Blackledge v. Jones

1935 OK 151, 41 P.2d 649, 170 Okla. 563, 1935 Okla. LEXIS 764
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedFebruary 19, 1935
Docket26070
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 1935 OK 151 (Blackledge v. Jones) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Blackledge v. Jones, 1935 OK 151, 41 P.2d 649, 170 Okla. 563, 1935 Okla. LEXIS 764 (Okla. 1935).

Opinion

PHELPS, J.

The city of Ada is operating under a charter commission form of government. It passed an ordinance prohibiting the operation of moving picture shows, for hire, on Sunday.

The plaintiff herein was charged, arrested, and convicted in the municipal court of violating this ordinance. A fine was imposed upon him, which he refused to pay, and he was committed to jail. He filed his original action in this court for a writ of habeas corpus praying that he be discharged. There is no disputed question of fact in the case. The plaintiff claims that the ordinance under which he was arrested and convicted was void for three reasons:

(1) That there is no inherent power in the city to pass an ordinance prohibiting Sunday shows.

(2) That such an ordinance is in contravention of the laws of the state of Oklahoma.

(3) That no power has been delegated to the city of Ada by the Constitution or laws of the state or by its charter to pass an ordinance prohibiting Sunday shows.

The first proposition is conceded by counsel for defendants, which leaves the two remaining questions, to wit:

First. Is the ordinance in contravention of the laws of the state of Oklahoma ?

Second. Does the Constitution or statutes of the state or the charter of the city of Ada delegate to the city the power or authority or permit it to enact and- enforce an ordinance prohibiting Sunday shows?

The answer to the first question must be in the negative and the answer to the second must be afiirmative. Section 3a of article 18, of the Constitution of Oklahoma provides:

“Any city containing a population of more than two thousand' inhabitants may frame a charter for its own government, consistent with and subject to the Constitution and laws of the state. * * * Upon such approval it shall become the organic law of such city and supersede any existing charter and all amendments thereof and all ordinances inconsistent with it.”

Section 4508, C. O. S. 1921 (section 6432, O. S. 1931), provides:

“AVhen a charter for any city of this state shall have been framed, adopted, and approved according to (he provisions of this article, and any provisions of such charter shall be in conflict with any law or laws relating to cities in force at the time of the adoption and approval of such charter, the provisions of such charter shall prevail and be in full force, notwithstanding such conflict, and shall operate as a repeal or suspension of such state law or laws to the extent of such conflict; and such state law or iaws shall not thereafter be operative in s.o far as they are in conflict with such charter: Provided, that such charter shall be consistent with and subject to the provisions of the Constitution, and not in conflict with the provisions of the Constitution. * * *”

Section 3 of the city charter of Ada reads as follows:

“The city of Ada shall have the power to enact, and enforce all ordinances necessary to protect health, life, and prosperity and to prevent and summarily abate and remove nuisances and to preserve and enforce good government and order for the security of the city and its inhabitants: to enact" and enforce all ordinances upon any subject: provided, that no ordinance shall b.e enacted inconsistent with the general laws of this state, the state Constitution or this charter.”

In view of the foregoing provisions of the Constitution and statute, this ordinance is valid and enforceable unless it is inconsistent, or in conflict, with some provision of the constitutional or statutory laws of the state. It is urged by counsel for plaintiff that the or.cfinance in question is in contravention of the laws of the state. With this contention we cannot agree. They cite In re Gribben, 5 Okla. 379, 47 P. 1074, in which case one Carrie Gribben, a member of a religious organization known as the “Salvation Army,” while holding religious services on the streets of Oklahoma City was arrested and charged with violating an ordinance of said city “by making a noise upon the streets of said city, by beating a drum therein, said noise then and there made being of such a character and to such an extent, and at such a time and place as would be likely to cause horses and teams to become frightened and ungovernable, and of such a character, extent and duration as to annoy and disturb other persons. * * *”

This authority does not support the contention of the counsel, as will be seen from the following quotation from the opinion:

“To determine the validity of the ordinance in question in this case, we must first determine whether there has been a grant or delegation of authority by the Legislature of the territory to the city of Oklahoma City to pass such ordinance. The city of *565 Oklahoma City was not created by special charter, but is organized as a city of the first class under the provisions of a general law of the territory.”

Whereas the ordinance in the instant case was passed by the city of Ada under the authority delegated to said city of Ada by the provisions of the Constitution and statutes above quoted.

They also cited State v. Tibbetts, 21 Okla. Cr. 168, 205 P. 776. In this case Tibbetts was arrested, charged with violating section 3757, E. L. 1910, fixing the hours of work and rate of pay while working on a city project for the city of Pawhuska, which was operating under a charter form of government. It was there contended that, since' Pawhuska was operating under a charter form of government and the project under construction was a municipal improvement in which the state had no interest, the general laws of the state fixing the hours and rate of pay had no application. The criminal Court of Appeals overruled that contention, holding that, since the Legislature had enacted a general law on this question applying to all the people of the whole state, the defendant would not be exempted from its operations although employed by and working on a municipal project for the city of Pawhuska in which the state at large had no direct interest. It will thus be seen that this authority has no application to the facts in the instant case.

They also cite State v. Smith, 19 Okla. Cr. 184, 198 P. 879, where it was charged in the county court of Craig county that defendant “committed the crime of Sabbath breaking, in that he willfully and unlawfully performed certain servile labor, to wit, sold tickets at and for a certain moving picture show and performance on the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday. ”

The Criminal Court of Appeals in the body of the opinion said:

“It is for the Legislature to sav whether or not they shall operate on Sunday.”

It is contended by counsel that the above quotation from the opinion lays down the rule that whether moving picture shows are permitted to operate on Sunday is a matter under the exclusive jurisdiction and control of the Legislature, thereby divesting cities operating under a charter form of government from regulating them by ordinance. It will be seen at a glance that this authority is not susceptible of such construction.

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Bluebook (online)
1935 OK 151, 41 P.2d 649, 170 Okla. 563, 1935 Okla. LEXIS 764, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/blackledge-v-jones-okla-1935.