Chicago, R. I. & P. Ry. Co. v. State

1932 OK 467, 12 P.2d 494, 158 Okla. 57, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 920
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 21, 1932
Docket21047
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 1932 OK 467 (Chicago, R. I. & P. Ry. Co. v. State) 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
Chicago, R. I. & P. Ry. Co. v. State, 1932 OK 467, 12 P.2d 494, 158 Okla. 57, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 920 (Okla. 1932).

Opinions

CULLISON. J.

This is an appeal from order No. 4790 rendered by the Corporation Commission of the state of Oklahoma on June 27, 1929, ordering defendant railway company to open and maintain a private crossing across its railway tracks in Seminole county, Okla.

The Seminole Refining Company, Horace Miason, and J. M. Malone, as complainants, instituted proceedings before the Corporation Commission seeking . to compel the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Company, defendant, to open and maintain a private farm crossing over defendant’s railway.

The record further discloses that at the time defendant’s railway was built across the land in controversy it severed said tract of land so as to entitle'the owner thereof to a private farm crossing in order that he might have a crossing from one parcel of land to the other parcel of land on either side of said railroad. The land is close to the city of Seminole and defendant has constructed switch yards at the point of said farm crossing.

There had also been transfers made of portions of said land by the original owner. The Seminole Refining Company purchased a portion of said land along defendant’s right of way. The land purchased by complainants was some distance from the proposed private crossing, but they claimed to have secured permission from the adjacent owners to cross over said adjoining land and reach the private crossing.

There were public crossings some distance on either side of complainants’ property. Defendants closed the private crossing, and complainant instituted the proceedings at bar before the Corporation Commission, seeking an order compelling defendant’s railroad to reopen said crossing.

The cause ■ was tried to the Corporation Commission and' an order rendered therein directing defendant to reopen said private crossing from which order of the Corporation Commission, defendant appeals to this court.

The parties will be referred to as they appeared before the Corporation Commission.

*58 Defendant’s first assignment of error is that the Corporation. -Commission of ¡tjhe state of Oklahoma is without jurisdiction to adjudicate the rights of individuals to have reopened and maintained a private crossing connecting their lands which have been severed by a railroad right of way.

.This question necessitates consideration of the jurisdiction of the Corporation Commission relative to private railroad crossings.

Section 5532, C. O. S. 1921, provides:

“When any person owns land on both sides of any railroad, the corporation owning such railroad shall, when required to so do, make and keep in good repair one causeway or other safe and adequate means of crossing the same.”

Complainants contend that under the above section it became the duty of defendant to construct a roadway, or causeway, over its railroad in order that the landowner might go from one parcel of land to the other over defendant’s railroad, and that after said crossing had been constructed and other parties purchased property nearby, the Corporation Commission would have authority to compel the railroad company to comply with said section and keep the private crossing open.

We further observe that the Corporation, Commission was created by the Constitution of this state and that the framers of the Constitution enumerated the powers and authority given to the Corporation Commission.

Section 18 of article 9 of the State Constitution provides such powers as are- given to the Corporation Commission to enforce rates, inspect books and papers of transportation corporations and fix rates to be charged for services rendered.

The question then arises. “Did this grant of power to the Corporation Commission empower the Corporation Commission and give it jurisdiction to render-orders relative to either private or public railroad crossing?”

The question of the authority of the Corporation Commission, over railroad crossings was extensively reviewed in the case of Atchison, T. & S. F. Ry. Co. v. Corporation Commission of State of Oklahoma, 68 Okla. 1, 170 P. 1156, and at page 5 of said opinion this court makes the following observations as to the powers of the Corporation Commission:

“.That the Commission has no jurisdiction, except such as expressly or by necessary implication is conferred upon it by the Constitution, must be admitted. This proposition is now too well settled to require the citation of authorities. The courts, therefore, should be careful and neither attempt to enlarge nor take from the jurisdiction conferred on the Commission. As applied to the subject-matter here, what-authority did the people by the Constitution confer upon -the Corporation Commission? The whole provision must be construed together, in order to reach a sound and correct conclusion. Had this, section ended at the first semicolon after the word ‘companies.’ then it would appear that the jurisdiction which it claimed in making the order complained of might reasonably appear to have been conferred. But the language following, in a sense, limits the natural import of the language preceding, which reads:
“ ‘And to that end, the Commission shall, from time to time, prescribe and enforce against such companies in the manner hereinafter authorized, such rates, charges, ■classifications of traffic, and rules and regulations and shall require them to establish and maintain all such public service facilities and conveniences as may be reasonable and just, which said rates, charges, classifications. rules, regulations and requirements, the Commission may. from time to time, alter or amend.’
“.The words, ‘and to that end the Commission shall, etc.,’ refer to and qualify all the preceding language in this section, granting power and authority to the Commission ; that is, it should read:
“ ‘And to that end the Commission shall have power and authority to supervise, regulate. and control all transportation and transmission companies in all matters relating to the performance of their public duties in regard to rates, charges, classifications of traffic, and rules and regulations. and require them to maintain all such public service facilities and conveniences as may be reasonable and just, and to correct all abuses and prevent unjust discrimination and extortion.’
“By so transposing and reading the language of this section, we get the substance which includes all the power and jurisdiction granted to the Commission; and' It will be seen it relates solely to the transportation of persons and their property, or to such intercourse and dealings of the public with such companies which are connected in some way with such transportation.
1 “It is quite clear that it was not intended by the framers of the Constitution to confer jurisdiction and authority upon the Commission to regulate and enforce the performance of the duties of these companies in all of their various relations with the public. but that its jurisdiction was intended to be limited to the matters pertaining to the performance of their public duties as relate to transportation of persons and property and all dealings and intercourse that have any bearing upon or in any way relate ■ to such transportation.”

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Bluebook (online)
1932 OK 467, 12 P.2d 494, 158 Okla. 57, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 920, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chicago-r-i-p-ry-co-v-state-okla-1932.