City of Lansing v. Michigan Power Co.

150 N.W. 250, 183 Mich. 400, 1914 Mich. LEXIS 700
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 19, 1914
DocketDocket No. 9
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 150 N.W. 250 (City of Lansing v. Michigan Power Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Lansing v. Michigan Power Co., 150 N.W. 250, 183 Mich. 400, 1914 Mich. LEXIS 700 (Mich. 1914).

Opinion

STONE, J.

The material and controlling facts and legal questions involved in this case were so clearly stated and discussed in the opinion filed by the learned circuit judge, who heard and decided the case at the circuit, that we have concluded to insert his opinion here. It is as follows:

“The bill of complaint herein is filed by the city of [403]*403Lansing to compel the defendant to remove from the public streets the poles and wires and equipment installed therein by defendant for the purpose of transmitting electricity for power and lighting purposes.
“The city of Lansing has a municipal electric plant and sells electric light and power, and the defendant has an electric plant in the city and sells light and power, and both complainant and defendant use the public streets for the setting of their poles, the stringing of wires along them, and the other necessary equipment, for transmitting electricity to consumers. Each plant represents the expenditure of large sums of money, and defendant’s plant would be practically valueless without the use of the streets.
“The city claims that defendant’s only right to ever be upon the streets at all arose out of a franchise granted by the city to defendant’s predecessor and assignor, and that such franchise has expired by reason of its terms of limitation, and therefore the defendant is upon and using the streets without right and should be removed therefrom.
“Defendant claims that it is using the streets under the grant of the legislature, contained in Act 264, Public Acts of 1905.
“The franchise granted by the city to the predecessor and assignor of defendant has expired by reason of its terms of limitation, so there can be no claim made by defendant of any existing right by franchise from the city. It is claimed by the city that the use of the streets by defendant under that franchise and before the passage of the act of 1905 made all use of the streets, while such franchise was in force, even though after the passage of the act of 1905, a use wholly under the franchise, and that it is not now open to defendant, in the absence of an express negation of use under the franchise at the time to make the claim of right under the law of 1905. This claim of the city implies that the franchise constituted the sole authority for the use of the streets by defendant, and that, while the franchise was in existence, no other authority could be accepted, though open to all persons and corporations not having a franchise from the city. This position is untenable, for the city had no authority to grant the use of the streets for the setting of poles and the stringing of wires, except as it derived [404]*404authority by grant of power from the legislature, and a grant of such authority by the legislature in no way lessened the sovereign power of the legislature to also grant the right to individuals and corporations within the city, and to do so regardless of any action by the city.
“The city of Lansing had authority from the legislature to grant the franchise in question, but this grant of authority in no way prevented the legislature from granting the right to all persons, and the franchise did not estop defendant from having the benefit of a general law of the State. Wisconsin Telephone Co. v. City of Oshkosh, 62 Wis. 32 [21 N. W. 828]; Abbott v. City of Duluth [C. C.], 104 Fed. 833; Northwestern Telephone Exchange Co. v. Minneapolis, 81 Minn. 140 [83 N. W. 527, 86 N. W. 69, 53 L. R. A. 175]; City of Duluth v. Telephone Co., 84 Minn. 486 [87 N. W. 1127].
“Act 264, Public Acts of 1905, provides:
“ ‘Any person, firm, or corporation authorized by the laws of this State to conduct the business of producing and supplying electricity for purposes of lighting, heating and power, and which shall he engaged or which shall hereafter desire to engage in the business of the transmission of such electricity, shall have the right to construct and maintain lines of poles and wires for use in the transmission and distribution of electricity on, along or across any public streets, alleys and highways and over, under or across any of the waters of this State, and to construct and maintain in any such public streets, alleys or highways all such erections and appliances as shall be necessary to transform, convert and apply such electricity to. the purposes of lighting, heating and power, and to distribute and deliver the same to the persons, firms and public or private corporations using the same: Provided, that the same shall not injuriously interfere with other public uses of such streets, alleys or highways, or with the navigation of said waters, and that the designation and location of all lines of poles and wires shall be subject to the regulation, direction and approval of the common council of cities, the village council of villages, and the township board of townships, as the case may be: Provided, that this act shall not apply to the county of Wayne: Provided further, that nothing herein shall deprive cities, villages or townships of the power and control over their streets and highways, which they have by the general laws of this State.’ '
[405]*405“The act of 1905 granted to defendant, as well as to all others, the right to use the streets for the purposes of promoting and making possible public utility service, and, when defendant made use of such grant, it was not necessary for- it to disclaim user under the franchise from the city, for the franchise and the act of 1905 were not at all inconsistent in purpose and scope.
“The city makes the point that the legislative journals for the session of 1905 do not show- that Act 264 was passed in accordance with the law governing legislative bodies. It is sufficient answer to this to say that the legislative journals do not show the act to have been irregularly enacted, and as the presumption of law is in favor of regularity in the premises, until irregularity is made affirmatively to appear, the presumption defeats the point so raised.
“Complainant claims the grant of the use of the streets by the legislature was subject to repeal and has been repealed or abrogated by the provisions of the Constitution of 1909, while defendant insists that the grant is perpetual and has not been and cannot be repealed. Both parties are in part mistaken. Defendant’s right to the use of the streets under Act 264 is not perpetual.
“The legislature of 1905 had authority to grant the use of the streets and public highways, whether in cities or in the country, to public utility corporations, with or without restriction of time of enjoyment, and the legislature at that session, either purposely or thoughtlessly, made the grant without fixing any period of enjoyment. This court must assume that the legislature was aware of the law upon the subject of that kind of grant, and the court is powerless in the premises, and cannot supply or fix any period of the time of enjoyment, except that of the life of the corporation. It was not necessary for the legislature to fix the period of the enjoyment of the grant of use of the streets, unless it was desired to limit the enjoyment to a less period than the life of the corporation.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
150 N.W. 250, 183 Mich. 400, 1914 Mich. LEXIS 700, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-lansing-v-michigan-power-co-mich-1914.