City of Shreveport v. Marx
City of Shreveport v. Marx
Opinion of the Court
Defendant was prosecuted in the city court of Shreveport, La., under Act No. 8 of Extra Sess. 1915 and a city ordinance fpr operating a “blind tiger,” and was duly convicted. She appealed to the district court for Caddo parish, the cases were tried de novo and the judgment of the city court affirmed. Having no further right of appeal, defendant applied to us for writs of certiorari and prohibition, alternative writs were issued, and the case is now before us for disposition.
The complaints made against the action of the lower court are presented in nine bills of exception .attached to the’ application, and which we shall dispose of in their order, as follows:
Bill No. 1.
Bill No. 1 was retained to the overruling of a demurrer and motion to quash the charges, filed in the district court, on the ground that
It is contended by defendant that, inasmuch as Congress, .under the Eighteenth Amendment, has dealt in detail with the manufacture, sale, transportation, importation, and exportation of intoxicating liquors, all state legislation and municipal ordinances passed prior to such legislation have been repealed or superseded by the federal law. In view of the apparent purpose of Congress to deal with the whole subject of prohibition, this would doubtless be true if it were not for the fact that the very amendment itself gives or reserves to the states concurrent power to enforce it by appropriate legislation. It reads:
•‘The manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquor within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation' thereof from, the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is * * * prohibited.
“The Congress and the several states shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
The motion to quash was therefore without merit.
Bill No. 2.
Bill No. 3.
Bill No. 4.
Bill No. 5.
We find no error.
Bill No. 6.
Bill No. 7.
Bill No. 7 was reserved to the overruling of an objection to the testimony of a witness as to what occurred at defendant’s place a week prior to the first charge of April 24th. The reasons given by the court were the same as those in the per curiam tó bill No. 5, and we think, sufficient.
Bill No. 8.
“Q. Mr. Hawkins, did Mr. Ludwick make any statement in the presence of defendant?
•‘A. Yes, sir.
“Q. What was it?”
■Counsel for defendant objected on the ground that Ludwick was the best witness of what took place, and for the further reason that the answer would be hearsay and violate the provision of the Constitution, requiring that the accused shall be confronted by the witnesses against him, and that the matter inquired about took place seven days prior to the trial. The objection was overruled for the reason that:
“The evidence showed that the statement was made in the presence of the accused, and that the accused failed to deny same at- the time.”
The answer was to the effect that Ludwick - told Hawkins that accused had sold him (Ludwick) whisky, and the accused made no denial of it, though the statement was made in her presence.
We> think the evidence was admissible.
Bill No. 9.
“That the accused is being tried de novo in the district court on appeal from the city court, where the accused 'was arraigned and issue*39 joined. The accused is now in this court in the possession [position] of appellant, in an effort to defeat the judgment of the city court, and no arraignment is necessary.”
The copy of the transcript from the city court is in the record, and shows that accused was arraigned there. There was no necessity for an arraignment in the district court. The issue had already been properly joined.
No-briefs were filed by either side in this case.
For the reasons assigned, the preliminary rule issued herein is recalled, and the application dismissed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- CITY OF SHREVEPORT v. MARX. In re MARX
- Cited By
- 35 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- (Syllabus by IMitnrial Staff.) I. Intoxicating liquors State legislation, prohibiting sale of intoxie'atihg liquors, yields to that of Congress only because- of paramount authority of the latter in enforcing the federal Constitution, and legislation of the state must stand, unless there is some conflict with an act of Congress which would tend to defeat the purpose of the Eighteenth Amendment to the federal Constitution, in view of the clause giving concurrent power to the states to enforce the amendment. 2. Intoxicating liquors c&wkey;!3, 132 — State prohibition statute not superseded by Eighteenth Amendment and Volstead Act. Act No. 8 of Extra Sess. 1915, a state statute prohibiting sales of liquor, although in force when the Eighteenth Amendment to the federal Constitution and the Volstead Act became effective, was not repealed or superseded by such amendment or act of Congress. 3. Municipal corpprations Where defendant was prosecuted in a city court under Act No. 8 of Extra Sess. 1915 and a city ordinance for operating a “blind tiger,” and was duly convicted and appealed to the distinct court, the district court did not err in refusing to quash the charge under the city ordinance, on the ground that the appeal on that phase of the case should have come to the Supreme Court direct. 4. Intoxicating liquors The Eighteenth Amendment to the federal Constitution and the Volstead Act did not supersede or repeal an ordinance of the city of Shreveport, prohibiting the operating of blind tigers. 5. Municipal corporations Where defendant was prosecuted in city court under Act No. 8 of Extra Sess. 1915 and a city ordinance, and convicted for operating a blind tiger, and appealed to the district court, court exercised a proper discretion in declining to entertain a motion to quash the charge under the city ordinance and in refusing to remand that phase of the 'case to the city court in order to permit an appeal to the Supreme Court. 6. Criminal law In a prosecution for operating a blind tiger under Act No. 8 .of Extra Sess. 1915, court did not err in overruling defendant’s motion, asking that the state he required to proceed, as she contended, in accordance with Act No. 8 of 1915, by producing the search warrant and ascertaining if it had been procured according to the statute, and, if not, that the witnesses be not permitted to testify, the court giving as its reason that, even though the evidence might have been obtained in a manner different 'from that provided in the statute, this did not prevent its being used by the state when so obtained. 7. Criminal law lind tiger held admissible. In a prosecution under Act No. 8 of Extra Sess. 1915 for operating a blind tiger, court did not err in admitting in evidence certain circumstances and acts which took place on April 24, which had been used by the prosecution oh a charge of keeping a blind tiger on that date, and of which defendant was acquitted, present charge being made as of the 25th of the same month, where the court overruled the objection for the reason that the offense of keeping a blind tiger is in its nature a continuing one, and proof of the character offered was admissible, not for the purpose of showing another crime, but as corroborative of other evidence tending to establish the charge. 8. Criminal law 599 — No abuse of discretion in refusing to grant continuance for surprise. In a prosecution for operating a blind tiger under Act No. 8 of Extra Sess. 1915, court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to continue the case when over objection it admitted in evidence circumstances and acts which took place on a certain date, which had been used by the prosecution on a charge of keeping a blind tiger on that date, and of which defendant had been acquitted, defendant pleading surprise and expressing a desire to summon witnesses and' show what took place on such date, reason given by the court being that the offense was a continuing one, and that defendant should have known that any evidence which might have tended to establish the keeping of a blind tiger would be received, and should have had her witnesses present. 9. Criminal law In a prosecution for operating a blind tiger under Act No. 8 of Extra Sess. 1915, court properly permitted the state to ask a witness as to what a certain person said in the presence of accused, over the defendant’s objection that such third person was the best witness of ■what took place, and that the answer would be hearsay, the objection being overruled for the reason that “the evidence showed that the statement was made in the presence of the accused, and that the accused failed to deny same at the time,” answer being to the effect that the third person stated that accused had sold him whisky. 10. Criminal law &wkey;260( 13) — Arraignment In district court not necessary, where issue had been’ joined in city court. Where one being prosecuted for operating a blind tiger was arraigned in a city court, there was no necessity for an arraignment on appeal in the district court, where the accused was tried de novo.