Gambill v. Endrich Bros.

143 Ala. 506
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedNovember 15, 1904
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 143 Ala. 506 (Gambill v. Endrich Bros.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gambill v. Endrich Bros., 143 Ala. 506 (Ala. 1904).

Opinion

LOWDELL, J.

This is a suit brought by the appellees to recover back a license tax, which they were forced to pay under an ordinance of the city of Birmingham for selling lager beer at wholesale. The trial was had by the court below on an agreed statement of facts, and a judgment was rendered in favor of the plaintiffs, from which the present appeal is prosecuted.

[508]*508Tlie question, presented in this case is whether or not the municipality of the city of Birmingham, under its charter, has the power and authority to segregate lager beer from spirituous, vinous or malt liquors in prescribing and fixing license “For the business, occupations and professions in the city of Birmingham,” and require a separate license for selling beer by the wholesale.

In the statement of the facts on which the case was tried, the ordinances, in so far as they pertain to the question, are set out as follows; “Annual License Ordinance.” — “An ordinance to prescribe and fix license for the businesses, occupations and professions in the city of Birmingham, Alabama, for the year 1903.”

“Section 1: Be it ordained by the Mayor and Aider-men of Birmingham that the following be and is hereby declared to be the schedule of license for the year 1903, for the divers businesses, occupations, vocations, and professions engaged in or carried on in the city of Birmingham, Alabama, and each and every person, firm, company or corporation engaging in any of the businesses, vocations, occupations or jmofessions herein enumerated, shall pay for and take out such license and in such sums as are herein provided, to-wit

“40. Brewer. Each person, firm or corporation, brewer, brewery, or agency for brewery, selling beer by wholesale not including liquors, $300.00.”

“230. Liquors. Each wholesale dealer in spirituous, vinous or malt, any or-all, not including beer, $400.00.”

The provisions of the charter of the city of Birmingham (Acts of 1898-9, page 1S19), in so far as pertinent here, are as follows: “Sec. 25.” “Be it further enacted, That the said board of mayor and aldermen shall have full power and authority * * * (Par. 5) to license, tax, regulate and restrain, * * * * the selling, retailing, wholesaling or giving away of vinous, malt, spirituous or intoxicating liquors; and to close houses and places for the sale’of intoxicating liquors when, in the opinion of the board, the public safety and peace may require it; and to authorize the mayor, by proclamation, to cause houses and places for the sale of intoxicating liquors to be closed for a period of not longer than the next regular meeting of the board, whenever, in his opin[509]*509ion, tlie public peace and safety may require it, and the board shall have power to revoke and cancel any license issued for the sale of spirituous, vinous or malt liquors, or the license of any house or place of public entertainment, when, in the opinion of the board, the public safety, .peace, good order or decency may require.”

“Par. 34.” “That the board of mayor and aldermen shall have the power to license, tax, regulate or stop such exhibitions, business, vocations, occupations or professions as are now licensed by the State, as well as other exhibitions, business, vocations, occupations or professions which are now or which may hereafter be engaged in or carried on in said city, in such'sums as the board may fix, and to punish all persons who do business in said city without having taken out license required by laws and ordinances, and to impose and collect such licenses ; but said city shall not license any business, exhibitions, professions, vocation or occupation, the engaging or carrying on of which is forbidden by State laws, The power to Uo&nse in this charter conferred may he us'ed in the exercise of the 'police powers, as. well as for the par-pose of raising revenue, one or both." (Italics are ours.)

“Sec. 36.” “Be it further enacted, That any person dealing in two or more of 'the articles or engaging in two or more of the businesses, vocations, callings or professions for which a license is or may be required for each, such person shall pay for and take out a license for each line of business, vocation, calling or profession.”

In the discussion of the question presented, it may be Avell here to state, that it is a well settled rule of law, that a municipal corporation has only such powers as are expressly conferred by its charter, or by some other legislative enactment, or -which are necessarily implied from the general objects and purposes of the municipality, or implied from some other power expressly granted by the legislature. It may be also stated, that the power to tax is never implied in this State, and further, that as a general rule, when a license to do a general business- has been exacted and paid, another license cannot be required and collected for 'the doing of a particular act or series of acts constituting an integral part of such general bus[510]*510¡ness. So, beer being a malt liquor, a license to sell malt-liquors generally would give the right to sell beer as well as ale, porter and the like. The solution of the question here, however, is to be determined by the power granted in the charter of the city.

It is to be remembered that we are dealing with a subject-matter that is not only within the taxing power of the State for purposes of revenue, but is also within the police power of the State to license, regulate, or prohibit. That the legislature has the right to license, regulate, restrain and prohibit the sale of vinous, spirituous or malt liquors in this State, is a proposition of law not to be doubted. The legislative power to deal with this subject is unlimited and unrestricted. It is entirely competent for the legislature to require a separate license for the sale of -each of the articles of vinous liquors, spirituous liquors, and malt liquors, or to license one or more and prohibit the sale of the other, or to license one kind of spirituous liquor*, as for instance brandy, and prohibit the sale of another kind, such as whiskey, or to license one kind of malt liquors, as for instance lager beer, and prohibit the sale of another kind.

Because of the evils which attend the business of selling spirituous, vinous or malt liquors, and the well recognized danger there is, in the carrying on of the business, to the peace and good order of 'the community, the exercise of the police powers of the State becomes necessary. The very necessity for the exercise of this police power in connection with such business, for the preservation of public safety, peace and good order, as well as for the promotion of public morals, distinguishes this particular business from that of store-keeper generally. For this reason, the business of selling liquors is an exception unaer the general rule above stated, that, when a license to do a. general business has been exacted and paid, another license cannot be required and collected for the doing of a particular act or series of acts constituting an integral part of such general business. No one would for a moment question the power of the State to revoke at pleasure a license to sell liquor. So- we repeat what we have said above that in regulating the sale of spirituous, vinous or malt liquors, and in the requirement [511]*511of a license in tlie doing of 'tlie business, the legislature has the power to segregate and require a separate license for each article.

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Bluebook (online)
143 Ala. 506, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gambill-v-endrich-bros-ala-1904.