Southern Railway Co. v. City of Memphis

126 Tenn. 267
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedApril 15, 1912
StatusPublished
Cited by71 cases

This text of 126 Tenn. 267 (Southern Railway Co. v. City of Memphis) 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
Southern Railway Co. v. City of Memphis, 126 Tenn. 267 (Tenn. 1912).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Lansden

delivered the opinion of the Court.

The city of Memphis instituted this suit in the circuit court of Shelby county for the purpose of condemning [276]*276the switch and terminal yards of the Southern Railway Company located in that city for park purposes. The railway company demurred to the petition, raising many questions upon the demurrer which will be stated more fully hereafter in this opinion. A jury of view was appointed and made report, to which there was exception by all parties, and the case afterwards came on for trial in the regular way before the court and jury. The trial judge, upon the motion of the petitioner below, instructed the jury to return a verdict for the railway company, fixing the value of the property sought to be taken at $392,950. Upon this directed verdict, the court adjudged that the title and interest of the railway company should be divested out of it and its mortgagees upon the payment into the office of the clerk of the court of .the sum aforesaid. The railway company made a motion for a new trial, which was overruled, and the case was appealed to the court of civil appeals. That court sustained certain assignments of error made by the railway company, and reversed and remanded the case for a new trial. All parties filed petitions for writs of certiorari, which have been granted, and the case has been docketed for argument and heard in the regular way in this court.

In order to a proper understanding of the questions made, it is necessary to set out at some length the scheme of legislation which it is claimed authorized the city to appropriate the property of the railway company by this proceeding.' The-authority averred in the petition is chapter 141 of Acts of 1909. A statement of the [277]*277title and an abbreviation of tbe body of this act are taken from the brief of counsel for the railway company as follows:

“Then came chapter 141 of Acts of 1909, entitled: ‘An act to authorize the city of Memphis tó ^ssne bonds in an amount not exceeding fl,000,000 for the purpose of acquiring property for park purposes, and completing the system of parks, parkways and boulevards' of the city of Memphis.’
“The legislative council was, by the first section, authorized to issue bonds, not exceeding fl,000,000, ‘for the purpose of enabling the city of Memphis, acting through the park commission thereof, to acquire the property known as the “Southern Railway Company yards” in Memphis, Tenn., “and such other property in the vicinity thereof as may in the judgment of the park commission be necessary for park or parkway purposes, and to complete the park, parkway and boulevard system of said city of Memphis.” ’
“Section 2 prescribes the form of the bond, which contains the following:
“ ‘The full faith and credit of said city of Memphis is hereby pledged for the payment of the principal and interest of this bond as the same respectively become due, and for the levy and collection of sufficient taxes for that purpose.’
“Section 3 provides:
“ ‘That said bonds shall be sold by the, park commission of said' city of Memphis for the best terms offered at such times and at such amounts as the park com[278]*278mission determines, provided that said bonds shall not be sold for less than par.’
“And also:
“ ‘Said park commission shall have entire charge and control of the sale of said bonds, and the mayor and city register shall execute and' deliver the same when called upon so to do by said park commission.’
“Section 4 is as follows:
“ ‘Be it further enacted, that the entire proceeds of the sale of said bonds shall be paid over to the park commission, and after the payment of the cost of printing and all expenses of the sale of said bonds, the proceeds of sale shall be used as follows:
“ ‘1. Not more than the sum of five hundred thousand (|506,000) dollars shall be used for the acquisition, by private negotiation or condemnation, of the property in the city of Memphis known as the “Southern Railway Company’s yards,” and such other property in the vicinity thereof as in the judgment of the park commission may be necessary for park purposes, and parkways and boulevards in connection therewith: Provided, that, if said Southern Railway Company’s yards cannot be acquired' on terms reasonable and proper in the judgment of the park commission of said city of Memphis, bonds to the extent of five hundred thousand ($500,000) dollars only shall be issued hereunder, and the proceeds thereof shall be used as hereinafter provided.
“ ‘2. The residue of the proceeds of sale of said bonds, or, in the event the said Southern Railway. Company’s [279]*279yards cannot be acquired, as provided herein, then the proceeds of sale of bonds in the sum of five hundred thousand ($500,000) dollars shall be used in completing the system of parks, parkways and boulevards of the city of Memphis, and shall be used and expended by said park commission in such manner as it deems best for completing and perfecting said system.’
“Section 5 directs payment of interest on bonds out of taxes collected for park purposes.
“Section 6 authorizes Memphis to pledge its full faith and credit for the bonds and makes it the duty of the legislative council to levy a tax to pay bonds at maturity.”

The specific objections made to the validity of the foregoing legislation and the proceeding under it by which the appropriation of the yards of the company is sought to be had are:

(1) It is vicious class, legislation, and is violative of section 8 of article 1 of the constitution of Tennessee, which provides “that no man shall be taken or imprisoned, or disseized of his freehold, liberties or privileges, or outlawed, or exiled, or in any manner destroyed or deprived of his life, liberty or property but by the judgment of his peers or the law of the land.”

(2) Section 8 of article 1 above quoted, as well as section 21 of article 1, and the fourteenth amendment to the constitution of the United States, are violated by this legislation, for the reason that a certain and sure [280]*280method of compensation to the railway company is not provided.

(3) The failure to provide a certain and adequate method of compensation likewise violates the due process clause of the constitution of this State and of the United States.

(4) It violates section 17 of article 2, which provides that all acts which repeal, revive, or amend former laws shall recite in their caption, or otherwise, the title or substance of the act repealed, revived, or amended. Under this assignment, it is insisted that chapter 141 of the Acts of 1909 expressly amends chapter 142 of the Acts of 1899 and chapter 2 of the Acts of 1879, without reciting in its caption or otherwise the title or substance of the acts amended.

(5) It is insisted that it was not constitutionally passed, for the reason that it was not read .and passed on three different days in the house of representatives, and therefore it violates section 18 of article 2 of the constitution of Tennessee.

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Bluebook (online)
126 Tenn. 267, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/southern-railway-co-v-city-of-memphis-tenn-1912.