Leonard v. Luther

48 S.W.2d 242, 185 Ark. 572, 1932 Ark. LEXIS 146
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedApril 4, 1932
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 48 S.W.2d 242 (Leonard v. Luther) 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
Leonard v. Luther, 48 S.W.2d 242, 185 Ark. 572, 1932 Ark. LEXIS 146 (Ark. 1932).

Opinion

Butler, J.

This action is a proceeding for a writ of mandamus to compel the appellees to deliver to appellant’s deputy the tax hooks and other records belonging to the collector’s office in and for Stone County. From a denial of the prayer of appellant’s petition is this appeal.

We pass over the motion to dismiss the appeal for alleged failure to comply with rule 9 of this court, preferring to dispose of the case upon its merits.

The facts as stipulated in the court below are:

“That Sam Johnson is the legally elected and qualified sheriff of Stone County, Arkansas, having been elected at the November general election, 1930, for the term to expire December 31, 1932.

“That on the 19th day of November, 1931, the court made an order suspending the said Sam Johnson from office as sheriff and collector by the circuit court of Stone County, after five indictments had been returned against him by the grand .jury of said county. A copy of which order is attached hereto and made a part hereof.

“That the said Sam Johnson has never been tried on any of said indictments, but that the same are pending for trial at the May term, 1932, of said circuit court.

“That on the 25th day of November, 1931, after the suspension of the said Sam Johnson on the 19th day of said month, the Governor (of the State appointed and commissioned W. M. Brewer as sheriff and collector of ■Stone County, Arkansas, to serve as such during the suspension of the said Sam Johnson from the said office pending his trials on said indictments.

“That the said W. M. Brewer made his bond as sheriff and also made bond as collector, said bonds having been filed and approved on the 15th day of December, 1931. A copy of said bond being hereto attached and made a part hereof.

“That the said Sam Johnson, the duly elected collector, failed to file his bond as collector before or by the first Monday in January, 1932, as provided by § 19,031 of Crawford & Moses’ Digest, and has never filed any bond up to this time.

“That the plaintiff, Roy Y. Leonard, is the duly elected, qualified and acting Treasurer of State for the State of Arkansas.

“That the plaintiff, John B. Gower, was appointed by State Treasurer, Roy V. Leonard, in writing on the 21st day of January, 1932, as special deputy State Treasurer to collect the taxes of Stone County, Arkansas, for the current year, pursuant to § 10,034 of Crawford & Moses ’ Digest.

“That on the 22d day of January, 1932, the said Roy V. Leonard, as Treasurer of the State of Arkansas, made demand on the said T. E. Luther, the duly elected and qualified, acting county clerk of Stone County, Arkansas, and also the said W. M. Brewer, for all taxbooks, records, papers, receipts and moneys belonging to the collector’s office of Stone County, Arkansas, for the year 1932, upon which the taxes for the year 1931 had been extended, and from which the taxes for the year 1931 were to be collected, and that the said T. E. Luther and the said W. M. Brewer, each and both, refused said demand, and refused to turn over said records, books, papers and'moneys and still refuse to do so.”

In addition to this stipulation appellee Brewer testified as follows: “I was appointed sheriff and collector in November, 1931, and made a sheriff’s bond at that time. I didn’t make a collector’s bond until December 15th. That is the only bond I filed as collector. I was not reappointed collector after the first Monday in January. I have never filed another bond. I have never been reappointed collector.”

The validity of the appointment of the appellee Brewer by the Governor depends upon whether or not there was a vacancy in the office of collector of revenues for Stone County on the date of his appointment. The authority for the circuit court to suspend Sam Johnson from the performance of his duties as collector of revenues must be found in § 27 of art. '7 of the Constitution and in the enabling act to that section, now § 10,035 of Crawford & Moses’ Digest.

Section 27, art. 7, Constitution: ‘ ‘ The circuit court shall have jurisdiction upon information, presentment or indictment to remove any county or township officer from office for incompetency, corruption, gross immorality, criminal conduct, malfeasance, misfeasance or nonfeasance in office. ”

Section 10,335, Crawford & Moses’ Digest: “Whenever any presentment or indictment shall be filed in any circuit court of this State against any county or township officer for incompetency, corruption, gross immorality, criminal conduct amounting to a felony, malfeasance, misfeasance or nonfeasance in office, such circuit court shall immediately order that such officer shall be suspended from his office until such presentment or indictment shall be tried. Provided, such suspension shall not extend beyond the next term after the same shall be filed in such circuit court, unless the cause is continued on the application of the defendant.”

It was decided in the case of Patton v. Vaughan, 39 Ark. 211, that “article 7, § 27, of the Constitution of 1874, empowering circuit courts to remove county and township officers upon indictment, etc., and the act of March 9, 1877, to regulate filling of vacancies in office', relate to the elective township and county officers provided for by the Constitution. * * * The only constitutional or statutory provisions to which we have been referred as bearing on this subject are § 27 of art. 7, of the Constitution of 1874, vesting jurisdiction in the circuit court to remove county and township officers upon indictment or information and the act of March 9, 1877, to resalíate the filling of vacancies in office. But these obviously relate to the elective county and township officers created by the Constitution itself.”

In Falconer v. Shores, 37 Ark. 386, it was said: “Before the adoption of the present Constitution the office of collector of taxes was statutory. The statute in force when the Constitution was adopted provided that the sheriff of each county should be ex-officio collector, and before entering upon his duties as collector should give bond before the first Monday of January of each year, etc. Gantt’s Digest, §§ 5157-9:

“Section 46, article 7, of the Constitution provides that the qualified electors of each county shall elect one sheriff, who shall be ex-officio collector of taxes, unless otherwise provided by law, for the term of two years, thereby leaving the office of collector under legislative control.

“A person who is sheriff and collector, under existing laws, holds two distinct offices, and is required to give bond as sheriff and also to give bond as collector. Ex parte McCabe, 33 Ark. 396.”

“It is well settled that where the Constitution creates or recognizes an office, and declares that the incumbent may be removed in a specified manner or for specified reasons, the Legislature cannot constitutionally provide by statute for his removal for any other reason or in any other manner. ’ ’ Throop on Public Officers, p. 343-, quoted in Speer v. Wood, 128 Ark. 186, 193 S. W. 785.

In the case of Remley v. Matthews, 84 Ark. 598, 106 S. W.

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48 S.W.2d 242, 185 Ark. 572, 1932 Ark. LEXIS 146, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leonard-v-luther-ark-1932.