ALBERT C. RITCHIE, GOVERNOR. 23

may be, and to determine and declare the result of the
election. The Mayor and Common Council shall be the
sole and exclusive Judges of the returns, elections and
qualifications of the Mayor, Councilmen and Treasurer
and shall have full power to provide by ordinance for the
hearing and determination of contested elections for any
and all of the aforesaid o6ices, and the Mayor and Com-
mon Council or any committee appointed from among
them to hear any contested election case shall have power
to administer oaths, issue summons for witnesses and com-
pel their attendance by attachment issued to the Sheriff or
any constable of said Prince George's County and the
Mayor and Common Council may by ordinance provide
penalties for contempt of its authority, but prosecutions
upon a charge of contempt shall be before the Justices
of the Peace having jurisdiction to hear and determine
charges of violation of the ordinances of said town. The
determination by the Mayor and Common Council of the
result of any election shall be final and conclusive.

SECTION 3. And be it further enacted,, That Section 8,
of said Chapter 79, of the Acts of the General Assembly
of 1908, be and it hereby is repealed and re-enacted with
amendments so as to read as follows:

Section 8. That if it shall appear that any two or
more persons voted for as Mayor, Councilman or Treas-
urer (at any election), shall have received an equal num-
ber of votes and they shall have received the highest num-
ber of votes cast for any candidate for the same office, so
that there shall be no choice, a new election shall be imme-
diately proclaimed by the Mayor and Common Council
and such new election shall be held and conducted in all
respects, except as to the day of election, as all other elec-
tions are conducted under this Act.

SECTION 4. And be it further enacted, That nothing in
this Act shall be deemed, held, construed or taken to im-
pair the tenure of office of the present Mayor, Council-
men and Treasurer of said Town and all such officers
shall continue to hold their respective offices and dis-
charge the duties thereof until the expiration of their
several terms, unless otherwise terminated as provided
by law, and for all such purposes the said Chapter 79 of