Ex Parte Masters

1927 OK 214, 258 P. 861, 126 Okla. 80, 1927 Okla. LEXIS 78
Supreme Court of Oklahoma·Decided July 26, 1927·No. 18540·Published·Cited by 16 cases

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

The petitioner herein, Sid Masters, seeks, by writ of habeas corpus, to procure his release from the custody of Ben B. Dancy, sheriff of Oklahoma county, where he is held by virtue of a commitment issued out of the justice court of George H. Giddings, Jr., a justice of the peace for thej Oklahoma City district of Oklahoma county. A complaint was filed in the said court, charging the petitioner with the crime of operating a motor vehicle at an excessive rate of speed upon a public highway, it being alleged that petitioner was driving at a rate of speed in excess of 35 miles per hour, to wit, 40 miles per hour. Petitioner refused to plead to the complaint filed against him, whereupon the justice of the peace entered a plea of “not guilty” in his behalf, and fixed bond in the sum of $50 cash bond, or $100 property bond. Petitioner defaulted in the making of said bond, and was committed to the county jail.

As grounds for his release from custody, the petitioner urges that chapter 76, Session Laws of 1927, page 115, being House Bill No. 124, passed by the Eleventh Legislature .of the state of Oklahoma, provides that the speed limit shall not exceed 45 miles per hour, and that since petitioner was driving only 40 miles per hour, he has violated no law, and is, therefore, illegally restrained of his liberty. The question to be determined is, whether or not the act above referred to had the effect of repealing chapter 16, Session Laws -of 1923, which provides a speed limit of 35 miles per hour, or whether such act is still in effect.

Chapter 76, Session Laws of 1927, under which petitioner seeks release, reads as follows :

“An act amending section 10164, Oompfed Oklahoma Statutes 1921, relating to rules of the road, fixing a penalty for violation of the same, repealing all acts or parts of acts in conflict therewith.
“Be it Enacted by the People of the State of Oklahoma.
*81 “Section l. Section 10164, Compiled Oklahoma Statutes 1921, is hereby amended to read as follows:
“ ‘Section 10164. Rule 1. Vehicles in meeting each other shall keep to the right of the center of the road.
“ ‘Rule 2. All vehicles overtaking others shall, in passing, keep to the left of the center of the road and shall not pull over to the right until entirely clear of the vehicle passed.
“ ‘Rule 3. All vehicles turning to the right into another road shall turn the corner as near the curb as practicable.
“ ‘Rule 4. AH vehicles turning to the left into another r.oad shall pass around the center of the intersecting road before turning.
“ ‘Rule 5. AH vehicles crossing from one side of the street to the other shall do so by turning to the left, so as to go in the same direction as the traffic on each side of the street.
“ ‘Rule 6- All motor vehicles before passing other vehicles from the rear shall give notice of approach by a horn or other signal before passing; provided, that said, vehicle shall be required when signalled to turn to one side and give half the road.
“ ‘Rule 7. At intersecting roads or streets, vehicles approaching from the right shall have right of way -over those approaching from the left. United States mail, fire apparatus, ambulances, police patrols and vehicles of physicians, when plainly designated, shall have the right of way in any street or road and through any procession.
“ ‘Rule 8. No person shall drive or operate a motor vehicle upon or over any road or highway of this state with the cut-out open, or with exhaust pipe disconnected from muffler.
“ ‘Rule 9. No person shall drive or operate any motor vehicle upon or over any road or highway of this state which has attached thereto any spot light.
“ ‘Rule WO. Be it further provided that when a motor vehicle is brought to a stop on a hard-surfaced highway the left side of the motor vehicle must be to the right of the center of said highway at least three feet.
“ ‘Provided, speed limit shall not exceed 45 miles per hour.’
“Section 2. Any person violating the provisions of section 1 of this act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punishable by a fine of not less than five ($5.00) dollars, nor more than twenty-five ($25.00) dollars.
“Section 3. All acts or parts of acts in conflict herewith are hereby repealed.”

Section 10164, which is sought to be amended by the act quoted above, is identical with section one of said act down to and including Rule 7. In the original section 10164, Rule 8 was the penal section. The amendment sought to be made to the said section consists of Rules 8, 9, and 10, and the paragraph immediately following Rule 10, but in a separate paragraph, which reads, “Provided, speed limit shall not exceed 45 miles per hour.”

Section 10164. Comp. Stat. 1921, which is sought to be amended by said chapter 76, Session Laws of 1927, was originally enacted as section 11, of article 6, chapter 173, House Bill No. 187, Session Laws of 1915, and was the first legislative expression upon the question here involved. In 1923, the Legislature passed an act (chapter 16, Senate Bill No. 26, Session Laws of 1923), providing that no person should operate a “motor vehicle,” as defined- in section 1 thereof, at a rate of speed in excess of 35 miles per hour. The term “motor vehicle” was defined by said acts as meaning all vehicles propelled otherwise than by muscular power, except vehicles operated upon stationary rails or tracks. This bill was approved March 28, 1923. At the same legislative session (1923), another act was passed (chapter 194, H-ouse Bill 275, Session Laws of 1923), regulating speed of trucks and vehicles other than passenger-carrying vehicles according to their gross weight. This bill was approved April 9, 1923, subsequent to the passage of chapter 16, supra.

The question arising here is, therefore, Did the provision immediately following “Rule 10” of chapter 76, Session Laws of '1927, attempting to declare a maximum speed limit of 45 miles per hour, and section 3 of said act, which is a general repealing clause, have the effect of repealing the said chapter 16, which provided that motor vehicles should not travel over the highways of this state at a rate of speed in excess of 35 miles per hour?

Section 57 of article 5 of the Constitution of Oklahoma provides:

“Every act of the Legislature shall embrace but one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title. * * * and no law shall be revived, amended, or the provisions thereof extended or conferred, by reference to its title only; but so much thereof as is revived, amended, extended or conferred shall be re-enacted and published at length; provided, that if any subject be embraced in any act contrary to the provisions of this section, such act shall he void only as to so much of the law as may not be expressed in the title thereof.”

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

Ex Parte Masters, 1927 OK 214, 258 P. 861, 126 Okla. 80, 1927 Okla. LEXIS 78 (Okla. 1927).

1927 OK 214 (Ex Parte Masters) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Caywood v. Caywood
1975 OK 177 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1975)
Opinion No. 70-225 (1970) Ag
Oklahoma Attorney General Reports, 1970
In Re the Habeas Corpus of Wells
1959 OK CR 11 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1959)
City of New Orleans v. Levy
64 So. 2d 798 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1953)
National Mutual Casualty Co. v. Briscoe
1940 OK 487 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1940)
Waldrep v. Moses
1940 OK 57 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1940)
Twin Falls Canal Co. v. Huff
76 P.2d 923 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1938)
Riverland Oil Co. v. Williams
1936 OK 128 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1936)
State Ex Rel. Board of Ed. v. Morley
1934 OK 302 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1934)
Gilmer v. Hunt
1934 OK 28 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1934)
Board of County Commissioners v. Giddings
1932 OK 597 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1932)
Ex Parte Cooper
1931 OK CR 276 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1931)
State v. Nealy
1931 OK CR 64 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1931)
Quinn v. State
1929 OK CR 252 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1929)
Ex Parte Freie
1929 OK CR 47 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1929)
Green v. Board of Com'rs of Lincoln County
1927 OK 217 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1927)