Shongo v. Shongo

158 N.Y.S. 99
CourtNew York County Court, Erie County
DecidedMarch 11, 1915
StatusPublished

This text of 158 N.Y.S. 99 (Shongo v. Shongo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York County Court, Erie County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Shongo v. Shongo, 158 N.Y.S. 99 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1915).

Opinion

LAING, J.

This is a motion on behalf of the plaintiff and respondent to dismiss the defendants’ appeal, and a motion on behalf of the defendants and appellants to compel the making and filing of a return on the appeal herein.

[1] The first ground upon which the motion to dismiss this appeal is made is that the Legislature had no power to pass chapter 508 of the Laws of 1914, amending section 50 of the Indian Law, so as to permit an appeal from the determination of the Council of the Seneca Nation to the County Court. The appellant challenges the right of the Legislature to give to this court authority to pass upon a final determination of the Council of the Seneca Nation.

It is not proposed now to go into an exhaustive discussion of the question raised by this motion. There have been many decisions of the courts of this state dealing with the status of the Indians and their relation to the state and to the United States. Some of these decisions, are quite recent, and several of them contain much interesting history and discuss questions closely related to the question involved in this motion.

The most recent decision of the Court of Appeals is People ex rel. Cusick v. Daly, 212 N. Y. 183, 105 N. E. 1048, Ann. Cas. 1915D, 367. In the opinion in that case it was held that the courts of this state had no power to try an Indian for the offense of assault with intent to kill, because that is a crime specified in section 328 of the United States Criminal Code (Act March 4, 1909, c. 321, 35 Stat. 1151 [Comp. St. 1913, § 10,502]), and the United States by that section having [101]*101exercised jurisdiction over the crime, the power of the state must yield to the paramount authority of the federal government.

The opinion in that case discusses at some length the question as to whether the state or the general government has the power to legislate with regard to the New York Indians. Werner, J., writing the opinion, recognizes the fact, as pointed out in several other decisions, that the status of the New York Indians toward the state is not the same as the status of that of other Indian tribes or nations toward the states within whose boundaries their respective reservations are located. But notwithstanding this fact he inclines to the view that the New York Indians are the wards of the nation rather than the wards of the state, and with some hesitation he concludes that in the case under consideration the state courts had no power to try the defendant. The opinion concludes in this language:

“Even if we assume that, in the absence of federal legislation, the state has the most ample power to legislate for the Indians within its borders, there seems no escape from the conclusion that when Congress does act the power of the state must yield to the paramount authority of the federal government.” Loomis v. Lehigh Valley R. R. Co., 208 N. Y. 312, 101 N. E. 907. “Congress has exercised its power in respect to the crimes enumerated in section 328 of the United States Criminal Code, and the crime for which the relator has been arrested and held Is among those therein set forth. For these reasons we think that the jurisdiction of our state courts must give way before the higher authority which this statute vests in the federal courts.”

It will thus be seen that the case of People ex rel. Cusick v. Daly leaves open the question now under consideration. In the absence of an adjudication by the Court of Appeals, the decisions of the lower courts must furnish the authority for the disposition of this motion. It is my opinion that the cases of Jimeson v. Pierce, 78 App. Div. 9, 79 N. Y. Supp. 3, Peters v. Tallchief, 121 App. Div. 309, 106 N. Y. Supp. 64, Matter of Printup, 121 App. Div. 322, 106 N. Y. Supp. 74, Hatch v. Luckman, 155 App. Div. 765, 118 N. Y. Supp. 689, 140 N. Y. Supp. 1123, Silverheels v. Maybee, 82 Misc. Rep. 48, 143 N. Y. Supp. 655, George v. Pierce, 85 Misc. Rep. 105, 148 N. Y. Supp. 230, and People ex rel. Jamerson v. John, 80 Misc. Rep. 418, 141 N. Y. Supp. 225, together with Seneca Nation v. Christie, 126 N. Y. 122, 27 N. E. 275, and Johnson v. Long Island R. R. Co., 162 N. Y. 462, 56 N. E. 992, are authority for holding that the Legislature had ample power to pass chapter 508 of the Laws of 1914.

In Jimeson v. Pierce, cited above, Williams, J., says:

“For many years the Legislature has passed laws for the protection of the rights and property of these Indians and the enforcement of such rights under the laws so passed. We see no reason why such laws should not be regarded as valid, and should not be enforced. While it has been frequently held that Indians cannot come into our courts and bring actions, in the absence of acts of the Legislature enabling them to do so, yet it has always been held that they can do so under enabling acts when they have been passed.”

The above language is quoted with approval by Kruse, J., in the case of Peters v. Tallchief, 121 App. Div. 309, 106 N. Y. Supp. 64, in a case involving the jurisdiction of the state courts to entertain a summary proceeding under section 5 of the Indian Law.

[102]*102In the Matter of Printup, 121 App. Div. 322, 106 N. Y. Supp. 74, the court held that the Surrogate’s Court had jurisdiction to grant letters of administration on the estate of an Indian under section 5 of the Indian Law, if a case came under the provisions of that section.

In the case of Hatch v. Luckman, it was held that the Surrogate’s Court of Erie County had jurisdiction to issue letters of administration upon the personal estate of a Tonawanda Indian, and in the course of the opinion Wheeler, J., says:

“The law of this state is supreme, and the Tonawandas, we think, can claim no sovereignty of their own superior to that of the state. The state from time immemorial has assumed to control and direct their affairs, and legislate in reference to them, and its authority so to do has never been doubted or questioned. Where the Indians assert any peculiar rights or privileges, they must find authority for them in the legislation and laws of this state, and not by reason of their peculiar customs, or tribal existence from immemorial times. Such sovereignty as they formerly possessed, we think it may be safely asserted, has at this time been merged and lost in the greater sovereignty of the state, under which they must look for protection of life and property.”

In the case of Silverheels v. Maybee, 82 Misc. Rep. 48, at page 52, 143 N. Y. Supp. 655, at page 657, Laughlin, J., says:

“The interesting and learned arguments presented by counsel for the defendant in support of his contentions that the provisions of the Indian Law in question are unconstitutional and void, that the court is without jurisdiction, and that the Legislature has only authorized the enforcement in the state courts of orders, directions, and judgments for the recovery of money, would merit an opinion, if there were no precedents controlling upon the trial court; but it appears that all of those questions have been authoritatively decided adversely to the defendants.”

In the case of George v. Pierce, 85 Misc. Rep. 105, 148 N. Y. Supp. 230, it was held that under section 5 of the Indian Law the courts of this state have jurisdiction to try and determine disputes between Onondaga Indians as to the possession of lands lying within the boundaries of the reservation.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cherokee Nation v. State of Georgia
30 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1831)
Worcester v. Georgia
31 U.S. 515 (Supreme Court, 1832)
United States v. Kagama
118 U.S. 375 (Supreme Court, 1886)
Loomis v. . Lehigh Valley R.R. Co.
101 N.E. 907 (New York Court of Appeals, 1913)
People Ex Rel. Cusick v. . Daly
105 N.E. 1048 (New York Court of Appeals, 1914)
Seneca Nation of Indians v. Christie
27 N.E. 275 (New York Court of Appeals, 1891)
Johnson v. . Long Island R.R. Co.
56 N.E. 992 (New York Court of Appeals, 1900)
Jimeson v. Pierce
78 A.D. 9 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1902)
Peters v. Tallchief
121 A.D. 309 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1907)
In re Awarding Letters of Administration Upon the Estate of Printup
121 A.D. 322 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1907)
Hatch v. Luckman
155 A.D. 765 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1913)
Hatch v. Luckman
64 Misc. 508 (New York Supreme Court, 1909)
People ex rel. Jamerson v. John
80 Misc. 418 (New York Supreme Court, 1913)
Silverheels v. Maybee
82 Misc. 48 (New York Supreme Court, 1913)
George v. Pierce
85 Misc. 105 (New York Supreme Court, 1914)
Jimeson v. Pierce
79 N.Y.S. 3 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1902)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
158 N.Y.S. 99, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/shongo-v-shongo-nyeriectyct-1915.