City of Ames v. Gerbracht

194 Iowa 267
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedSeptember 19, 1922
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 194 Iowa 267 (City of Ames v. Gerbracht) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Ames v. Gerbracht, 194 Iowa 267 (iowa 1922).

Opinion

Faville, J.

On April 10, 1922, the city council of the city of Ames duly enacted Ordinance No. 330, Section 1 of which provides as follows:

“That on the first day of the week, commonly known as Sunday, no person, firm or corporation shall, within the city of Ames, give or conduct any theatrical performance, vaudeville show or motion picture show or exhibition.”

The succeeding section provides a penalty .for a violation of the ordinance.

The appellant was convicted in mayor’s court of a violation of this ordinance, and was fined thereunder. He áppealed to the district court, where the judgment was affirmed. It is conceded that said ordinance was duly and legally enacted. It is also conceded or established in the record that the appellant operates three moving picture theaters, or shows, in the city of Ames, and that, on two occasions after the passage of said ordinance, he operated said shows on Sunday.

[269]*269This appeal involves two cases, No. 34911 and. No. 34912, which are submitted together. They are substantially identical in their facts, except that the violations 'charged occurred on different Sundays, and in Case No. 34911, the usual admission fee was charged by the appellant. In Case No. 34912, no admission fee was charged, but a receptacle was placed in a handy and convenient place in the theater, wherein parties attending the show who were so disposed, placed so-called ‘ ‘ contributions, ’ ’ no fixed charge being made.

The case turns upon the single question as to the validity of the ordinance in question.

I. The question of the power of the legislature to delegate to municipal corporations the right to regulate various forms of business cannot fairly be said to be an open question in this state. Chapter 4, Title Y, of the Code deals with the general powers of municipal corporations. It covers a variety of subjects. By the various provisions of this chapter, the power conferred on cities and towns differs somewhat. The power is variously granted to “regulate,” to “license,” to “tax,” to “suppress and restrain,” to “regulate and control,” and to “prohibit.” Sometimes only one of these powers is conferred. Sometimes more than one power is given in the same section of the statute. It is not a matter of debate that, under our Constitution, the general assembly has the right to delegate to the municipal corporations of this state the power to enact' ordinances consistent with these statutory enactments.

II. Our inquiry then is, “Has thé legislature, by any statute, given to the municipal corporations of this state the power to enact an ordinance of the kind and character of the ordinance in question ? ’ ’ There are two statutes that have some bearing upon this question. Code Section 680 is the general statute of the state conferring general powers upon cities and towns, and is as follows:

“Municipal corporations shall have power to make and publish, from time to time, ordinances, not inconsistent with the laws -of the state, for carrying into effect or discharging the powers and duties conferred by this title, and such as shall seem necessary and proper to provide for the safety, preserve the health, promote the prosperity, improve the morals, order, com[270]*270fort and convenience of sncli corporations and the inhabitants thereof, and to enforce obedience to such ordinances by fine not exceeding one hundréd dollars, or by imprisonment not exceeding thirty days.”

Code Section 703 is as follows:

“They shall have power to regulate, license or prohibit circuses, menageries, theaters, theatrical exhibitions, shows and exhibitions of all kinds; but lectures on scientific, historical or literary subjects shall not come within the provisions of this section.1 ’

It will be observed that Section 680 is broad and general in its terms, while Section 703 is more specific and definite. We address ourselves directly to the proposition as to whether or not Section 703 is specific and definite enough by its language to confer upon cities and towns the power to regulate, license, or prohibit moving picture shows.

Under this statute, express and definite power is given to municipalities to regulate, license, or prohibit “theaters, theatrical exhibitions, shows and exhibitions of all kinds.” Is this language broad enough to include moving picture theaters or shows, or what are more popularly known and designated as “the movies?” From an early day, we have held that only such powers can be exercised under a grant of power from the legislature to a municipal corporation as are clearly comprehended in the words of the act, or derived therefrom by necessary implication. Clark, Dodge & Co. v. City of Davenport, 14 Iowa 494; Merriam v. Moody’s Executors, 25 Iowa 163; Hanger v. City of Des Moines, 52 Iowa 193.

In the recent case of Ritchhari v. Barton, 193 Iowa 271, in referring to a municipal ordinance, we said:

“The provision of the ordinance in question must be upheld if the specific power to enact same has been delegated by the legislature of this state to municipalities, or if it is not an unreasonable regulation under the powers delegated, although not specific. ’ ’

The legislature enumerated in said section of the statute “theaters, theatrical exhibitions, shows and exhibitions of all kinds.” Applying to this statute the familiar doctrine of ejus-deto generis, we think there can be no other logical conclusion [271]*271than that moving picture shows are included within its terms. It is unnecessary that we enter into a consideration of the history of the theater and theatrical exhibitions generally. An interesting discussion may be found in Mutual Film Corp. v. Industrial Com. of Ohio, 236 U. S. 230. Generally speaking, a drama is “a theatrical exhibition” wherein the actors speak their several parts, in addition to the settings of scenery, the costumes, .and acting which give to the whole a living presentation of the thing portrayed. An opera is “a theatrical exhibition” wherein the scenery and costumes are the same as in a drama, but the words are sung by the actors to the accompaniment of music, instead of being spoken. The moving picture show is likewise a “theatrical exhibition,” in which the scenery, the costumes, and the action are all present. The spoken words are in pantomime, and frequently conveyed to the spectators by descriptive titles, or by dialogue thrown upon the screen. The moving picture has not inaptly been called “the silent drama.” It is a well known fact that, under the growing popularity of exhibitions of this character in recent years, many actors who have won fame in what is now called the “legitimate drama” have devoted their talents to the production of moving pictures. The same play has been produced by the same actors by both methods. Iii one there is the scenery, the costumes, the actors, and the spoken words; in the other there are the -identical scenery, costumes, and actors, and the words .are in pantomime, or are suggested by sentences displayed on the screen before the spectators. To hold that the first of these constitutes a “theatrical exhibition” and that the latter does not, would, we think, be doing violence to language, and would likewise be contrary to common sense.

In Kalem Co. v. Harper Bros.,

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. McGee
75 S.E.2d 783 (Supreme Court of North Carolina, 1953)
City of Crawfordsville v. Jackson
170 N.E. 850 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1930)
City of Springfield v. Smith
19 S.W.2d 1 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1929)
West Coast Theatres, Inc. v. City of Pomona
230 P. 225 (California Court of Appeal, 1924)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
194 Iowa 267, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-ames-v-gerbracht-iowa-1922.