State ex rel. Barnett v. City of Noblesville

60 N.E. 704, 157 Ind. 31, 1901 Ind. LEXIS 117
Indiana Supreme Court·Decided May 28, 1901·No. No. 19,292·Published·Cited by 8 cases

Opinion

Dowling, J.

Application for a writ of mandate to compel the city of Noblesville and its common council to restore the relator to the office of marshal of said city. Alternative writ issued. Demurrers to complaint and to alternative writ sustained. Judgment for appellees. Errors are assigned upon these decisions.

The complaint alleges that the relator, Barnett, was elected and duly qualified as marshal of the city of Nobles-ville for the term of four years from September, 1898; that he entered upon the duties of his said office, and continued to act as such marshal until prevented by the appellees; that on June 5, 1899, the common council passed an ordinance providing for the summary impeachment of city officers before that body after notice to the accused; that said ordinance was not published in any newspaper until after the commencement of the proceedings against the relator; that on the night said ordinance was passed, an affidavit was filed with said common council charging that the relator, on June 1, 1899, had appeared upon the streets of said city [33] in such a state of intoxication as prevented him from performing the duties of his said office; that on the same night the city clerk and mayor were directed to notify the relator to appear before the common council on June 9, 1899, to answer said charge; that, at the time fixed, the relator appeared, and moved to dismiss the proceedings; that his motion was overruled, and the hearing took place; that neither the mayor'nor any member of the common council was sworn to try said cause; that at the conclusion of the investigation the relator again moved to dismiss the proceeding, but without avail; that, on June 10, 1899, the common council decided that the charges were sustained, and the mayor thereupon declared the relator expelled and removed from his office of marshal; and that these proceedings were after-wards approved by the common council at its regular session held June 12, 1899. The complaint further shows that at said session the police board was authorized to choose a successor for the relator in said office; that the relator denies the validity of said proceedings, and has refused to surrender his said office, but that he is wrongfully deprived of the same by the appellees by virtue of the proceedings aforesaid. Prayer for a writ of mandate to restore the relator to his office as marshal.

The general act for the incorporation of cities expressly authorized the common council to expel or remove any city officer by a two-thirds vote of the whole number of councilmen elected; and required the common council to' make provision in their by-laws, or ordinances, for the mode of presenting charges and the hearing of the same. Acts 1867, p. 75, §88; §3101 R. S. 1881; §3536 Burns 1891.

In 1875 the legislature enacted a statute declaring that any person holding any office under the Constitution or laws of this State, who should voluntarily become intoxicated, within the business hours of his office, or should be in the habit of being intoxicated by the use of intoxicating liquors, [34] should forfeit his office, and he removed therefrom, upon the complaint of any citizen filed in the circuit court of the county in which such officer resided. The act prescribes the form of procedure, and the character of the judgment to be rendered. Acts 1875, p. 91; §6012 R. S. 1881; §8088 Burns 1894. By another act, which took effect March 8, 1897, provision was made for the impeachment and removal of any district, county, township, or municipal officer, justice of the peace, or prosecuting attorney, upon accusation in writing by the grand jury. Acts 1897, p. 280, §§21-33.

The common council of the city of Noblesville proceeded under the provisions of §88 of the act of 1867, supra,, and the appellant insists that this section was repealed by the acts -of 1875 and 1897, supra, and that the action of the common council was therefore unauthorized and void. The question of the power of the common council to remove the relator is properly presented by his application for a writ of mandamus. §1168 R. S. 1881, §1182 Burns 1894; City of Madison v. Korbly, 32 Ind. 74; Swindell v. State, ex rel., 143 Ind. 153, 35 L. R. A. 50.

It is said that one of the common law incidents of all corporations is the power to remove a corporate officer from his office for just and reasonable cause. King v. Richardson, 1 Burr. 517; 2 Kyd on Corp., p. 62; Beach on Pub. Corp., §191.

In the case at bar it is claimed that §88 of the act of 1867, supra, was repealed by implication. Therefore, it is incumbent on the appellant to show that §88 is inconsistent with some provision of one of the later enactments, or that it has been superseded by them. This, we think, he has wholly failed to do. Repeals by implication are not favored, for the reason, among others, that they often result in uncertainty and confusion. They are recognized only when the earlier and the later act are repugnant to, or irreconcilable with, each other. Where the two statutes even appear to conflict, the court will, if possible, adopt that construction [35] which will allow both to stand. State v. Smith, 59 Ind. 179; State v. Wells, 112 Ind. 237.

The substance of the objections of counsel for appellant to §88 of the act of 1867, supra, is that intoxication of a municipal officer, under certain circumstances, has been made a specific cause for removal, and that new remedies for the amotion of officers have been provided by the acts of 1875 and 1897.

There can be no doubt as to the power of the corporation at common law to remove an officer for drunkenness, or other offenses, against his official character and duty. 2 Kyd on Corp., p. 62; Bagg’s Case, 11 Coke 93; Rex v. Carlisle, Fortesc. 200, 11 Mod. 378; Muhler v. Hedekin, 119 Ind. 481. But where there is a preexisting right at common law, and an affirmative statute subsequently inflicts a new penalty, or gives an additional remedy, such statute is held to be cumulative, and not as superseding the preexisting law. Toney v. Johnson, 26 Ind. 382; Miller v. Goodwine, 29 Ind. 46; Endlich on Statutes, §236; Rex v. Robinson, 2 Burr. 799.

It is said in Endlich on the Interpretátion of Statutes, §218: “Further, it is laid down, generally, that when the later enactment is worded in affirmative terms only, without any negative, expressed or implied, it does not repeal the earlier law. Thus, an act which authorized the Quarter Session to try a certain offense would involve no inconsistency with an earlier one which enacted that the offense should be tried by the Queen’s Bench, or the Assizes; nor an act authorizing a proceeding to contest the validity of a will, by petition to the court of common pleas, any inconsistency with an earlier one providing for a proceeding by bill in chancery; and in neither case, therefore, would the later repeal the prior law.”

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State ex rel. Barnett v. City of Noblesville, 60 N.E. 704, 157 Ind. 31, 1901 Ind. LEXIS 117 (Ind. 1901).

60 N.E. 704 (State ex rel. Barnett v. City of Noblesville) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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