Barrett v. State

36 P.2d 260, 44 Ariz. 270, 1934 Ariz. LEXIS 181
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 8, 1934
DocketCriminal No. 814.
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 36 P.2d 260 (Barrett v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Barrett v. State, 36 P.2d 260, 44 Ariz. 270, 1934 Ariz. LEXIS 181 (Ark. 1934).

Opinion

LOCKWOOD, J.

J. H. Barrett, hereinafter called defendant, was convicted of selling beer in violation of Ordinance 714 of the City of Tucson, and has appealed. The case is before us on an agreed statement of facts, the material portions of which read as follows :

“That at all times mentioned therein the defendant J. H. Barrett, was operating a restaurant as an employee of P. C. Howell, who was the owner of a lease on said premises at 41 South Stone Avenue, Tucson, Arizona, as aforesaid, and at all times the said R. C. Howell did have issued to him a restaurant license to sell liquors for consumption on the premises from the Arizona Tax Commission under Chapter 76, 1933, Session Laws of the State of Arizona. That at said time the said R. C. Howell also had' issued to him a license from the City of Tucson to operate a restau *272 rant and to sell therein all forms of spirituous liquors for consumption on the premises under Ordinance Number 714. That before the issuance of. said licenses or either of them, he had fully complied with all the requirements of the laws of the State of Arizona, and the ordinances and regulations of the City of Tucson pertaining to restaurant owners.
“That on or about the 9th day of March, as aforesaid, the said Keefe and Knowles entered said premises, as aforesaid, at or about the hour of 6:32 P. M., and seated themselves in said restaurant known as the New Deal Cafe. That there was upon a table in said booth in which they were sitting a dish in which pretzels were usually kept, and a few pieces of which were left. That the said Keefe and Knowles ordered a glass of beer for each, which was served to them by the defendant. That the said defendant at the time he served the parties with the beer said, ‘You do not want anything to eat, do you?’ and that the said Keefe and Knowles, or either of them, replied, ‘No,’ and no food of any kind was served with said beer.”

Ordinance 714, which defendant was accused of violating, reads so far as material, as follows:

“Section 7. It shall'be lawful for any licensee holding a restaurant license to sell or serve spirituous liquors to patrons of such restaurant to be served and consumed only with meals furnished in good faith to such patrons.”
“Section 1. The word ‘meal’ means the consumption of food of a nature and quantity sufficient for the maintenance of the consumer.”

There are four assignments of error, which we consider in their inverse order. The fourth is that since the subject of the sale of intoxicating liquors is a state-wide concern, and the legislature has covered it fully by chapter 76, Session Laws of 1933, the city of Tucson is without authority to legislate thereon. In support of this contention, Clayton v. State, 38 Ariz. 135, 297 Pac. 1037, and Id., 38 Ariz. *273 466, 300 Pac. 1010, are cited. The rule laid down in that case may be summarized as follows:

“ . . . Where the subject is one of local interest or concern, or where though not of local concern the charter or legislation confers on the city express power to legislate thereon, both .jurisdictions may legislate on the same subject. Where, however, the subject is of state-wide concern, and the Legislature has appropriated the field and declared the rule, its declaration is binding throughout the state.”

On a careful examination and comparison of Ordinance 714, supra, and chapter 76, supra, it is evident that the real purpose of the chapter is to secure revenue for the state of Arizona by requiring a license for engaging in the business of selling intoxicating liquor, and the purpose of the ordinance is to secure revenue for the city of Tucson from the same source and in the same manner. The various regulatory provisions of both enactments are very similar, and with few exceptions were obviously included only for the purpose of assisting in enforcing the revenue features. It is plain that the securing of revenue for a city is peculiarly and emphatically a matter of local concern, and unless the manner in which this is done is not authorized by its charter, or is in conflict with the general law, the mere fact that the state may seek revenue from the same source and in the same manner does not make the common source of revenue so purely a subject of state-wide concern that the city cannot also secure funds therefrom. The charter of Tucson expressly grants that city the right to secure revenue by a license tax on any kind of business whatsoever, and to provide for the manner of enforcing its payment. We see nothing in the ordinance which violates the rule laid down in the Clayton case.

*274 The point raised by the other assignments of error is that the ordinance is so vagne and uncertain in its terms that it cannot be determined what acts violate it. It is urged that the phrases “consumed only with meals furnished in good faith to such patrons” and “food of a nature and quantity sufficient for the maintenance of the customer” are so indefinite and uncertain that the licensee cannot determine therefrom under just what circumstances he can safely serve liqiior to his patrons. A very similar question has arisen several times in the state of New York. The statute there limited sales of liquor by hotels to those who ordered and obtained “meals in good faith.” In the case of In re Kinzel, 28 Misc. 622, 59 N. Y. Supp. 682, 684, the court said:

“ . . . The requirements of this provision of the statute are very broad and sweeping, and are not in the least ambiguous. The hotel keeper’s license gives him certain privileges on the Sabbath, which must be exercised in conformity to the law. It will be seen from the language of the act that persons who resort to an inn on Sunday.for the purpose of procuring and drinking liquor are not guests, within the meaning of the statute, and the fact that the hotel keeper or his servants furnish sandwiches with the liquor does not make such persons guests. To put a sandwich beside a glass of beer when a sandwich is not ordered, and to take it away again without having received any pay therefor, is not serving a meal, in good faith, with the drink. If a person, on the Sabbath, goes to a hotel, and calls for liquor, and the proprietor or his servant informs him that he cannot be served with liquor unless they furnish him a meal, and a sandwich is brought, and placed before him, and they call it a meal, it is hardly necessary to say that this is not serving a meal, in good faith, with the drink, as required by section 31 of said act. Such a meal does not make him a ‘ guest, ’ in the common acceptation of the word. No such device or subterfuge can defeat the policy of the law. *275 This mode of trafficking in liquor by hotel keepers on the Sabbath is contrary to the express provision of the statute. The proprietors of hotels, therefore, who permit liquors to be sold in the manner indicated, run the risk of having their liquor tax license revoked.

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Bluebook (online)
36 P.2d 260, 44 Ariz. 270, 1934 Ariz. LEXIS 181, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/barrett-v-state-ariz-1934.