Jones v. Vane

82 P. 110, 11 Idaho 353, 1905 Ida. LEXIS 61
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 15, 1905
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 82 P. 110 (Jones v. Vane) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jones v. Vane, 82 P. 110, 11 Idaho 353, 1905 Ida. LEXIS 61 (Idaho 1905).

Opinion

SULLIVAN, J.

— This action was brought to vacate a judgment in favor of the respondents and against the appellant Jones. Said judgment was entered cn the eleventh day of May, 1903, and the said Jones was commanded to remove a certain wharf in the Pend d’Oreille river. The appellant Jones will hereafter be referred to as Jones, and respondents will be referred to as Vanes.

The dispute in this action relates to a pier or landing-place within the navigable waters of the Pend d’Oreille river, which is a navigable river deriving its waters from the mountains of British Columbia and Montana. As a navigable river it flows through a part of the state of Idaho, into and across a part of the state of Washington, thence via British Columbia [359]*359and the Columbia river to the Pacific Ocean. The shore end of the said pier and landing in dispute is at the point on the river bank between high and low water marks and on ground claimed by Jones to belong to the state of Idaho; that is, it is the bed of a navigable stream. The state of Idaho intervened in this action and by its complaint in intervention it asserts ownership to the bed of said river on which said pier stands. It also alleges the issuance of a license by the state to Jones in 1902, permitting said Jones to erect said pier. It is alleged that the whole of said pier is submerged at ordinary high water. The shore end of said pier abuts or is on a square or plaza for a street leading on the county road to the landing, which road, it is alleged, was platted and dedicated to the public by Vane’s predecessor in interest, prior to Vanes’ acquiring any interest in said land. It is also alleged that the dedication of that portion of the square and street below high-water mark covered land to which the dedicator has no title, as it is averred said title was in the state; the title to the upland was derived by Vanes’ predecessors by patent from the United States, and the patent limited the number of acres granted, which were all above high-water mark. Jones, since 1889, had been engaged in st-amboat navigation on said river in Idaho and Washington, carrying mails, passengers and general merchandise, and said pier is the Idaho terminal of his boats, and it is alleged that he built and owned said pier, and that he derived his right to build and maintain the same by permit from the United States, and by a license from the state of Idaho, upon the landing-place; all of which rights attached and were exercised many years before Vanes acquired any interest in the adjoining upland, and it is averred that Vanes never had any interest in the strip of land between high and low water marks or in the bed of said river. That said landing is connected with the public road, which existed prior to the government survey, and is recognized on said survey, which survey was long prior to the platting of said land by Vanes’ predecessor. Jones duly appealed to this court from the judgment which this action is brought to vacate, and it is alleged that with[360]*360out his knowledge, and for no fault of his, and for no cause whatever, except the fraud of his counsel, that said appeal was dismissed by this court, for not filing the printed record on appeal, and his counsel, keeping him in ignorance, afterward sought to reinstate said appeal, which application was denied; that as soon as Jones learned said facts without any laches, he sought, through other counsel, to obtain this court’s permission to make another application, which application was denied by this court; that on account of said fraud of Jones’ counsel, and the further fact that said counsel is entirely financially irresponsible, and Jones is without any other remedy and has been deprived, without fault on his, part, of his day in court, he thereupon brought this suit. In his complaint, Jones avers alleged fatal errors in the ruling of the trial court in the original suit, to wit, the failure to find facts warranting the judgment; that defenses existed fatal to any possible recovery, and a discovery of those facts was made since said judgment; that the judgment is too indefinite and uncertain for enforcement; that it was contrary to the overwhelming weight of evidence and rules of law applicable thereto; that no lawful determination could be had in that action without the presence of other parties, and that the court was without jurisdiction to determine any of the questions involved in said action or of the parties having the sole right to assert an interest in the subject matter thereof.

The complaint also sets forth various federal questions involved in the controversy, to wit, that the subjects involved are of maritime jurisdiction, of which the state district court has no jurisdiction, and that said .judgment is void; that all the rights claimed by Jones were exercised under the United States statutes, law and usages, and any decision denying such rights is a decision against the validity of the authority so exercised; that the decision, in so far as it assumes the right to interfere with the dominion of the United States over said pier, or of Jones’ right therein derived from the United States, or decreeing to Vanes any rights therein, and in the land to which said pier is attached, is without jurisdiction, either as to persons or property, and that either said judg[361]*361ment wbieh this action seeks to vacate, or any decision against the vested rights claimed by Jones under the United States statutes thereof, in that it is against the validity of said statutes and dominion of the United States, and deprives Jones of his property without due process of law; denies to Congress the right to regulate commerce; denies to Jones the privileges and immunities guaranteed to citizens of the several states, and the equal protection of the law thereof, and denies to Congress the right to make needful rules and regulations respecting the territory or property belonging to the United States.

The prayer of the complaint is for an injunction restraining the enforcement of said judgment and to vacate the same, and to so far open the same as to permit Jones to come in and urge his proper defenses. The complaint is accompanied by the affidavit of Jones, who reaffirms the allegations of the complaint and avers that said judgment is necessarily an interference with a right of navigation of the navigable waters of the United States, and with foreign and domestic commerce, as well as with the proper handling of the United States mails, and avers that unless this court interferes in equity, he is without remedy. He therein seeks to explain and excuse his failure to allege in the answer in the former suit, any of the faets which are alleged in the complaint in this and avers that no final determination of the questions involved can be had unless he is relieved from said former judgment.

Jones’ application for an injunction herein was also fortified by an affidavit of John W. Strack, a civil engineer, showing that he had verified the high-water and low-water marks of the river, as well as the road locations leading thereto, and that the whole territory in dispute is below high-water line, and within lands platted and dedicated to the public by Vanes’ predecessor in interest. Said affidavit is corroborated by a map drawn by said civil engineer, showing the survey made by him. Upon filing the complaint, the district court granted a temporary injunction with an order to show cause why it should not be continued. Pending the motion to con[362]*362tinue the injunction, the state of Idaho filed and served the complaint in intervention, alleging title to the land between high and low water marks of the Pend d’Oreille river.

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Related

Vane v. Jones
88 P. 1058 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1907)
Buckle v. McConaghy
88 P. 900 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1906)
Donovan v. Miller
88 P. 82 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1906)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
82 P. 110, 11 Idaho 353, 1905 Ida. LEXIS 61, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jones-v-vane-idaho-1905.