Lang v. Board of Supervisors

75 So. 126, 114 Miss. 341
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 15, 1917
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 75 So. 126 (Lang v. Board of Supervisors) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lang v. Board of Supervisors, 75 So. 126, 114 Miss. 341 (Mich. 1917).

Opinion

Ethridge, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

(After stating the facts as above). Chapter 172, Laws of 1916, is attacked as being invalid for two reasons : First, that chapter 172 seeks to amend chapter •258 of the Laws of 1912, which was an act to amend chapter 150 of the Laws of 1910, and that the legislature amended the same act of 1910 subsequent to the enactment of chapter 258, which amendment constitutes chapter 257 of the Laws of 1912, which was amended by chapter 177 of the Laws of 1916, and that the legislature amended an act that was no longer a law, and consequently that chapter 172 would be invalid because the legislature had not amended any existing law in enacting the said chapter; and, second, that the act is unconstitutional because of an insufficient title and because it is a local law violating, it is claimed, section 71 of the Constitution and clause L of section 90 of the Constitution of 1890. Inasmuch as these objections lie [347]*347at the very threshold of the case, we will first notice them: In 1912 the legislature by chapter 258 of the Laws of 1912 amended chapter 150 'of the Laws of 1910 in regard to the working of public roads. This act was approved February 24, 1912, and again at the same session the legislature passed chapter 257, which is entitled “An act to amend chapter 150, Laws of 1910, entitled ‘An act to provide additional methods of working public roads,’ ” providing that any .supervisors’ district may come under the said act. This act was approved March 6, 1912, and differs but slightly in verbiage from chapter 258; the main difference being that under chapter 257 the board of supervisors could work.any beat of the county as a separate road district, whereas under chapter 258 there was no provision for the working of less than a county in a road district. If we concede that chapter 257 of the Laws of 1912 supersedes and displaces chapter 258, it would not follow that the act of the legislature in 1916 in amending chapter 258 would be null and void. Chapter 172, Laws of 1916, was approved April 8, 1916, and chapter 177, Laws of 1916, was approved March 21, 1916, and therefore chapter 172 is the latest legislative enactment on the road scheme embodied in chapter 150 of the Laws of 1910. We think that the legislature in amending chapter 258 would have the effect of reviving and revitalizing that act even though it had been amended by chapter 257 of the- Láws of .1912, and that it should be treated as though each chapter was an amendment of the preceding law upon the same subject. If we treat it thus, chapter 172 would be the latest expression of the legislature upon this particular road scheme, and this ground of objection is without merit.

In regard to the objection that the act is void because of the failure of the title to sufficiently indicate the subject-matter of the legislation, we think it would only be necessary to answer this by citing the cases of The Mayor, etc., of the City of Jackson v. State, 102 Miss. [348]*348663, 59 So. 873, Ann. Cas. 1915A, 1213, and Rosenstock v. Washington County, 72 So. 876, which cases are- subsequent utterances of the court to the cases referred to-in the brief in opposition to this law. In the case of City of Jackson v. State, 102 Miss, at page 684, 59 So. at page 874, Judge Cook, speaking on this subject, used the following language:

“Section 71 is also assigned to ‘Rules of Procedure,’' and it is visible from the choice of its language that the-framers of the Constitution had in mind the ills and afflictions so graphically depicted by Judge Campbell in the case of Ex parte Wren. "We do not wish to be understood as holding that section 71 is solely addressed to the legislative conscience, because this section requires a title for every law — and an act without a title would not be a law — and the violation of the Constitution would thus appear upon the face of the act. We-use the construction placed by the court upon section 74 to emphasize our views of section 71. It is .observable that this section is mandatory to the extent that ‘every bill * * * shall have a title’; but,when it speaks concerning what the title should contain, the weaker word ‘ought’ is used. ‘Ought’ is a shade stronger than ‘should,’ but ‘a shade is not to be seized to nullify an act of the legislature. ’ It is quite manifest that the words were carefully selected and advisedly used, the one being mandatory, and the other admonitory, or advisory. Thus it appears by sections 71 and 74 three ‘shalls’ and one ‘ought’ are addressed to the legislature. ’ ’

In subsequent cases to this decided between the decision of the City of Jackson and the Rosenstock cases, above cited,- hold that the sufficiency of the title is a question solely for the legislature. However, if this were not true, and if the cases cited were still in full force, still we think the title would be sufficient. An act entitled “An act to provide additional methods to work public roads,” which is the title of chapter 150 [349]*349of the Laws of 1910, would be sufficient, because all the matters contained in said act and in its amendments are .germane to roadworldng. Necessarily to provide additional methods for working public roads it is necessary to provide appropriate means of aecomplisbing a proper working of public roads. To work public roads it is necessary to provide a scheme of procuring the money necessary, as roads cannot be worked without having the necessary labor and material to work them. If money must be raised, then the methods of raising the money, including the power of taxation and the issue of bonds, would be an appropriate incident to the plan.

It is next contended that the board of supervisors must give notice of its intention to issue bonds to the qualified electors of the county, and that they be given an opportunity to protest against the issuance, and, if ten per cent, protest, to have an election thereon before the bonds can be issued; it being contended that chapter 172 is to be construed in connection with section 331 and section 333 of the Code of 1906. Chapter 172 is silent as to any notice to be given to the electors or taxpayers before the bonds may be issued. In section 1 of the act thé board of supervisors, in addition to the present methods of working public roads of any -county or beat thereof, may purchase teams, employ labor, etc., and may do any and all things necessary to be done to work the roads as herein provided, etc.; and section 2 of the act empowers the board to raise funds for working roads and building bridges by bond issue not to exceed five per cent, of the assessed valuation of the real and personal property of the several counties or districts, exclusive of outstanding bonds, etc. There is nothing at all said in this section about giving anybody any notice of the purpose of the board to issue the bonds or any scheme by which the taxpayers may pass on the proposed purpose of the board of supervisors: If the act is to be regarded as an addi[350]*350tional method independent of other methods, as it seems to .ns it must be, then it follows that its own terms are to govern unless there is some general statute broad enough in its terms to make a contrary conclusion mandatory. In dealing with this question we must consider that the Constitution (section 170) provides for a board of supervisors and provides that:

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Bluebook (online)
75 So. 126, 114 Miss. 341, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lang-v-board-of-supervisors-miss-1917.