State ex rel. Springer v. Bliss

1947 OK 169, 185 P.2d 220, 199 Okla. 198, 1947 Okla. LEXIS 636
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMay 20, 1947
DocketNo. 32648
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 1947 OK 169 (State ex rel. Springer v. Bliss) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. Springer v. Bliss, 1947 OK 169, 185 P.2d 220, 199 Okla. 198, 1947 Okla. LEXIS 636 (Okla. 1947).

Opinions

WELCH, J.

This action was instituted by the county attorney of Nowata county for injunctive 'relief against the sale of beer and the issuance of licenses to sell beer.

The prime question presented is whether the injunction may be had without regard to whether the beer involved is intoxicating or even had any alcoholic content at all. That is, there is neither contention nor allegation that the beer referred to is either capable of producing intoxication in fact or contains any alcohol at all. The right is claimed to enjoin because of the name beer, whether it has any propensity to intoxicate the consumer, or has any alcoholic content.

On presentation to the trial court of these contentions and this question, the trial judge sustained a demurrer to plaintiff’s petition, thus holding that the petition stated no cause of action and that the right to proceed as contended was without legal foundation. That holding of the trial court is presented here for review.

In 1933 the people of the state, upon referendum, adopted or approved an act referring to and defining “nonintoxicating beverages” as being beverages containing not more than 3.2% alcohol by weight. In this action it is not clear what, if any, attack is sought to be made on that enactment. The plaintiff’s petition suggests in general terms that the act violates the Constitution. But in [200]*200presentation of the matter by brief and oral argument it is pointed out that the enactment does not purport to authorize any beverage .by name, and does not authorize the sale of beer by name and therefore it is expressly stated that the act itself is not unconstitutional when construed by its plain language. Thus it is made clear that petitioner only contends that act is unavailing or not effective, insofar as it might be relied upon as authority to sell beer as a beverage. This emphasizes the position of petitioner that it is the name only of the beverage or the beverage by name only which he seeks to reach by injunction and that there is no contention that the referendum act is unconstitutional on account of any claimed intoxicating quality in fact of the beverages authorized to be sold by the referendum act.

Thus we must proceed, as did the trial court, to determine the question whether the plaintiff’s petition for injunction states a cause of action, or whether, as held by the trial court, the action undertaken is without legal foundation.

The petition alleges in material substance that Ethel Bliss unlawfully operates a place in the city of Nowata in that she sells a beverage commonly known and designated as beer; that the county judge issued to her a county license permitting the sale of beer and will issue such license to other persons; that the Oklahoma Tax Commission issued to her a license or permit to sell said beverage, and will issue such licenses to other persons; that such licenses were issued and are about to be issued under an act of the Legislature which act is void because in conflict with the prohibition ordinance of the Constitution.

The defendants demurred to the petition and, among other grounds, stated the petition does not state a cause of action.

The demurrers were sustained, and upon election by plaintiff to stand on the petition the cause was dismissed, and plaintiff appeals.

There is no allegation in the petition that the beer being sold was intoxicating nor any reference made to its alcoholic content.

In testing the sufficiency of the petition to charge violation of the Constitution the question is presented, Does the prohibition ordinance of the Constitution prohibit the sale of beer as such, or by name, and whether intoxicating or not?

The prohibition ordinance (page 115, O. S. 1941) begins:

“The manufacture, sale, barter, giving away, or otherwise furnishing, except as hereinafter provided, of intoxicating liquors within this State, or any part thereof, is prohibited for a period of twenty-one years from the date of the admission of this State into the Union, and thereafter until the people of the State shall otherwise provide by amendment of this Constitution and proper state legislation. . .

The phrase “intoxicating liquors” in this first sentence of the ordinance is not preceded or followed by any words of qualification or limitation. It is simply provided that intoxicating liquors are prohibited. The next sentence of the ordinance provides:

“Any person, individual or corporate, who shall manufacture, sell, barter, give away, or otherwise furnish any intoxicating liquor of any kind, including beer, ale, and wine, contrary to the provision of this section, or who shall, within this State, advertise for sale or solicit the purchase of any such liquors, or who shall ship or in any way convey such liquors from one place within this State to another place therein, except the conveyance of a lawful purchase as herein authorized, shall be punished, on conviction thereof, by fine not less than fifty dollars and by imprisonment not less than thirty days for each offense; Provided, That the Legislature may provide by law for one agency under the supervision of the State in each incor[201]*201porated town of not less than two thous- and population in the State; and if there be no corporated town of two thousand population in any county in this State, such county shall be entitled to have such agency, for the sale of such liquors for medicinal purposes; . . (Emphasis ours.)

It' is noted that no words of prohibition appear in the ordinance except in the first sentence; this second sentence begins with a proviso to make the ordinance self-executing. It provides a punishment for acts “contrary to the provisions of this section.” It is a proviso by which the declaration in the first sentence that “intoxicating liquors within this state ... is prohibited” is given effect, and to operate directly upon the people, and without statutory enactments by the Legislature. In the next sentence is a provision under which the Legislature might establish an agency for the sale of liquors under certain conditions. Again note the language of the first sentence of the ordinance; “The . . . sale . . . except as hereinafter provided, of intoxicating liquors . . . is prohibited.” Clearly the proviso under which the Legislature may provide for sale of liquors has reference to liquors as mentioned in the prohibition clause of intoxicating liquors. Likewise the proviso that persons shall be punished for their certain acts has reference to the violation of the prohibition clause. In the punishment proviso, the words, beer, ale, and wine are modified, limited and controlled by the preceding phrase of “any intoxicating liquors of any kind, including.” The word “including” relates to intoxicating liquors and has the effect of carrying forward the adjective instead of repeating it as (including) intoxicating beer, intoxicating ale, intoxicating wine. This is patent because it was “intoxicating liquors” that was the subject of the prohibition and the words “beer, ale and wine” are followed by the words “contrary to the provisions of this section.”

It is generally recognized that in common usage in a discussion of beverages the word “liquor” has reference to a beverage produced by the process of distillation and of high potency; although lexicographers might define beer, ale, and wine as malt liquor, fermented liquor and vinous liquor, in common usage such beverages would be called by name and be distinguished from the term liquor.

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Related

Craig v. Boren
429 U.S. 190 (Supreme Court, 1976)
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1957 OK 167 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1957)
State v. Manard
1947 OK CR 114 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1947)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1947 OK 169, 185 P.2d 220, 199 Okla. 198, 1947 Okla. LEXIS 636, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-springer-v-bliss-okla-1947.