Palmer & Cartwright v. State

88 Tenn. 553
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 22, 1890
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 88 Tenn. 553 (Palmer & Cartwright v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Palmer & Cartwright v. State, 88 Tenn. 553 (Tenn. 1890).

Opinion

Lurton, J.

Appellants ’ have been convicted of gambling. The indictment charged that they had bet, gambled, and' put to hazard upon a horse-race run upon a track not authorized by this State; and in a second count, that they had encouraged and promoted gambling upon races upon tracks not licensed by this State.

The case was tried without a jury upon an agreement as to the facts. This agreed state of facts is as follows:

[555]*555First. — That the defendant did, on May 15, 1889, and before the presentment in this case was found, and within the city of ÍTashville, Davidson County, State of Tennessee, and within the jurisdiction of this Court, both sell and offer to sell wagers or bets upon horse-races to be run both in and out of the State of Tennessee, upon a race-track other than a lawfully chartered or incorporated blood-horse or turf association, or trotting association, or stock or agricultural fair association.

Second. —In this case there were four horses to be run in the race. The defendant offered to sell at public outcry the first choice for the winner in said race, when $50 was ,bid therefor by a bystander, which being the highest bid was accepted, and the money paid over to the defendant; and thereupon the defendant offered the second choice on the horses to be run in said race, whereupon a by-stander bid $40, which bid being the highest was accepted, and money paid over as before; and thereupon the defendant offered for sale in the same manner the third choice of the horses to be run in said race, whereupon a by-stander bid $30, which being the highest bid was also accepted; and thereupon the defendant offered the remaining, an unsold horse, in the same manner, whereupon a by-stander bid $20, which being the highest bid was also accepted.

These several sums made altogether the gross sum of $140, from which gross sum the defendant deducted five per cent., or $7, as his commission [556]*556for his services, leaving remaining net $133. On the succeeding day the horse-race was run, and the party who had purchased, in the manner here-inbefore stated, the horse that won or came out ahead in the race was entitled to and did receive from the defendant the whole sum of $133, which .was accordingly paid over to said party. The defendant kept books or memorandums of each bid made and accepted as hereinbefore stated. These transactions hereinbefore related all occurred in a room called a pool - room, or place for selling pools on horse-races. This particular race was run upon a track outside of the State of Tennessee, but in the State of Kentucky, and within the six months next preceding the finding of the presentment in this case. This is known as auction pools.

Third. — It is further agreed and admitted that the defendant, at the time of the selling of said pools as stated in paragraph two, had duly paid to the County Court Clerk of Davidson County the privilege tax of $500 imposed upon pool-selling by an Act of the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee entitled “An Act to provide revenue for the State of Tennessee, and the counties thereof,” approved April 8, 1889; and that the said Clerk of the County Court of Davidson County had, in consideration of the payment of said privilege tax, duly issued and delivered to the defendant a license as provided in said Act of the General Assembly for poól-selling, and that said license was in full force and effect prior to May [557]*55715, 1889, and on said day and continuously until this date.

The question for decision is as to the effect of the alleged license in legalizing the sale of pools upon races run outside of the State, or upon tracks not licensed by this State and within the State.

By § 4870 of the Code of Tennessee it is made a misdemeanor to “make any bet or wager for money or any other valuable thing.” By § 4881 liorse-racing “ upon a track or path kept for that purpose” is exempted from the provisions of the statutes against gaming. The . betting of money upon a horse-race upon a track within the State not licensed by the State has been held to be gambling within §4870. Huff v. State, 2 Swan, 279.

The Act legalizing racing upon licensed tracks has been held to have been intended to encourage the improvement of domestic stock, and not intended to make gaming lawful upon races run outside of the State, and that betting upon races run in another State was a misdemeanor under §4870. Edwards v. State, 8 Lea, 412; Daly v. State, 13 Lea, 228; Blackburn v. State, 2 Cold., 235.

By the revenue Act of 1885 a tax of $300 was put upon the occupation of “ pool-selling.” Acts of Extra Session 1885, p. 43.

By the assessment Act of 1887 the occupation of “pool-selling” was declared to be a privilege, and not to be pursued without license. Acts of 1887, p. >43. By the revenue Act of the same [558]*558year a tax was placed upon this business. Acts of 1887, p. 17.

By the assessment Act of 1889, Section 52, the avocation of “pool-selling” is again declared a privilege, and, as such, not to be pursued without license. Acts of 1889, p. 168. By the revenue Act of same year a tax is placed “ upon each person, company, firm, or corporation, or agent engaged in selling pools upon any running, trotting, or pacing race in this or any other State.” Acts of 1889, p. 260.

If the selling .of pools be not a lottery — a question not here decided, for reasons hereafter noticed — then the sale of pools upon races to be run upon a track licensed by this State would not be gaming within our statutes. Daly v. State, 13 Lea, 228.

It was, however, within the power of the Legislature to make the business of selling pools a privilege, and* to assess upon the privilege such tax as was deemed wise. Both of the Acts erecting “pool-selling” into a privilege — that of 1887 and that of 1889 — ^-designate the business as “pool-selling,” without further words describing the limits of the business.

To make this business, by its general designation, a privilege would no more authorize a seller to sell pools upon an milawful race than does the liquor-dealer’s license authorize him to sell liquors to minors, or upon Sunday, or within four miles of a school-house. The privilege of “ pool-selling,” [559]*559which is not to. be pursued without a license, is limited to the sale of lawful pools — that is, pools which are, in substance, bets upon races to be run upon a licensed track or turf within this State. The tax assessed upon the privilege by the Acts of 1885 and 1887 was assessed upon “pool-selling,” no effort being made to designate whether upon races in or out of the State. The change made in the assessment of the tax upon this occupation by the Act of 1889,' is made by adding the words “in this or any other State.” The contention is that the addition of these words, not in the Act creating the privilege but in Act simply fixing the tax upon a privilege created by another and different Act, operates to license the sale of pools upon races run upon unlicensed tracks in this State and upon all tracks in other States, and that the licensing of an act theretofore criminal operates to make the act legal, and entitles it to the protection of the law. To put this construction upon this clause in.

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88 Tenn. 553, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/palmer-cartwright-v-state-tenn-1890.