Ex Parte Savage

141 S.W. 244, 63 Tex. Crim. 285, 1911 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 410
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 18, 1911
DocketNo. 1084.
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 141 S.W. 244 (Ex Parte Savage) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ex Parte Savage, 141 S.W. 244, 63 Tex. Crim. 285, 1911 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 410 (Tex. 1911).

Opinion

PREKDERGAST, Judge.

On January 30, 1911, a complaint was filed in the Corporation Court of the city of Paris, Texas, charging that the relator did on that date unlawfully post and cause to he posted on a billboard situated on the west side of South Main Street within the corporate limits of said city, circulars, handbill's, posters and advertisements, he, at the time, not being city billposter or one of his deputies or acting as such. Upon this complaint a warrant for his arrest -was issued and the city marshal of Paris arrested him and held him in custody thereunder. On the same date he sued out a writ of habeas corpus before Judge Harper of this court which was granted and the cause set for hearing before this court. The cause was submitted sometime ago by both oral and written arguments and briefs.

On March 15, 1905, the Legislature of this State passed an Act incorporating the city of Paris by special charter. By one of its provisions the courts are required to take judicial notice thereof. It is unnecessary to cite but few of the provisions of this charter as only a few of them are applicable to the questions at issue. Sections 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are as follows:

See. 6. “Said corporation of the city of Paris may pass and establish such acts, laws, rules, regulations and ordinances not inconsistent with the Constitution of this State, as shall be advisable or needful for the government, interest, welfare, sanitation, health and general good of said corporation and of the inhabitants thereof.” . . .
Sec. 7. “The municipal government of the city of Paris shall consist of the City Council, which shall be composed of five aldermen and the Mayor.”
See. 8. “The other officers of said city shall be a recorder, city marshal, city attorney, city secretary, an assessor and collector, city treasurer, and such other officers and employees as the City Council may determine.”
See. 9. “The recorder, city marshal, city attorney, city secretary, city assessor and collector, shall be elected by vote of the people, and shall hold their offices for a term of two years and until their successors are elected and qualified except as herein provided. The compensation of said officers shall be fixed by the City Council.”
Sec. 10. “All other officers and employees of the city, except treasurer, which is otherwise herein provided for, shall be appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council, and shall perform such duties, and receive such compensation as may be decided upon by the council, and shall not be appointed at any one time for a longer term than one year, and such officers and employees may be removed either by the mayor or by the council at any time, upon the payment of salary or salaries to the time of discharge.”

Section 36, which it is unnecessary to copy, provides in substance *287 that the council shall select for treasurer the person who will pay the highest interest on the daily balances of the city funds and who shall be the highest and best bidder therefor. It requires him to give bond and pay out the funds in accordance with law and has other provisions relating thereto, such as are usual in the various charters of the cities of Texas on this subject. There are other sections giving the city control over streets, alleys and public places and specifically authorizing it to fix and regulate public carriers, hacks, hauling and draying, the speed of engines, the erection of market houses, markets and market places, which are usually given in such charters.

The only provision which we have found or which has been called to our attention on the subject of giving to the city the power to regulate billboards and billposting is section 191, as follows: “To regulate the location of billboards and billposting and the distribution of circulars or other advertising matter and to prescribe penalties for a violation of same.”

On January-10, 1910, by virtue of the said provisions of the charter the city of Paris passed an ordinance the title of which is: “An ordinance regulating billposting and the size and location of billboards within the city of Paris, and providing a penalty for violation.” Thereby and by amendments of September 7, 1910, and January 2, 1911, it created the office of billposter with the term of office limited to one year and provided that the mayor should advertise for sealed bids to be submitted by persons wishing to become such officer and required the mayor to nominate and authorize the council to confirm any such person who submitted the highest and best bid for the office; required such person, when elected, to give a bond to the city in the sum of five hundred dollars, conditioned for the faithful performance of his duties and the observance of the law by himself and his deputies, and authorizing him to appoint six deputies. Section 4 made it an offense for any person other than this officer or one of his deputies “to post or cause to be posted, or tacked or fixed on any billboard, building or other place within the corporate limits of the city any circular, billposter or other advertisement whatsoever;” prohibited any billboard, building, wall, fence or other structure situated within five feet of the .edge of any sidewalk or street from being used for the purpose of posting, tacking or fixing thereon any advertisement, circular, handbill, poster or advertisement of any character whatever. Prohibited this officer and his deputies, by posting any of this advertising matter, to obstruct any portion of the street or sidewalk adjacent, but required that such street, alley or sidewalk should at all times be open for free and uninterrupted use by the public; required all such billboards and other structures for posting these advertisements securely fixed in the gound by braces or other means so as to be perfectly stable. Prohibited them from being over twelve feet high, but required they should be adequate for the service expected and from being used until approved and inspected by the chief of police. That there should *288 be an open space of at least three feet between the lower edge and the ground of every billboard which should not be closed in any manner and that such billboard should not be placed nearer than five feet of any building or to the side line of any building, sidewalk, street or other billboard. Required the said officer and his deputies to make frequent examinations of the billboards and other structures used for that purpose and prevent the same or any portion from falling on the ground or getting on the sidewalk or street, and requiring them to tear off and clean such- boards and prevent them from presenting an unsightly appearance.

There are other sections of the ordinance and amendments which required the billposter to file sworn written reports with the city secretary, showing the size and location of all billboards and other structures intended to be used by him and all such new structures as were thereafter erected by him, giving the cost and material of such billboards and structures and other data thereabouts, so as to give the exact cost and worth thereof.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
141 S.W. 244, 63 Tex. Crim. 285, 1911 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 410, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ex-parte-savage-texcrimapp-1911.