State v. Davis

130 Ala. 148
Supreme Court of Alabama·Decided November 15, 1900·Published·Cited by 29 cases

Opinion

McCLELLAN, C. J.

The title of an act being “To prohibit the sale of spirituous, vinous or malt liquors in Dallas county outside the corporate limits and police jurisdiction of the city of Selma,’’ the prohibition embodied in the act is this: “Any person who sells, gives aivay or otherwise disposes of vinous, spirituous or malt liquors, or intoxicating bitters, beverages or drinks, or fruit preserved in alcohol, or alcoholic liquors in Dallas county outside the corporate limits and police jurisdiction of the city of Selma shall be guilty of a misdemeanor,” etc., etc. It is plain that the subject of giving away and of disposing of such liquors otherwise than by sale or gift are treated of in the body of the act, but are not expressed in its title. The act also [151] deals with the subject of intoxicating bitters, beverages and drinks which are not necessarily either vinous, spirituous or malt liquor, and with fruits preserved in alcohol, which is clearly not a liquor at all; and these subjects are. not expressed in the title. Bo that it is obvious that the act so far as it undertakes to prohibit the giving away, or other disposition than by sale of any of the liquors mentioned, and so far as it undertakes to prohibit even the sale of those commodities which are neither vinous, spirituous nor malt liquors, comes under the ban of section 2, Art. IV of the constitution requiring that: “Each law shall contain but one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title." But it does not follow that the whole statute is unconstitutional. To the contrary if the elimination of the subjects treated of in the body of the enactment and which are not expressed in its title, would leave a law “complete within itself, sensible, capable of being executed and wholly independent óf that which is rejected" the statute will stand and be enforced as to the subject which is'both expressed in the title and dealt with in the body of the act. That such elimination would leave such an act is, we think, clear. The act without those provisions in its text which are not expressed in its title would be a complete statute, “sensible, capable of being executed and wholly independent of the” rejected provision, for the prohibition of the sale of rinoms\ spirituous and malt liquors in Dallas county outside of Belnra and its police jurisdiction. Not only can all the matters not embraced in the title he struck down leaving a complete and independent statute which can be executed in respect of the subject expressed in the title as fully, in the same way and to the same effect as if these subjects which are alien to the title had been therein expressed, but there is no ground for saying that the legislature1 should not have undertaken to prohibit the sale of vinous, spirituous and malt liquors had they been aware that the provisions as to gifts and other dispositions and as to commodities not embraced in those terms would be abortive, for the interdiction of the sale of the liquors specified in the title1 is, of course, the primary, main and leading [152] object of all laws of this sort, and really tlie other provisions we have here in the text are thrown in more to prevent evasions of the main provision than upon any notion that anybody is going to give away, or dispose of otherwise than by sale, of enough of such liquors to foster the evil intended to be remedied, or that the policy and purpose of the law will be thwarted by sales, gifts or other dispositions of such beverages or bitters or drinks as do not contain vinous, spirituous or malt liquors, or of fruit preserved in alcohol. And so our conclusion is, upon every consideration pertinent to the inquiry, that the statute under consideration is a constitutional and valid enactment in so far as it proposed to prohibit the sale of vinous, spirituous and malt liquors. Yerby v. Cochrane, 101 Ala. 541, and cases there cited; Harper v. State, 109 Ala. 28; Shehane v. Bailey, 110 Ala. 388; Bell v. State, 115 Ala. 87; State v. Street, 117 Ala. 203; Ex parte Moore, 62 Ala. 471, 476; Ex parte Cowart, 92 Ala. 94; Lowndes County v. Hunter, 49 Ala. 507; Rogers v. Torbert; 58 Ala. 523; Powell v. Stale, 69 Ala. 10.

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State v. Davis, 130 Ala. 148 (Ala. 1900).

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