City of Burlington v. Kellar

18 Iowa 59
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedDecember 20, 1864
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 18 Iowa 59 (City of Burlington v. Kellar) 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 Burlington v. Kellar, 18 Iowa 59 (iowa 1864).

Opinion

Cole, J.

1. Intoxicating liquors: repeal of city charter. An information was filed on tbe 25tb day of September, 1862, before O. Marble, a Justice of the Peaoe f°r Des Moines county, accusing tbe defendant “°*’ the misdemeanor of keeping a bouse of entertainment in said city of Burlington, as a place to be resorted to for tbe purpose of drinking beer, wiue and other drinks, without first having procured a license therefor.” At tbe trial, tbe defendant plead not [61]*61guilty, but admits be keeps a house where he sells native wine, lager beer and other drinks, such as are permitted to be sold by the laws of the State of Iowa; has a sign, and keeps a regular drinking saloon. Plaintiff admits that the native wine, lager beer and other liquors of domestic manufacture, permitted to be sold by the laws of the State, are intoxicating liquors. Upon these admissions, the justice of the peáce adjudged the defendant guilty, and that he “ pay to the city of Burlington the sum of ten dollars fine and costs, and that he stand committed until the said fine and costs are paid.” The defendant appealed to the District Court, where the cause was tried upon the same admission, and the court found for defendant, and rendered judgment against plaintiff for costs, from which plaintiff appeals to this court.

The charter of the city of Burlington was passed by the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Iowa, and approved June 10th, 1845. The only portion thereof under which the plaintiff claims the right to license the defendant, is found in § 15 of said charter, and is as follows : “ And the said city council shall have full and exclusive power to grant or refuse licenses to tavern-keepers, inn-holders, retailers of spirituous liquors by less quantity than a quart; keepers of ale and porter houses, and shops and all other houses of entertainment.” On the 3d day of November, 1862, the city council of Burlington passed an ordinance entitled, “ an ordinance in relation to houses of entertainment kept as a resort for the purpose' of drinking beer, wine, ale, &c.”

Sec. 1. That it shall be unlawful for any person or persons, either in his or their own right, or as agent or clerk for another or others, to open or keep any house or place within the city of Burlington, where persons resort for the purpose of drinking wine, beer, ale or other malt or spirituous drinks, which are permitted to be sold by the laws of [62]*62Iowa, without first having obtained a license therefor, as hereinafter provided.

Section two provides that the amount of each license shall be fifty dollars per annum.

Sec. 3. Every person who shall violate the provisions of this ordinance shall, upon conviction thereof before the mayor of said city, or some justice of the peace, be fined not less than ten dollars for the first offense, not more than twenty dollars for the second offense, not more than thirty dollars for the third offense, and the fine to be increased not more than ten dollars for each additional offense; provided, however, that the fine for any offense shall not exceed one hundred dollars, and the magistrate trying the case shall render judgment for the fine and costs, and the defendant shall stand committed to the county jail until the fine and costs are paid.

The prosecution in this case was under this ordinance.

2. - non-revivor of statute. At the time the charter of the city of Burlington was enacted, there was a general law in force allowing “a license to keep a grocery,” to be granted by the county commissioners; and section three of that law provided, that “a grocery shall be deemed to include any house or place where spirituous or vinous liquors are retailed by less quantities than one gallon.” Revised Statutes of 1843, p. 374. By the Code of 1851, chap. 55, the retail of intoxicating liquors was prohibited; and by § 936, it was enacted that “the authority to grant licenses to retail the liquors herein prohibited, contained in the charter of any incorporated town or city, is hereby repealed.” That the legislature has this power, is clear. People v. Morris, 13 Wend., 325. Acts for the more effectual prohibition of the sale of intoxicating liquors and the suppression of intemperance were afterwards passed. Laws of Fifth General Assembly (1854-5), chap. 45, p. 58; Laws of Sixth General Assembly (1856-7), chap. 157, p. 231. But by an act passed by the Seventh General Assembly (1857-8), chap. 143, p. 283, it was “jprovided that [63]*63nothing in this act [amending those cited supra] shall be so construed as to forbid the manufacture and sale of beer, cider from apples, or wine from grapes, currants or other fruits grown in this State.” See Rev., chap. 64.

It will be seen by these statutes that at the time the charter of the city of Burlington was enacted, it was lawful to sell, by retail, spirituous and vinous liquors to be drank on the premises. This was afterwards made unlawful, and by the act which prohibited it, so much of the city charter as authorized it, was repealed. But it was afterwards made lawful to sell beer, cider and wine, provided they were manufactured from fruits grown in this State. The ordinance of the city of Burlington, under which this prosecution was commenced, was passed after this last law authorizing the sale was enacted. The question therefore arises, whether the city may not regulate and license the sale of beer, cider, wine, &c., since such sale is again made lawful. The law giving the right so to regulate it having been repealed, was not revived by the repeal or change of the law, which repealed it. Or as it is clearly stated in Rev., § 29, “ the repeal of a statute, does not revive a statute previously repealed.”

3. - statute construed. [64]*644. Construction of statutes: history. 5. - effect of partial repeal. [65]*656. Corporations: powers. [63]*63Again, the further question arises, whether the city of Burlington may not exercise the right to thus regulate and license the defendant under the last clause of the section cited supra: “and all other houses of public entertainment.” If the language of the. section had originally been, “ and the said city council shall have full and exclusive power to grant or refuse licenses to tavern-keepers, inn-holders, and all other houses of public entertainment,” there would have been but little, if any, doubt of the power of the city thus to regulate and license. But the legislature by inserting “ retailers of spirituous liquors by less quantity than a quart, keepers of ale and porter houses,” clearly indicated that in the legislative intention [64]*64and meaning, tbe pbrase, “other houses of public entertainment,” did not include those, but meant other and different houses; and although the subsequent legislature, by the repealing clause in § 936 of the Code of 1851, in effect, struck out the words, “ retailers of spirituous liquors by less quantity than a quart, keepers of ale and porter houses,” yet in determining the meaning of the language as i* sbmds, after being thus amended by such repeal, we must look at its legislative history and give ^g construotiOI1 the light afforded thereby. The striking out of those words, by the repeal could not legitimately have the effect to enlarge the meaning of , ** . . . ° , the remaining language so as to make it cover all that was included in the language as it originally stood. If so, what was effected by the repeal ? Simply nothing.

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Bluebook (online)
18 Iowa 59, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-burlington-v-kellar-iowa-1864.