McCullough v. City of Springfield

236 S.W.2d 753, 241 Mo. App. 425, 1951 Mo. App. LEXIS 324
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 1, 1951
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 236 S.W.2d 753 (McCullough v. City of Springfield) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McCullough v. City of Springfield, 236 S.W.2d 753, 241 Mo. App. 425, 1951 Mo. App. LEXIS 324 (Mo. Ct. App. 1951).

Opinion

BLAIR, J.

The original respondent died, before the time the case was to have been argued and submitted in this Court. His- executrix entered her appearance and filed a brief, and the case was argued later.

This is a dispute in an injuetion and declaratory judgment proeeeeding. Black & White Cab Company, said to have been owned by John McCullough in his lifetime, and the City of Springfield .are the liti-. gants in dispute over an ordinance of said city, affecting cab fares to be charged within said city. The Springfield Yellow Cab Co., intervenor below, did not appeal, and was not represented in this Court.

The case was originally set for the March Session, 1950, of this Court. On the day preceding such setting, the death of Mr. McCullough occurred. The case was especially set down and argued on December 5, 1950. The only question argued here was the power of ap[428]*428pellant city to pass an ordinance fixing the minimum fares of taxicabs in said city. ,

Both respondent and appellants have agreed that this Court has appellate jurisdiction, but, before discussing the merits of the case, we feel that we should first satisfy ourselves that we have such appellate jurisdiction, even though such appellate jurisdiction is conceded by the parties. ■ '

The cases in Sections 21 and 22 of the Missouri Digest, on the subject of Appeal and Error, cover the question. Our appellate jurisdiction is so well settled by the authorities therein cited that there is no need of citing any more cases.

• The only possible part of Section 3 of Article V of the 1945 Constitution of Missouri, which could, by any possibility, be said to confer appellate jurisdiction on the Supreme Court, is found in that part of the Constitution which provides that the Supreme Court has appellate jurisdiction in all civil cases where a political subdivision of the State as such is a party. While appellant is a subdivision of the State, it is not a party as such. Hence, we are satisfied that we have such appellate jurisdiction.

Turning now to the merits of the case, the Circuit Court was informed by the petition that, on June 23,1949, appellant, as a city of the second class of Missouri, passed an ordinance providing that minimum .taxicab rates,’for direct service, in such city, should be 50 cents, for the first passenger, and 30 cents for each additional passenger. The minimum charge for such taxicab service had previously been 25 cents.' The argument is that the City of Springfield is without power to enact such an ordinance. All of the other questions in the case were dropped by the wayside..

Appellants argue orally and in brief that a city has the power to regulate the use of its streets and that such power includes the power to'fix rates, to be charged by taxicab companies, for such use of the streets.

On the other hand, as we understand respondent, he admits the power of the city to regulate the use of its streets, but denies that such city has the power to fix rates for the service of taxicabs on its streets. Appellants say:

“ The sole question in issue is whether the City of Springfield, .a city of the second class, has charter power to enact a portion of an ordinance referred to in the pleadings as Section 547, which fixes the rate to be charged by plaintiff and others engaged in the business of operating taxicabs within the corporate limits of the .City of Springfield. ’ ’

. The'final judgment of the Court below, among other things, was as follows:

“And the Court finding and ruling as a matter of law that under the charter of the City of Springfield and the statutes and [429]*429law made and provided, that the Defendant the City of Springfield is not given the power, and does not have the power, to regulate or prescribe the price that may be charged by taxicab operators for their service, and ruling as a matter of law that the Defendant City of Springfield does not have the power or authority under its charter or the law to set by ordinance, or otherwise, the rate 'of fares for the transportation of passengers by taxicab.” / - '

The petition is very long and pleads many alleged facts, which respondent argues do not justify the fixing of taxicab fares, as specified in the ordinance. We will confine ourselves to the sole question, agreed upon and argued in this Court. That question is as to the power of appellant city to fix the rates to be charged in it for taxicab service.

The case was transferred to Division 2 of the Greene County Circuit Court, on order of the appointed successor to Hiram McLaughlin, deceased, on January 14, 1950, as such appointed judge had formerly been an attorney in the case. The Judge of Division 2, Honorable Warren L. White, Judge of that Court, on February 4, 1950-, overruled the motions for a new trial of appellants and intervenor, previously filed, during the lifetime of Judge McLaughlin.

On February 11, 1950, Judge White set aside-his previous orders overruling the motions for a new trial of the intervenor -and appellants and set aside the previous order .of Judge McLaughlin, to the same effect.

On February 11,1950, Judge White entered a judgment of his own, holding solely that appellant city had no power to enact Section 547 of Ordinance No. 613, Council- Bill-9815, and enjoined appellant city from enforcing the ordinance and dismissed appellants’ answer and intervenor’s petition and answer.

On February 14, 1950, defendant, the City of Springfield, as appellant, filed its notice of appeal. The time for preparation and filing of the transcript, was later extended to July 14, 1950.

There is no need to cite authorities on the proposition that appellant was empowered to regulate the' use of its streets by taxicabs. There seems to be complete agreement on the -proposition. Where the parties disagree is as to what is meant by power to regulate. Appellant contends that power to regulate authorized it to fix,rates. Appellant first cites paragraph XVIII of Section 6609 R. S. 1939. That is a general statute and does not ñame taxicabs specifically. It gives cities of the second class power by ordinance to license, tax and regulate, among other things, omnibuses and hansom cabs, all vehicles, private or public, and all occupations, professions, trades, pursuits, etc.; not already enumerated, and to fix the license tax to be paid therefor. Taxicabs were not enumerated by name.

There does not appear to be any need to set out- Section 6609, para[430]*430graph XVIII in full, since there does not appear to be any controversy over the proposition that the -City of Springfield has- the power to regulate taxicabs. , That section is very long.

The difference in opinion, is as to what is meant by “regulate.” Appellants contend that regulate means everything, from the use of the streets by taxicabs to what the public shall pay for the service rendered by them. Following the citation by appellants of Section 6609, paragraph XVIII, appellants cite a number of cases from states other than Missouri. We have examined all of the cases cited in appellants’ Points and Authorities, in some of them power to fix taxicab rates was granted to the cities affected by statute. In other cases, it was held that the use of the word “regulate” taxicabs, included the power to fix rates for their service.

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Bluebook (online)
236 S.W.2d 753, 241 Mo. App. 425, 1951 Mo. App. LEXIS 324, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mccullough-v-city-of-springfield-moctapp-1951.