State v. Brown

246 N.W. 259, 215 Iowa 600
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedJanuary 17, 1933
DocketNo. 41008.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 246 N.W. 259 (State v. Brown) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Brown, 246 N.W. 259, 215 Iowa 600 (iowa 1933).

Opinion

Albert, J.

— The crime charged in the indictment is alleged to have been committed on November 21, 1928, and an indictment was returned April 2, 1931. At the time the alleged crime was committed, and also at the date of the return of the indictment, the following two sections of the Code of 1927 were in force:

“9279. No bank * * * or person engaged in the banking * * * business, shall, when insolvent, accept or receive on deposit * * * any money, bank bills or notes, United States treasury notes or currency * * * ”

“9280. If any such bank * * * or person shall receive or accept on deposit any such deposits, as aforesaid, when insolvent, any owner * * * who shall knowingly receive or accept * * * any such deposits * shall be guilty of a felony * *

After defendant’s indictment arid before the trial, the legislature enacted Chapter 30 of the Acts of the Forty-third General Assembly, which went into effect by publication on April 17, 1929. Section 30 of said act reads as follows:

“Amending Penalty Statute Relating to Receiving Deposits When Institution Insolvent. That Section 9280 of the Code, 1927, be and the same is hereby amended by inserting after the word ‘knowingly,’ the spelling of which is completed in Line 8 thereof, the following: ‘with intent to defraud or receiving financial benefit therefrom.’ ”

*602 The portion of said act with which we are now concerned, as amended, reads as follows:

“If any such bank * accept on deposit any such deposits, as aforesaid, when insolvent, any owner * knowing of such insolvency, who shall knowingly with intent to defraud or receiving financial benefit therefrom receive or accept * * * any such deposits * * * shall be guilty of a felony, and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars, or by imprisonment in the penitentiary for a term of not more than ten years, or by imprisonment in the county jail not more than one year, or by both fine and imprisonment.”

It will be noted in passing that the amendment made by the forty-third general assembly does not change the penalty of the act (Section 9280) as it formerly existed. It is the claim of the defendant that by the amendment above referred to a legislative pardon was granted for all prior offenses where deposits were accepted without intent to defraud or receive financial benefit.

The aforesaid Chapter 30 of the Acts of the Forty-third General Assembly contains Section 35, reading as follows:

“All acts or parts of acts in conflict with the provisions hereof are hereby repealed.”

Defendant argues that the reason that the last quoted clause of the statute, under which the alleged crime was committed, was repealed without any saving clause was to prevent a prosecution or punishment for a violation before the repeal. This seems to be the general rule (16 C. J. 70, Sec. 34), unless there be a general statute providing a saving clause. 16 C. J. 72, Sec. 37.

Section 63, Code 1927, reads as follows:

“Rules. In the construction of the statutes, the following rules shall be observed, unless such construction would be inconsistent with the manifest intent of the general assembly, or repugnant to the context of the statute:

“1. Repeal — Effect of. The repeal of a statute does not revive a statute previously repealed, nor affect any right which has accrued, any duty imposed, any penalty incurred, or any proceeding commenced, under or by virtue of the statute repealed.”

All saving clauses in regard to criminal offenses are to be con *603 strued strictly in favor of the defendant. Jones v. State, 1 Iowa (Clarke) 395.

This question was before this court in State v. Shaffer, 21 Iowa 486, where the charge was cutting down and destroying trees on the land of another. In relation to this matter we said:

“Whatever may have been the rule of law, aside from any legislative enactment, it is clear, under our statute, that the court erred in sustaining the defendant’s demurrer. Subdivision of Section 29 of the Revision (Sec. 26 of Code of 1851) provides that ‘the repeal of a statute does not revive a statute previously repealed;.nor does such repeal affect any right which accrued, any duty imposed, any penalty incurred, nor any proceeding commenced under or by virtue of the statute repealed.’ * * i:' The amendment to Section 4324 (Code of 1860) is to be construed in connection with this section, and with such section it is equivalent to adding to such amendment, ‘provided that this amendment shall not affect any penalty incurred under the section aforesaid.’ ”

This seems to be the universal rule when there is a general statute providing saving clauses. See People v. McNulty, 29 Pac. (Cal.) 61; Heath v. State, 90 N. E. (Ind.) 310; State v. Lawrence, 77 N. E. (Ohio) 266; People v. Driessen, 144 N. W. (Mich.) 526; State v. Smith, 64 N. W. (Minn.) 1022; State v. Widman, 72 So. (Miss.) 782; Marion v. State, 20 N. W. (Neb.) 289; Commonwealth v. Drohan, 97 N. E. (Mass.) 89; McNulty v. People, 37 L. Ed. (U. S.) 882. For further citation, see 16 C. J. 72, Note 50.

It will be observed that under the original law the penalty was for knowingly receiving deposits and the receiver knew that the bank' was insolvent; while, under the law as amended, the defendant must not only know of the insolvency of the bank and knowingly receive and accept the deposit, but he must do so “with intent to defraud or receiving financial benefit therefrom.” Or, to.state it in a practical way, under the old law, to successfully convict, the State must prove three elements: (1) The insolvency of the bank; (2) that the party accused knew it was insolvent; (3) that he knowingly received the deposit. While under the law as amended, the State is required to prove a fourth element, to wit, either that at the time he received the deposit it was received with intent to defraud or to receive financial benefit therefrom.

The effect of the repealing clause in the Acts of the Forty-third *604 General Assembly heretofore set out must be construed in the light of Section 63, Code of 1927, as above set out.

Appellant says in argument:

“If the legislature does not indicate its intent, then, under the general saving clause, the repeal of the statute does not affect any penalty already incurred.”

Adverting to the rule, Section 63, Code of 1927, the repeal of a statute '“does not * * * affect * * * any penalty incurred.” So far, then, the contention of the appellant cannot be sustained; but the statute also provides that this should be the construction “unless such construction would be inconsistent with the manifest intent of the general assembly.”

The question then is: What was the manifest intent of the general assembly in passing Chapter 30 of the Acts of the Forty-third General Assembly?

The intent of the legislature must be determined by its enactment construed in the light of all of the circumstances.

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251 N.W. 640 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1933)
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246 N.W. 259, 215 Iowa 600, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-brown-iowa-1933.