Territory of Alaska v. 188 Cases of Mixed Intoxicating Liquors

10 Alaska 414
CourtDistrict Court, D. Alaska
DecidedJuly 21, 1944
DocketNo. 5170
StatusPublished

This text of 10 Alaska 414 (Territory of Alaska v. 188 Cases of Mixed Intoxicating Liquors) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Alaska primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Territory of Alaska v. 188 Cases of Mixed Intoxicating Liquors, 10 Alaska 414 (D. Alaska 1944).

Opinion

PRATT, District Judge.

The defendant, Magids Bros., has demurred to the complaint on the ground that the Territorial Liquor Law is invalid in so far as it attempts to make liquor shipped into Alaska to a person not having a license to sell the same, contraband and subject to forfeiture. Defendant bases its claim of invalidity on the theory that the act, to be valid, must provide for notice to claimants of the liquor and a trial on their claimed fights.

As said co-partnership is the only one of the defendants appearing herein, it will hereinafter be referred to as defendant.

The Fifth Amendment to the Federal Constitution forbids the taking of private property without due process of law. The constitution and laws of the United States, not locally inapplicable, are a part of the laws of the [417]*417Territory of Alaska (Sec. 463, Compiled Laws of Alaska 1933, hereinafter referred to merely as C.L.A.).

So much of the common law as is applicable and not inconsistent with the constitution of the United States or any law passed by Congress or the legislature of Alaska is in force in the Territory of Alaska (Sec. 3271, C.L.A.).

The Territorial Liquor Laws on this subject (Ch. 78, Session Laws of Alaska 1937) provide:

Section 5(7): “Any intoxicating liquors shipped into the Territory of Alaska other than to licensees hereunder shall be deemed contraband and subject to confiscation by the Territory and any intoxicating liquors so seized shall be sold under the orders of the District Court and the proceeds thereof deposited with the Territorial Treasurer.’’
Section 12. Penalties. “A violation of any of the provisions of this Act shall be deemed a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment of not more than one year, or by a fine of not more than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00), each violation to be considered a separate offense. Any intoxicating liquors shipped into the Territory, other than to licensees hereunder and contrary to the provisions of this Act, shall be deemed contraband, and subject to confiscation by the Territory, or any enforcement officer; and any intoxicating liquors so seized shall be sold under the order of the District Court, and the proceeds thereof deposited with the Territorial Treasurer.”

Nowhere in the act is it made a crime to ship liquors into Alaska to persons other than to licensees and nowhere in the act is there any direct provision for notice to claimants of the liquor or trial of their claims.

The following rules, however, should be considered :

12 Corpus Juris, page 1229: “But a statute will not be held unconstitutional for failure expressly to provide for notice, if the requirement of notice may be fairly implied from a consideration of all its provisions, (n. 24) and ac[418]*418cording to some authorities a requirement of notice is to be implied from the very fact that it is a constitutional requirement, irrespective of particular provisions in the statute under which the proceeding is had. (n. 25.) Under this view the statute is not unconstitutional unless it undertakes to dispense with notice, (n. 26.)

To the same effect is 16 Corpus Juris Secundum, Constitutional Law, § 619, page 1255.

In Wadley Southern Railway Company v. Georgia, 235 U.S. 651, 35 S.Ct. 214, 59 L.Ed. 405, the Court held as set forth in Syllabus No. 3.

Syllabus No. 3: “Although the particular section which authorizes an order of a state railroad commission may not provide for a hearing, if the state court has construed that section as part of the law establishing the commission and which does require hearings, that section is not unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment as denying an opportunity to be heard; and so held as to the Georgia Railroad Commission Law.”

To the same general effect is Security Trust & Safety Vault Company v. City of Lexington, 203 U.S. 323, 27 S.Ct, 87, 51 L.Ed. 204, and Paulsen v. Portland, 149 U.S. 30, 13 S.Ct. 750, 37 L.Ed. 637.

In Smith v. State Board of Medical Examiners et al., 140 Iowa 66, 117 N.W. 1116, it was held that where the law authorized the Board to revoke a certificate to practice medicine for incompetency of the holder, it would be implied that he was entitled to notice and a hearing inasmuch as other parts of the law required the Board to hold regular meetings, give notice thereof, and discharge the duties required by law.

In Baltimore Belt R. Co. v. Baltzell et al., 75 Md. 94, 23 A. 74, where the statute as to a condemnation of a right of way by a railway provided for the summoning of twenty jurors to meet on the premises, each side to strike off four and try the question of compensation with the remaining [419]*419twelve, it was necessarily implied that notice to the owner and opportunity to be heard were to be given.

In Town of Falls Church et al. v. County Board of Arlington County et al., 166 Va. 192, 184 S.E. 459, it was held that an act providing for court proceeding to eliminate an area from corporate limits of town, extending in two counties, which provided for service of petition on board of supervisors of counties affected and notice by publication and for service of summons upon board of supervisors of county and mayor of town, held not unconstitutional as denying due process, although not expressly stating town might defend proceeding in its own name.

In Bioni et ux. v. Haselton, 99 Vt. 453, 134 A. 606, the statute did not specially provide for notice to the parents of a minor sought to be placed under guardianship. It was held that the act was not wanting in due process of law because it did not so provide but the statute would be interpreted to require notice to the parties affected as the common law required such notice to be given.

In Boeing Air Transport v. Farley, 64 App.D.C. 162, 75 F.2d 765, it was held that although Section 3950, Revised Statutes, 39 U.S.C.A. § 432, did not expressly provide for notice and hearing as conditions precedent to the annulment of a mail contract, the provisions for notice and hearing would be read into the statute by implication as otherwise it would clearly be unconstitutional. Certiorari denied, 294 U.S. 728, 55 S.Ct. 637, 79 L.Ed. 1258.

In People v. Grant, 1942, 52 Cal.App.2d 794, 127 P.2d 19, the statute provided that monies used in slot machines should be forfeited to the State and should be recovered on the filing of an information, whereupon the Clerk of Court should issue an attachment. It was held that by implication the section of the civil procedure statute requiring notice and other proceedings were adopted as otherwise the act would be unconstitutional. Column 2, page 22.

The above, it io believed, is the rule to be followed in this jurisdiction although there are authorities somewhat to the [420]*420contrary as followed and mentioned in the case of People v. Broad, 216 Cal. 1,

Related

Paulsen v. Portland
149 U.S. 30 (Supreme Court, 1893)
Wadley Southern Railway Co. v. Georgia
235 U.S. 651 (Supreme Court, 1915)
People v. Grant
127 P.2d 19 (California Court of Appeal, 1942)
Boeing Air Transport, Inc. v. Farley
75 F.2d 765 (D.C. Circuit, 1935)
People v. Broad
12 P.2d 941 (California Supreme Court, 1932)
Bioni Et Ux. v. Haselton, Guardian
134 A. 606 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1926)
United States v. Howell
5 Alaska 578 (D. Alaska, 1916)
Town of Falls Church v. County Board
184 S.E. 459 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1936)
General Petroleum Corp. of California v. Hobson
23 F.2d 349 (S.D. California, 1927)
Smith v. State Board of Medical Examiners
117 N.W. 1116 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1908)
Baltimore Belt Railroad v. Baltzell
23 A. 74 (Court of Appeals of Maryland, 1891)
Benedicto v. Porto Rican American Tobacco Co.
256 F. 422 (First Circuit, 1919)

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