Hickinbotham v. State

303 S.W.2d 565, 227 Ark. 1032, 1957 Ark. LEXIS 541
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedJune 24, 1957
Docket4875
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 303 S.W.2d 565 (Hickinbotham v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hickinbotham v. State, 303 S.W.2d 565, 227 Ark. 1032, 1957 Ark. LEXIS 541 (Ark. 1957).

Opinion

Carleton Harris, Chief Justice.

Appellant, H. Y. Hickinbotham, over a period of weeks, was convicted of twenty violations of Ark. Stats. (1947) Sec. 41-3802 (keeping grocery store open on Sunday). On appeal to Circuit Court, the cases were consolidated, and tried January 18,1957. The court directed a verdict for the State, leaving only the question of proper punishment to be der termined by the jury. The jury assessed a fine of $25 in each case. From such convictions, comes this appeal. Appellant, in his motion for a new trial and amendment thereto, sets out twenty assignments of error; however, he argues only one point in his brief. This being a misdemeanor case, it is appellant’s duty to abstract the record and brief the case on the points that he desires to have considered. If this is not done, such alleged errors are waived. Fields v. State, 219 Ark. 373, 242 S. W. 2d 639; Van Hook v. Helena, 170 Ark. 1083, 282 S. W. 673. The only assignment appellant argues here, and therefore the only one we consider, is that he is being discriminated against in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

In Taylor v. City of Pine Bluff, 226 Ark. 309, 289 S. W. 2d 679, the defendant was convicted of keeping his grocery store open on Sunday. This Court, in upholding the trial court’s action in refusing to permit the introduction of evidence by the defendant relative to Sunday sales by drug stores, hotels, filling stations, restaurants, etc., said, “* * * Sunday laws applicable only to grocery stores and meat markets have been held to represent a reasonable classification.1 * * * It does not seem to us that the equal protection clause restricts the legislature to classifications based on the type of commodity being sold. The legislature might reasonably believe that it is necessary and desirable to allow pharmacists to fill prescriptions on Sunday. It might also find that druggists are unwilling to open their stores for that limited activity alone and that medicines can be made available to the public on Sunday only by permitting all departments of the drug stores to remain open. Hence it does not necessarily follow that because the druggist sells a bar of soap on Sunday the grocer has a constitutional right to do the same. A study of the cases indicates that to test discrimination solely on the basis of the article sold is apt to result in abolishing all exceptions to Sunday laws, for businesses are tending more and more to overlap one another’s activities. * * * It is our conclusion that a Sunday law applying only to grocers would be valid and therefore, appellant is entitled only to be treated in the same manner as other grocers. * # *” Accordingly, the only question to be considered on this appeal is whether appellant established that he was being discriminated against by the law enforcement officers of Little Rock and Pulaski County, vis, that he was being systematically arrested for violations of the law while the officers knowingly permitted other grocery stores to remain open on Sunday and carry on their business without interference.

The question may well arise, “Just what constitutes ‘discrimination’?” Certainly not that one person is apprehended while another who commits the same offense goes free. If such were a defense, convictions would never be obtained, for it is common knowledge that'murderers, thieves, robbers, and rapists are sometimes never apprehended, though fortunately, in a vast majority of the cases, they are apprehended and pay the penalty for their crimes. No one could reasonably argue that because every felon is not caught and punished, all other felons should go unpunished. Applying such a system of law enforcement would, of course, bring on a chaotic condition and a complete breakdown of law and order. Applying such reasoning to this case, it would not be sufficient substantiation of appellant’s claim of discrimination to simply show that other grocery stores were operating on Sunday. Certainly it would have to be further shown by cogent evidence that the officers knowingly permitted others to continuously and systematically remain open, while making it a point to see that appellant did not operate unhindered. It is not necessary that we discuss just what proof or circumstances would be necessary to sustain such a contention. Suffice it to say that discrimination is not established by the record in this cause.

The officers testified that they had directions to arrest all grocery store operators. Officer Waggoner stated, “We observed all grocery stores that came within our eyesight as we drove down the street, and if we thought they were selling groceries, we checked them, and Mr. Hickinbotham’s store was open.” Officer Mackey testified: “Q. Did you have a directive to arrest all grocery stores that were open on Sunday? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you follow that directive to the best of your knowledge? A. Yes, sir.” Officers Cranford, Satterwhite, Whitener, Biggs and Brians all testified to the same effect. The last mentioned officer testified, “We checked all places which was possible in our tour of duty. You can only check so many places in a given length of time and we checked all places that we thought might have been selling grocery items. ’ ’ Officer Mackey testified that on one of the Sundays, they found a certain Deason’s Grocery open, hut that Deason had a confectionary license, and stated that he was selling only milk, ice cream, and bread; that the confectionary was separate from the grocery department, although they were under the same roof. Certainly, no discrimination was established from the testimony of these officers.

Appellant’s only witness was J. H. Hickinbotham, father of the defendant. From his testimony:

“Q. Since last July, have you made a close observation of businesses in Little Bock, similar to yours — that is, that sell the same articles that you do — and which have remained open on Sunday?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. How many businesses would you say there are that have continuously and systematically remained open on Sunday? I am fixing it from last July because that is the time affected in this case. How many arc there that sell the same articles you sell in your store, including groceries ?

Mr. Holt: I object to him answering the question. It is framed exactly like he had it before.

The Court: Objection overruled.

A. What was the question, please?

Mr. Coffelt: Bead the question to him. (The reporter reads the question.)

A. I didn’t make a complete survey, but I listed a few here that I had passed by on my way to lunch or some other time.

Q. I don’t care about identifying them now, but are there a large number of them ?
Q. Are they on busy corners?
A. Some are on corners and some are in the middle of the block.

Q. Were they open on these Sundays at places where it would be easy for the police officers to observe in case they were making an inspection?

A. Yes, sir.”

If the cause should have been submitted to the jury, it would have had to be on the basis of the testimony above quoted.

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Related

South Euclid v. Bondy
192 N.E.2d 139 (Cuyahoga County Municipal Court, 1963)
Briggs v. State
367 S.W.2d 750 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1963)
Hickinbotham v. City of Little Rock
305 S.W.2d 844 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1957)
Hickinbotham v. Williams
305 S.W.2d 841 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1957)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
303 S.W.2d 565, 227 Ark. 1032, 1957 Ark. LEXIS 541, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hickinbotham-v-state-ark-1957.