Winslow v. Fleischner

228 P. 101, 112 Or. 23, 34 A.L.R. 826, 1924 Ore. LEXIS 33
Oregon Supreme Court·Decided July 29, 1924·Published·Cited by 27 cases

Opinion

COSHOW, J.

There is no doubt that the order complained of is in harmony with the second paragraph of Section 8, Chapter 66, General Laws of 1921. The defendants contend that under the authority of Winslow v. Fleischner et al., 110 Or. 554 (223 Pac. 922), the order is valid. The contention is that the case above cited rules that the game commission is authorized by said Section 8 to close any one season. [26] But we do not think that is the proper construction of the court’s opinion in that case. Following the thoroughly established practice of this court, we would not declare an act of the legislature void, unless such a declaration was necessary to a proper disposition of the case under consideration. We did rule that, assuming the statute to be valid, the order there assailed was not authorized by the statute.

The instant case presents squarely for determination the validity of the portion of said Chapter 66 referred to above.

The same legislature which enacted said Chapter 66, Laws of 1921, also enacted Chapter 153, Laws of 1921, relating to the subject matter of preserving and protecting game animals and fish. These two statutes must be construed together: 2 Lewis ’ Sutherland on Statutory Construction (2 ed.), 844, 845, § 443; 25 R. C. L. 1062; Stoppenback v. Multnomah County, 71 Or. 493, 509 (142 Pac. 832), and cases there cited.

“It is to be observed that in the comparison of different statutes passed at the same session or nearly at the same time this circumstance has weight; for it is usually referred to as indicating the prevalence of the same legislative purpose, as rendering it unlikely that any marked contrariety was intended. But whether the prior statute is recent or of long standing it must yield if there is a conflict.” 2 Lewis’ Sutherland on Statutory Construction (2 ed.), 845, §§ 443-448.

Chapter 66 was approved February 14, 1921, and Chapter 153 seven days later. If there be any irreconcilable conflict beteen the two, the latter will prevail over the former: 1 Lewis’ Sutherland on Statutory Construction, 461, § 247; Benson v. Withycombe, 84 Or. 652, 658, 659 (166 Pac. 41), and cases there cited.

[27] By Chapter 153, it is lawful to kill deer with horns from August 20th to October 20th in District No. 1, and from September 1st to October 31st in District No. 2 of each year. The order assailed declared that the open season is closed for the year 1924 for the entire state. It in effect closes the open season for the year 1924. This is not a repeal of the statute, but is a suspension thereof: 1 Lewis ’ Sutherland on Statutory Construction (2 ed.), 459, § 246. The order continues by prescribing an open season for the year 1924.

The act of February 14, 1921, Chapter 66, Section 8, attempts to empower the game commission with power to

“close any open season or open any closed season in any county or district for the shooting or angling of any kind or species of game fish, game animals, fur-bearing animals, game birds or non-game birds for such time as the state game commission may designate.”

The act of February, 1921, Chapter 153, Section 10, among other things, provides:

“It shall be lawful within the state of Oregon to hunt * * deer with horns, from August twentieth to October twentieth of each year.”

There appears to be an irreconcilable conflict between the two statutes because the same act or course of conduct cannot be both lawful and unlawful at the same place and time and under the same circumstances. Chapter 153, therefore, repealed by implication, that part of Chapter 66 attempting to empower the game commission to close any open season or open any closed season.

We also conclude that the order of the game commission assailed is legislation. No condition, [28] contingency, exigency, or state of facts is mentioned or referred to in justification of the order either as it suspends the operation of the statute, or enacts a closed season for 1924. Chapter 66 contains no provision declaring the state of facts upon the occurrence of which the game commission may close an open season. The language of the statute would confer an arbitrary unqualified power upon the commission to substitute its will for that of the legislature. The suspension of a statute is a legislative act unless based upon some condition, contingency, exigency or state of facts, declared by the legislative enactment to be sufficient to warrant the suspension by an executive or administrative body whose duty it is to execute or administer the law suspended.

The power to delegate legislative functions is discussed in Lewis’ Sutherland on Statutory Construction (2 ed.), pp. 148-170, §§ 89-101. Numerous cases are there analyzed and discussed illustrating what is and what is not a delegation of legislative function.

“Legislative power is delegated contrary to the maxim stated when the legislature attempts to confer on others a power of substantive legislation, to be exercised independently or in connection with the legislature, or when it constitutes an inferior legislature or law-making body. At the same time it is necessary for the legislature to confer more or less of discretion upon executive and administrative officers in applying a law and carrying it into effect, and in many cases it is expedient to vest in such officers more or less of power to make rules and regulations for the purpose of applying and executing the law. It is, perhaps, impossible to lay down any general rule by which it may be certainly and readily determined whether such a law is or is not an unlawful delegation of legislative power. 1 Lewis’ Sutherland on Stat. Con. (2 ed.), 149.

[29] “The true test and distinction whether a power is strictly legislative, or whether it is administrative, and merely relates to the execution of the statute law, is between the delegation of power to make the law, which necessarily involves a discretion as to what it shall be, and conferring authority and discretion as to its execution, to be exercised under and in pursuance of the law. The first cannot be done. To the latter, no valid objection can be made.” State v. Burdge, 95 Wis. 390 (70 N. W. 347, 60 Am. St. Rep. 123, 37 L. R. A. 157).

The case of United States v. Grimaud, 220 U. S. 506 (55 L. Ed. 563, 31 Sup. Ct. Rep. 484, see, also, Rose’s U. S. Notes), is a leading case on this subject. In page 520, official report, the opinion quotes with approval from Field v. Clark, 143 U. S. 649, 694 (36 L. Ed. 294, 12 Sup. Ct. Rep. 495) as follows:

“The legislature cannot delegate its power to make a law, but it can make a law to delegate a power to determine some fact or state of things upon which the law makes, or intends to make its own action depend. ’ ’

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Winslow v. Fleischner, 228 P. 101, 112 Or. 23, 34 A.L.R. 826, 1924 Ore. LEXIS 33 (Or. 1924).

228 P. 101 (Winslow v. Fleischner) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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