State v. Fore

180 N.C. 744
Supreme Court of North Carolina·Decided December 24, 1920·Published·Cited by 5 cases

Opinion

AlleN, J.

The evidence is sufficient to sustain the verdict. The-defendant lived ten miles from Asheville, and he was occupying a room in a boarding-house in Asheville, fitted up for receiving liquor and keeping it for sale. At the time of his arrest he had more than a quart of' whiskey in his possession in several small bottles, a whiskey glass, and a funnel, and empty bottles and fruit jars were found in his room. In the absence of explanation the jury might reasonably and -legitimately infer from these circumstances that the defendant was receiving liquor illegally and for an illegal purpose.

The effect of the prohibition amendment and of the Yolstead Act oni State legislation is fully considered in the instructive and learned opinion-by Rugg, Chief Justice, of Massachusetts, in Commonwealth v. Nickerson, recently decided, from which we quote at length, preferring to do-so to presenting the thoughts and reasoning of the Court in our own, language.

[747]*747Tbe defendant was convicted on tbe charge of selling liquor illegally in violation of a statute of tbe State, wbicb tbe defendant insisted waff superseded by tbe Yolstead Act.

Tbe Court says: “Tbe Eighteenth Amendment was proclaimed as-having been ratified, and thus became a part of tbe fundamental law of tbe land, on 29 January, 1919, 40 U. S. Sts. at Large, 1941. Its first two* sections, being tbe ones here pertinent, are in these words:

“ 'SectioN 1. After one year from tbe ratification of this article, tbe manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the-importation thereof into, or tbe exportation thereof from tbe United States and all territory subject to tbe jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes are hereby prohibited.
“ 'Sec. 2. Tbe Congress and tbe several States shall have concurrent-power to embrace this article by appropriate legislation.’
“Congress, pursuant to tbe power conferred upon it by tbe second section of the Eighteenth Amendment 'to enforce this article by appropriate legislation,’ has enacted tbe National Prohibition Law, being act of 26 October, 1919, cb. 85, acts Sixty-sixth Congress, 41 U. S. Sts. at Large, 305, known as tbe Yolstead Act.”
“By Title II, s. 1, of tbe Yolstead Act it is provided that, 'The word “liquor” or tbe phrase “intoxicating liquor” shall be construed to include alcohol, brandy, whiskey, rum, gin, beer, ale, porter and.wine, and in addition thereto any spirituous, vinous, malt, or fermented liquor, liquids, and compounds, whether medicated, proprietary, patented, or not, and by whatever name called, containing one-half of one per centum or more of alcohol by volume which are fit for use for beverage purposes,’ with exceptions not here material. By s. 3 of the same title it is provided that ‘No person shall on or after the date when the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States goes into effect, manufacture, sell, barter, transport, import, export, deliver, furnish, or possess any intoxicating liquor except as authorized in this act, and all the provisions of this act shall be liberally construed to the end and that the use of intoxicating liquor as a beverage may be prevented.’ By s. 29 the penalty for a sale of liquor in violation of Title II is for a first offense a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or imprisonment not exceeding six months, and for a second or subsequent offense a fine of not less than two hundred dollars, nor more than two thousand dollars, and imprisonment for not less than one month nor more than five years.”

Section 35 provides: “All provisions of law inconsistent with this act are repealed only to the extent of such inconsistency and the regulations herein provided for the manufacture or traffic in intoxicating liquor shall be construed á’s in addition to existing laws.”

[748]*748Tbe Court then quotes from Rhode Island v. Palmer, 252 U. S., as follows: “ '6. Tbe first section of tbe amendment — tbe one embodying tbe prohibition — is operative throughout tbe entire territorial limits ■of tbe United States, binds all legislative bodies, courts, public officers -and individuals within those limits, and of its own force invalidates •every legislative act — whether by Congress, by a State Legislature, or by a territorial assembly — which authorizes or sanctions what the section prohibits.

“ 7. The second section of the amendment — the one declaring “The ''Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce ■this article by appropriate legislation” — does not enable Congress or the several States to defeat or thwart the prohibition, but only to enforce it by appropriate means.
“ '8. The words “concurrent power” in that section do not mean joint ■power, or require that legislation thereunder by Congress to be effective ■shall be approved or sanctioned by the several States, or any of them, ■nor do they mean that the power to enforce is divided between Congress ■and the several States along the lines which separate or distinguish foreign and interstate commerce from intrastate affairs.
“ 'The power confined to Congress by that section, while not exclusive, is territorially coextensive with the prohibition of the first section, embraces manufacture and other intrastate transactions as well as importation, exportation, and interstate traffic, and is in no wise dependent on <or affected by action or inaction on the part of the several States, or any of them.’ By conclusion 10 the Yolstead Act is declared applicable indifferently to the disposal for beverage of liquors manufactured before •and after the Eighteenth Amendment became effective, and by eonclu•sion 11 the declaration of that act that liquors containing as much as ■one-half of one per cent of alcohol by volume and fit for use for beverage •shall be treated as intoxicating was held to be within the scope of the Eighteenth Amendment.”

Concluding that the Supreme Court of the United States has not given ■an authoritative definition of the words “concurrent power,” he dis- ■ cusses this question at length with full and interesting citation of authority.

“This is the only instance to be found in the Constitution, or any of ’its amendments, where there is a definite declaration that both Congress ■•and the several States have 'concurrent power to enforce’ any constitutional mandate or power 'by appropriate legislation.’ Certain powers are reserved to the States. Article 1, section 8. Article X of the amend:ments. Certain powers are prohibited to the States, and certain other powers can be exercised by the States only by consent of Congress. .Article 1, section 10. But in the Eighteenth "Amendment alone is there [749]*749express establishment of the existence of concurrent power in Congress and tbe several States to enforce by legislation its provisions.

“The words of the second section of the Eighteenth Amendment are specific to the point that ‘The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation/ This phrase is significantly different from that found in corresponding sections of Amendments XIII, XIV, and XV. In those three instances Congress alone is given power ‘to enforce’ ‘by appropriate legislation.’ Here the several States are joined with the Congress as depositories of concurrent legislative power.

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State v. Fore, 180 N.C. 744 (N.C. 1920).

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