Hildreth v. Crawford

21 N.W. 667, 65 Iowa 339
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedDecember 10, 1884
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 21 N.W. 667 (Hildreth v. Crawford) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hildreth v. Crawford, 21 N.W. 667, 65 Iowa 339 (iowa 1884).

Opinions

Beck, J.

I. The abstract before us shows that the defendants, acting as the commissioners of pharmacy of the state, upon the record of the conviction of plaintiff upon an indictment for maintaining a nuisance, by keeping a place for the sale of intoxicating liquors contrary to law, and by selling intoxicating liquors therein in violation of law, did strike his name from the register of pharmacists, and revoke the certificate issued authorizing him to practice as a pharmacist. The plaintiff, in his petition, complains of the want of authority of the defendants, and of certain alleged illegal acts in the proceeding and judgment in question. The defendants made full return of their doings in the case. The proceedings in the cause, and plaintiff’s objections thereto,need not be here more particularly referred to. They will be stated, so far as may be necessary, in the consideration and discussion of. the various grounds of objection urged in this court by' plaintiff’s counsel to the judgment of the circuit court; but, that these proceedings and plaintiff’s objections thereto may be understood, it is necessary to set out here with proper fullness the statute under which the proceedings were had, viz., chapter 75, Acts of the Eighteenth General Assembly.

The statute is entitled “ An act to regulate the practice of pharmacy, and the sale of medicines and poisons.” Sections 1 and 2 forbid any one not a registered pharmacist to conduct any drug-store or apothecary shop, etc., or to compound and dispense prescriptions of physicians, or to retail or dispense poisons for medical use, except under the supervision [341]*341of a registered pharmacist. Penalties are provided for the violation of these sections. Section 3 provides for the appointment by the governor of three commissioners of pharmacy, who are authorized “ to make by-laws and necessary regulations for the fulfillment of their duties under this act.” Sections 4 and 5 provide for the registry of the names of all persons to whom the commissioners issue certificates. Persons in the business when the law took effect, it is provided, shall be registered without examination; others upon examination. These sections contain provisions as to the manner of examination, and other matters that need not be here more particularly referred to. Section 6 relates to fees and other matters not involved in the questions brought to our attention by this case. Section 7 declares that registered pharmacists shall be responsible for the quality of the drugs and medicines they may sell and dispense, and provides penalties for the sale of adulterated articles, and for the striking of the names of offenders from the register. Section 8 is in the following language: “Apothecaries registered as herein provided shall have the right to keep and sell, under such restrictions as herein provided, all medicines and poisons authorized by the National American or United States Dispensatory and Pharmacopoeia as of recognized medical utility: provided that nothing herein contained shall be construed so as to shield an apothecary or pharmacist, who violates or in any way abuses this trust for the legitimate and actual necessities of medicine, from the utmost rigor of the law relating to the sale of intoxicating liquors, and in addition thereto his name shall be stricken from the register.” Section 9 declares that it shall be unlawful for any person to retail any of the poisons enumerated, except as therein prescribed. The last sentence of the section is as follows: “Nor shall it be lawful for ány licensed or registered druggist or pharmacist to retail, or sell, or give away, any alcoholic liquors or compounds as a beverage, and any violation of the provisions of this section shall make the owner or [342]*342principal of said store or pharmacy liable to a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars, and not more than one hundred dollars, to be collected in the usual manner, and, in addition thereto, for repeated violations of this section, his name shall be stricken from the register.” Section 10 provides for licensing itinerant vendors of drugs, nostrums, etc. Section 11 provides penalties for procuring, or attempting to procure, registration by false representations, and for conducting the business of selling drugs and medicines without registration. Section 12 declares that the act shall not apply to physicians putting up their own prescriptions.

The plaintiff was convicted upon an indictment which is in the following language: “The said I. F. Hildreth, on the first day of July, A. D. 1880, in the county aforesaid, and daily thereafter, up to the finding of this indictment, did unlawfully keep, own, control, continue, establish and manage a building, in Leon, Iowa, for the purpose and intent of keeping and selling therein, in the state of Iowa, intoxicating liquors, in violation'of law, and at the said time and place, and in said building, the said defendant did keep and sell, in the state of Iowa, intoxicating liquors, in violation of law.”

1. PHARMAfuisaie'o^" íorfeunreof ucense. II. Counsel for plaintiff insists that the offense for which he was convicted is not contemplated by the statute as a ground for the revocation of the certificate of a « registered pharmacist, as we understand counsel, for the reason that the defendants had no jurisdiction in the case. The statute provides what class of persons shall hold certificates of registration, and the grounds upon which the certificates shall be revoked. Not Only the acquirements of the pharmacists are to be contemplated under the statute, in determining whether he shall receive the certificaté, but it provides that the violation of the statute forbidding the sale of intoxicating liquors shall be .cause for revoking his registration. This provision is based, upon the ground that one who illegally sells intoxicating [343]*343liquors is not a fit person to hold a certificate as a pharmacist.' There are many valid reasons, which need not be here stated, which doubtless induced the restriction. Now, while the statute relates to the practice of pharmacy and the sale of poisons, it prescribes causes which shall take from the pharmacist the right to hold a license. It matters not whether the intoxicating liquors sold by plaintiff were or were not to be regarded either as medicines or poisons. Their sale by plaintiff was unlawful; and, for the violation of the law in selling them, he became disqualified to hold his registration

2. commispl°wmaeyf: povvers^uponf constitutionaiity. III. The plaintiff insists that “ the creation of a board of officers, with legislative and judicial powers, is not only wholly foreign to the subject of the act, as indicated by its title, but is void as an attempt to delegate powers which the constitution vests only . , . . , m the legislature.” (1) Ihe act regulates the practice of pharmacy by declaring the conditions upon which it shall be practiced, and the class of persons thereto empowered. It contains many regulations, which are readily discovered upon reading the statute. It is obvious that these regulations can be applied and enforced only by officers duly authorized by law. The commissioners are such officers. (2) There are no legislative powers intrusted to the commissioners; they can neither make nor unmake a single provision of’ law.. They are charged with the administration of the law, and with no other powers. (3) "While in the administration of the law they are intrusted with certain quasi judicial powers, they possess none except those of the class which the law confers upon ministerial and executive officers. They exercise discretion which may be quasi

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Bluebook (online)
21 N.W. 667, 65 Iowa 339, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hildreth-v-crawford-iowa-1884.