City of Davenport v. Kelley

7 Iowa 102
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedOctober 26, 1858
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 7 Iowa 102 (City of Davenport v. Kelley) 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 Davenport v. Kelley, 7 Iowa 102 (iowa 1858).

Opinion

Wright, C. J.,

That the defendants did expose and offer for sale fresh meats, upon their own premises, within the city at the time, and in the manner charged in the complaint, is not denied. It is also admitted that two public market houses were established, and that defendants were not the lessees of a stall in either of the houses so established. It is also conceded, that at the time the meats were so offered for sale, an ordinance was in force, which contained the following section : “No person, not being the lessee of a stall in one of the regularly established market houses, shall expose and offer for sale in the city of Davenport, any fresh meat, in loss quantities than one quarter; nor shall any person offer or expose for sale such meat, at any other place than said market houses.”

The question is, had the city the power, under the charter, to pass this ordinance, so as to make the defendants, or other persons, liable for offering and exposing meats for sale upon their own premises. The charter of said city, (Laws of 1851, art. 5, sec. 2, 117,) gives the city council [105]*105power “ to make regulations to secure the general health of the inhabitants ; to erect market houses, establish markets and market places, and provide for the government and regulation thereof;” and to make all ordinances which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the powers specified in this act, so that such ordinances be not repugnant to, or inconsistent with, the constitution of the United States, and of the State of Iowa.

By section 9 of chapter 57, Laws of 1855, it is provided that “ all tlie powers provided in the Code, for the organization of cities, are hereby conferred on the city of Davenport.” By the Code, chapter 42, section 665, a charter formed by the inhabitants of a city, may confer power upon the city authorities to establish such ordinances as are necessary for the good regulation, safety, health, and cleanliness of the city, and the citizens thereof, and to regulate markets, but not in such a manner as to prevent any person from selling the produce of his own farm, in such manner and quantities, as he may deem proper. By the 8th . section of chapter 57, of Laws of 1842, the said city had power to pass all by-laws and ordinances,i; to regulate and establish markets, to rent out the stalls in the same, and to prohibit the selling ofimeats, poultry, fish or game, except at the public market.” This Act, as well as all others coming within the provisions or purview of the Act of 1851, (Laws 1851, 117,) were repealed by section 11, of Art 8, of said Act of 1851.

We have thus given the substance of the statutes which are claimed by counsel,to have a bearing upon the question involved. And resting alone upon the language of the Act of 1851,we think the city had the power to pass this ordinance.

The appellees claim the rule to be, that “ unless the power claimed for a public corporation, is expressly given by the act of incorporation — is necessary to complete the performance of some duty conferred upon them by law— or is incidental to their very existence — it cannot be exercised.” To sustain this proposition, counsel cite 2 Kent Comm., 298; Comr's. Gallia County v. Holcombe, 7 Ohio, [106]*106232; Collins v. Hatch, 18 Ib., 523; Head and another v. Prov. Ins. Co., 2 Cranch, 127. To this it may be added, that corporations also have such powers as are necessary for the purpose of carrying into effect the powers expressly granted; 2 Kent, 298.

In our opinion, we need not go beyond this statement of the rule, to find authority for the ordinance in question. The city council had authority to erect market houses, es^ tablish markets, and market places, and provide for the government and regulation thereof. If the right to establish markets and market places, does not necessarily carry with it, the power to prohibit the exposing and offering for sale, of meats at other places than the council may designate, then the power given would practically amount to nothing. If they may establish market places, and yet any and every citizen may sell at any other place in the city, than these marketplaces, whether upon his own premises, or otherwise, the power given would be an idle and a useless one. We cannot conceive how it would be possible, to carry into effect the power given, unless the council may exercise the further power to confine such market sales to the places by them established. .The case of Buck and others v. Seabury, 8 Johns., 418, we think, is clearly in point upon this-question. The act incorporating the village of Poughkeepsie, in New York, authorized the trustees to make by-laws “relative to public markets within the said village.” The court says: “The fixing the place and times at which markets shall be held and kept open, and the prohibition to sell at other places and times, is among the most ordinary regulations of a city and town police, and would naturally be included in the general power to pass laws relative to the public markets. If the corporation had not the power in question, it is difficult to see what useful purpose could be effected, or what object was intended, by the grant of the power to pass laws relative to the public markets. The mere regulation of the building, and of the stalls of those who might choose to go there, instead of elsewhere, to sell their market provisions, would [107]*107be an idle and useless power, and of no moment towards the good government of the village.” And to the same effect, see Village of Buffalo v. Webster, 10 Wend., 100; Nightingale, petitioner, 11 Pick., 167; City of Raleigh v. Sorrell, 1 Jones’ Law Rep., 49; Stokes v. New York City, 14 Wend., 87. Would it be pretended, that after the city had established the market places, the defendants could erect on their own premises market houses, and sell therein meats, in violation of a city ordinance. If they could, then what object or intention could there have been in giving the power to erect market houses, establish markets and market places, and provide for their government and regulation, to the city council ? And if the defendants .could not do that, then they would have no right to violate the ordinance, by the sale of the prohibited meats upon their own promises, without the erection of a market house.

Nor can it be claimed with propriety, that this ordinance is in restraint of trade. It regulates, but does not restrain, and as a regulation there is no conceivable objection to it.

The suggestion that the act of 1842 expressly prohibited the sale of meats, except at the public markets, and that the act of 18Ó1 contains no such provision, and the argument drawn therefrom, that it was therefore not intended to give this power, is answered, as it seems to us, by the further thought, that while by the first act there -was no power expressly given to establish market places, this power is given by the last act; and thus, as we construe it, the same power in this respect is given, as was conferred, by more specific and express language, under the act of 1542.

We have said that two market houses were established, and that defendants were not the lessees of a stall therein. It is claimed, however, that the houses so established and erected, arq private, and not pullie markets; and that defendants cannot be punished for selling their meats on their own premises, and outside of such private market [108]*108houses.

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7 Iowa 102, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-davenport-v-kelley-iowa-1858.