HERBERT R. O'CONOR, GOVERNOR. 733

missioner or Town Commissioners of La Plata and they shall
make their returns accordingly. Any candidate or candi-
dates for Town Commissioners of La Plata or any other voter
of the said town of La Plata feeling himself or themselves
aggrieved at the result of said election as declared charging
fraud or irregularity on the part of the election officials in the
allowing of persons to vote not entitled to vote or in refusing
the right to vote to persons entitled to vote or in the manner
of conducting said election; or in the counting of the said
ballots; or in the making of the returns of said election, or
in doing any other act to defeat the will of the qualified
voters or attempting to vote at any election for Town Com-
missioners for said town of La Plata, may appeal from the
decision of the judges of election within thirty days from the
day of the holding of any such election to the judges of the
Circuit Court for Charles County and said judges of the
Circuit Court for Charles County are given jurisdiction to
hear and determine all such contests. The manner of appeal
shall be by petition accompanied by an affidavit of the peti-
tioner or petitioners setting forth the grounds of appeal and
the said Circuit Court for Charles County shall proceed forth-
with in a summary way and with or without answer, pleading
or technically to take testimony orally or otherwise to hear
and determine the matter of said contest and declare who
was or were the duly elected Town Commissioner or Town
Commissioners of La Plata and certify its judgment to the
Town Commissioners of the said town of La Plata.

The judges of the Circuit Court for Charles County when so
certified to the Town Commissioners of said Town of La Plata
shall be spread upon the minutes of the proceedings of the
said Town Commissioners of La Plata, and upon said appeal
the petition, the petitioner, or petitioners, as the case may
be declared, the duly elected Town Commissioners of La Plata
and they shall supersede all persons acting or alleged in that
capacity.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act is hereby
declared to be an emergency law and necessary for the im-
mediate preservation of the public health and safety, and
having been passed by a yea and nay vote, supported by three-
fifths of all the members elected to each of the two Houses of
the General Assembly, the same shall take effect from the date
of its passage.

Approved May 4, 1943.