-
sonable notice of such petition to be given to the defendant or defendants,
and require him or them, within as short a time as may be reasonable, to
answer, show cause or otherwise defend as the Court may deem just and
reasonable, upon the petitioners giving security for costs in such sum of
money as the Court shall deem reasonable. Such petition shall be tried
without a jury, unless any of the parties thereto shall elect to have the
same tried by a jury. The case shall be tried not later than fifteen days
after such petition has been filed and within such period if possible, and
shall be given priority over other Court business, and when a jury trial is
demanded by any of the parties to such petition, the jury for said term
shall try it; and if the jury for said term shall have been dismissed, the
Court shall recall said jury for the purpose of trying said case. If such
case arises during any non-jury term of any of said Courts, the Court shall
recall and reassemble the jury which served during the last preceding
jury term of said Court, for the purpose of trying said case, and such jury
so called and reassembled shall have the power to try said case as fully as
if the same had arisen during the term for which they shall have previ-
ously served. In every case in which a jury trial shall be demanded, the
judge shall frame and submit to the jury for its decision and verdict all
appropriate and necessary issues of fact presented by the pleadings in such
case or by the scope of the inquiry or inquiries presented by said case.
The Court shall bring said cause to determination and judgment as speed-
ily as a just regard for the rights of the parties concerned may permit and
shall expeditiously inquire into, or, when a jury is demanded, cause the
jury to inquire into all the facts and circumstances and into such viola-
tions of or failure to comply with the provisions of this article, as may be
alleged in any such petition, or into such other facts and circumstances
relative to any election or to any contribution, expenditure or liability