People v. Whitney

63 N.W. 765, 105 Mich. 622, 1895 Mich. LEXIS 903
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedJune 4, 1895
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 63 N.W. 765 (People v. Whitney) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Whitney, 63 N.W. 765, 105 Mich. 622, 1895 Mich. LEXIS 903 (Mich. 1895).

Opinion

Long, J.

Respondents were convicted upon an information charging that they—

“Heretofore, to wit, on the 27th day of July, in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-four, at the village of Plainwell, in Allegan county, did then and there unlawfully keep a saloon and place where vinous, malt, brewed, fermented, spirituous, and intoxicating liquors, and mixed liquors and beverages, a part of which was intoxicating, were sold, stored for sale, and furnished as a beverage; they, the said Charles E. Whitney and Ellis Aldrich, not selling, storing for sale, or furnishing such liquors as a druggist or registered pharmacist under and in compliance with the restrictions and requirements imposed upon druggists and registered pharmacists by the general'laws of the State of Michigan, and such liquors not being wine sold for sacramental purposes, nor pure alcohol sold or furnished by a druggist or registered pharmacist for medicinal, art, scientific, or mechanical purposes; but such liquors were sold, stored for sale, and furnished contrary to the provisions of a certain resolution adopted by the board of supervisors of the county of Allegan, State of Michigan, on, to wit, the 2Gth day of February, A. D. 1894, in pursuance of Act No. 207 of the Public Acts of the State of Michigan for the’year 1889. The aforesaid keeping a saloon and room where such liquors were sold, stored for sale, and furnished bv the said Charles E. Whitney and Ellis Aldrich was then and there done in violation of the provisions of said Act No. 207 of the Public Acts of the State of Michigan for the year 1889, which was then in full force and effect in said Allegan county, contrary,” etc.

Complaint was made against one Fred Rowe, as well as the two respondents. They all had an examination before the justice. The complaint and warrant charged the offense to have been committed on, to wit, the 30th day of July, 1894. On the examination the respondents [626]*626were held for trial. The information was filed against the respondents, and the oifense alleged to have been committed on, to wit, the 27th day of July, 1894. The information was filed at the October term, 1894. Counsel for respondents moved to quash the proceedings, on the grounds:

1. That the information does not charge any crime under the laws of this State.
2. That it is not charged in the information that any vinous, malt, brewed, fermented, spirituous, or intoxicating liquors, or mixed liquors and beverages, a part of which was intoxicating, were either sold, stored for sale, or furnished as a beverage at the time the respondents, are charged with keeping a saloon.
8. Nor is it charged that they, or either of them sold,, stored for sale, or furnished any of the liquors mentioned in Act No. 207 of the Public Acts of 1889.
4. It is not charged that either of the respondents was not selling, storing for sale, or furnishing such liquors, asa druggist or registered pharmacist, under and in compliance with the restrictions and requirements imposed upon druggists and registered pharmacists by the general laws of the State.
5. That the respondents have never been examined before a justice of the pea ce, as required by law, of the oifense charged in the said information.
6. That the oifense charged in the said information is one that is laid' and occurred on a day different from that-charged in the complaint in this case, and is a different offense from that charged in said complaint, and upon which examination was had in justice’s court.
7. That said infonnation should designate the building in which the room therein mentioned is situated.
8. It should also describe said room.

The case against Eowe was nolle prossecl. The motion to quash the proceedings was overruled.

1. The first contention is that Act No. 207, Laws of 1889, under which the complaint is made, is unconstitutional, as—

“It provides for excessive fines to be imposed, and causes cruel and unusual punishment to be inflicted, in. [627]*627violation of article 6, § 31, of the Constitution of the State.”

Upon the Legislature alone is conferred the power to fix the minimum and maximum of the punishment for all crimes. People v. Smith, 94 Mich. 644. It is true that cases might arise when the punishment imposed by an act would be so cruel and unusual that the courts would interfere and protect the rights of the party, but in the .present case the penalties fixed by the act are such as the Legislature had the power to impose.

2. It is contended that, the date charged in the information being a different date than that charged in the complaint and warrant, a separate and distinct offense was charged than that which the parties were examined upon, and the information is therefore bad for that reason. There was some testimony on the examination showing that the offense committed by the two respondents was upon the date charged in the information. The prosecutor was not bound by the date charged in the complaint and warrant. He had the right to inform against the parties for the offense committed on the date shown by the examination. People v. Annis, 13 Mich. 511.

The averments in the information are sufficient under the statute, and we are unable to agree with counsel that it is defective upon the grounds stated in the objections.

The complaint was made by Fidus E. Fish, prosecuting attorney of the county, before B. A. Nevins, a justice of the peace, who is a brother-in-law1 of Mr. Fish. It is contended that this rendered the proceedings before the justice void, under How. Stat. § § 6822, 7245, prohibiting any justice of the peace from hearing any case where he is related to either party in certain degrees by marriage or blood. The complainant is not a party to the suit, within the meaning of those provisions of the statute. Parsons v. People, 21 Mich. 509.

3. On the trial the prosecution offered in evidence a certified copy of the preamble and resolution of the board of supervisors, ordering prohibition in the county. This [628]*628was objected to by the respondents on the following grounds:

“1. There is no evidence that the resolution was ever published as required by the statute.
“2. The resolution prohibits the sale of wine for sacramental purposes, and does not state that anything therein ■contained shall not prohibit druggists and registered pharmacists from selling or furnishing pure alcohol for medical, art, scientific, and mechanical purposes, in accordance with section 2283M of the statutes.
“These are objections I will state on record to the proceedings that lead up to the adoption of this resolution and the publication of it:
“3. The call for the special session of the supervisors does not state when the petitions praying for an election were presented to the county clerk in order to show that the call was issued within five days thereafter, and to show that the date set in the call for the meeting of the board is not less than 10 nor more than 20 days from the presentation and filing of such petitions, in accordance with section 5 of Act No.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
63 N.W. 765, 105 Mich. 622, 1895 Mich. LEXIS 903, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-whitney-mich-1895.