Martin v. Blattner

68 Iowa 286
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMarch 17, 1886
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 68 Iowa 286 (Martin v. Blattner) 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
Martin v. Blattner, 68 Iowa 286 (iowa 1886).

Opinions

Beck, J.

I. The original petition contains sufficient averments, charging that Charles and Ered Blattner maintained a nuisance by keeping a place for the unlawful sale of intoxicating liquors. Ered, by his answer, not under oath, denies the allegations. Charles, in a verified answer, makes a like denial, and pleads that the statute under which the proceeding is instituted is unconstitutional, and that the action is barred by reason of the fact that he was adjudged not guilty in two separate criminal proceedings wherein he was charged with violating the statute prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors. In an amended petition it is alleged that Gibbs is the owner of the premises wherein the unlawful sales of intoxicating liquors were made, and that the other defendants are his lessees. Gibbs, in his answer, admits that [288]*288lie owns the premises in question, and alleges that he leased them October 1, 1883, for the term of three years. He does not state to whom the lease was made, nor its terms, nor for what purposes the premises were leased. He alleges that the statute under which the proceedings are had is in conflict with the constitution of the United States, and that the plaintiff has a plain, speedy and adequate remedy at law. The allegations of the petition were supported by certain affidavits filed by plaintiff. Upon the pleadings and proof the circuit court ordered that an injunction issue restraining all of the defendants “from keeping and maintaining a nuisance, and from selling intoxicating liquors, or keeping the same for sale and from permitting the same to be kept or sold or drank in or on” the premises in question, properly describing them. Charles Blattner and Gibbs appeal, and present various objections to the decision of the circuit court, which we will proceed to consider. .

1. nraoxino™owi?¿loonfevidenee. II. It is insisted that, as it is alleged in the answer of Challes Blattner, and shown by the affidavits of himself and Fred, that he .had no interest in the saloon, and was not conceriied in. keeping it, the injunction should not have been allowed as against him. We £[10 proof sufficiently shows that lie was concerned in the saloon. It is not denied that he had been at one time interested in and an owner of the saloon, and it is not shown that he had parted with his interest in it. The proof shows that he was regarded as the owner by those who patronized the saloon, and that he was, by at least one witness, seen there exercising the authority of an owner, and claiming certain property found there. The circuit court had ample ground to hold that he was concerned in the violation of the law by the sale of intoxicating liquors at the place described in the petition.

[289]*2892. -: millimctiom" "sorofsaíooñ buiidmg. [288]*288III. It is next insisted that Gibbs, being the lessor of the premises in which the law was violated, cannot be reached [289]*289by an injunction. We think the consideration J J °f sorae familiar principles of the law and provisions of the statute will establish the contrary conclusion. Under the statute real estate used with the knowledge or consent of the owners for unlawful traffic in intoxicating liquors is subject to a lien for all judgments rendered for fines and penalties provided for the violation of the law by such traffic. Code, § 1558. And the building, without regard to its ownership, in which such traffic is carried on is declared to be a nuisance. Code, § 1543. It is a well-settled rule of the law that all property of the citizen is held subject to such police and other regulations as the legislature may provide for the protection of the health'and safety of the people, and that no right of property can intervene to arrest the enforcement of penalties for the violation of the criminal statutes of the state. The welfare of the people in their health, property and lives is above the rights of the individual citizen. When the state, in the exercise of its sovereign authority, declares that an act is unlawful, no citizen may disobey such a statute for the reason that the act was before the legislation lawful, and that he held property exclusively used in the commission of the act. A contrary rule would arrest progress by legislation in efforts to suppress vice and crime. The owner of property cannot by leasing it remove it from the operation of these principles. His'lease, being in conflict with the law, is void; he cannot plead it as an instrument which sanctifies crime and the violation of law. By the violation of the law the lease ceases to be of force, and it becomes the duty of the lessor to exercise the right which he possesses to oust the lessee from the possession of the premises unless he ceases to violate the law. Without special reference to the numerous authorities supporting these views, it is sufficient to refer to the following of that class: Cooley, Const. Lim., 583; People v. Hawley, 3 Mich., 330; Reynolds v. Geary, 26 Conn., 179; Brick Presbyterian Church v. Mayor, etc., 5 Cow., 538.

[290]*290The defendant Gibbs, having leased the property to the vendor of liquors forbidden by the statute, and refusing to exercise his right and authority to forbid the traffic, and to oust the violator of the law from his land, becomes an aider and abetter of the violator of the law. And his abetting of the crime becomes active when he comes into a court of justice and contends with the other violators of the law for its defeat, and the criminals escaj>e from the penalties and remedies provided for suppressing the crimes in which they arc engaged. We are of the opinion that he is a proper party to the action, and the court rightly restrained him from permitting the unlawful traffic, which he was doing by failing to declare his lease void and to oust the- vendor of intoxicating liquors from the possession of the property.

3Htutionaiity of statute. IY. Counsel for defendant insist that the statute under which this suit is prosecuted is in conflict with the constituupon several grounds. The first, as we understand them, is that the statute deprives thg defendants of a trial by jury. This objection was fully considered in Littleton v. Fritz, 65 Iowa, 4-88, after careful and thorough argument, and it was again recently argued upon a petition for rehearing. We have an abiding confidence in the correctness of our decision in that case, and deem it useless to repeat the satisfactory argument upon which it is supported.

4__._. ' : '• Y. Counsel contend that the act of the Twentieth General Assembly (chapter M3) is repugnant to section 29 of article 3 of the constitution, which provides that every statute shall embrace but one subject, and matters properly connected therewith, which shall be expressed in its title. This act is amendatory of prior legislation intended for the suppression of the traffic in intoxicating liquors. The act provides for additional penalties and remedies against the violators of the statute. The subject of the statute is the prohibition of the sale of intoxicating liquors. Remedies by injunction and additional or enlarged penalties are matters [291]*291connected with this subject. We think all the provisions found in the act are within the purview of the subject, or are matters connected therewith. The point demands no further attention.

the same. YI.

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68 Iowa 286, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/martin-v-blattner-iowa-1886.