Leflore County v. State
Leflore County v. State
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
The petition sufficiently shows that an election was ordered and held in Carroll county to determine whether the “ stock law” should be declared in force in that county, and that the result was in favor of it, and that the board of supervisors, in pursuance of the result of the election, declared that the stock law should be in force in said county from the fifteenth of February, 1893. Leflore is an adjoining county, and, while it is not distinctly and positively averred, as good pleading requires, that Leflore county has not adopted the stock law, it sufficiently appears, in view of the fact that the law is not in force in any county until it has been adopted, and the language of the petition is strongly suggestive of the fact that Leflore has not adopted the law, since the averment is that a fence between the two counties is necessary to prevent stock from Leflore county straying therefrom and trespassing in Carroll county.
. Mandamus is an appropriate remedy to compel the performance by a board of supervisors of the duty imposed by § 2061 of the code of 1892, as to jointly building and keeping in repair a fence on, or near, the county line to prevent stock straying from one county, in which the stock law is not in force, into the other, in which it is in force.
The object of that section is to make the county which adopts the stock law, and the county which does not, each chargeable with the burden of erecting and maintaining the
It is suggested that practical difficulties exist in reference to the location of the fence between the two counties, and procuring the site for it. If this be true, it will be time enough to deal with the difficulties when encountered. They should not be anticipated. It is probable that a hearty acceptance of the law, and the result of the action of Carroll county, by Leflore, and a determination by all concerned to discharge duty, as imposed by the law, will remove all obstacles, and lead to the building of the needed fence. Certainly it appears to us to be a matter of far more concern to Leflore to have that fence erected than to Carroll, as a consideration of the practical consequences to owners of stock in Leflore, if the fence shall not be built, must suggest.
The provisions of the constitution as to qualified electors* and registering electors, and the election ordinance adopted by the constitutional convention, have been appealed to as rendering unconstitutional the provisions of the code as to a stock law. We reject this view. There is nothing in the constitution or ordinances at war with the stock law. The legislature might pass a stock law for one or all the counties without a vote of the people on the subject. It might empower each board of supervisors to declare such law in force, without vote or petition of the people, and, having plenary power over the subject, was authorized to prescribe the conditions on which the boards might act.
A consideration of § 2062 of the code, as to the manner of raising money to defray the expenses of building and repairing fences, is not called for now. That will arise hereafter. The question now is, whether Leflore must join Carroll in
The objection that Carroll has gone on and made provision for part of the fence is not a reason for refusal by Leflore to do its part. The counties should confer and co-operate in the work, but if one will not, when applied to, the other may proceed alone, and call on the other for half the reasonable cost. The law charges each county with half the expense, and there is no way to escape it.
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Leflore County v. State, ex rel., etc.
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Mandamus. Stock law. Fence between comities. Qode 1892, \\ 2061. Mandamus lies to compel a board of supervisors to perform the duty imposed by 'i 2061, code 1S92, as to jointly building and maintaining a fence on or near the county line, to prevent stock straying from a county in which the stock law has not been adopted into an adjoining county where it is in force. 2. Same. Petition. Sufficiency of allegation. In a petition for mandamus, at the instance of a county that has adopted the law, to compel an adjoining county to join in building a line fence, it is not essential that it should be distinctly alleged that the adjoining-county has not adopted the law. As the law is not in force in any county until adopted, the petition will be sufficient as to this, if it avers that a fence between the two counties is necessary, to prevent slock straying- from the adjoining- county into the county adopting the law. 3. Counties. Fences between. Legislative control. It is within legislative control to provide for a joint fence between counties in such case. The benefits are mutual, and it cannot be said that a burden is unwarrantably imposed on the county declining- to act. In our arrangement of counties, each must be allowed to act in such matters and the inconvenience, if any, resulting- from contiguity of territory, affords no ground for legal complaint. 4. Same. Validity of the law. Practiced difficulties. Not anticipated. It is not a valid objection to the law that practical difficulties exist in reference to the location of the fence and procuring the site for it. It will be time enough to deal with these if encountered. They will not be anticipated. 5. Stock Law. Electors. Constitutional qualifications ; not applicable. The provisions of the constitution and the election ordinance as to registration and qualification' of electors have no application to elections under the stock law. The legislature has plenary power over the subject. 0. Joint Fence. Manner of raising funds. Code 1892, ? 2062. •In a proceeding- by mandamus, at the instance of a county which has adopted the law, to compel ah adjoining- county, which has not done so, to unite in erecting a line of fence, consideration of \\ 2002, code 1892, as to the manner of raising- money to build and maintain the fence, is not involved. 7. Same. Obligation on. both counties. Refusal of one. Right of the other. The fact that one county, after refusal by the other to do its part, proceeds alone, and makes provision for erecting part of the fence, will not relieve the other county from its obligation. If one county refuses to co-operate, the other may build the fence and recover hall' the expense. The law charges each with half the expense, and there is no way to escape it.