Reed's License
Reed's License
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The testimony forms no part of the record in a liquor license case. Where the court sets forth in an opinion in connection with the order the reasons for its action we may inquire whether the reasons are legal reasons: Ohilcott’s Licenses, 61 Pa. Superior Ct. 552; Venango County Liquor Licenses, 58 Pa. Superior Ct. 277 (299).
In the case before us there Avas a numerously signed remonstrance containing three items, “First: There is no necessity for said license. Second: The granting of licenses to sell intoxicating liquors is harmful to the community and increases crime and pauperism. Third: For other matters of law and fact appearing from the papers and record in said case.” The court filed the following order: “This court being of the opinion that it is Avithout power under the laAv of Pennsylvania to find that the granting of licenses to sell intoxicating liquors is harmful to the community and increases crime and pauperism, is obliged to disregard the petition filed against this license as establishing the allegations stated, and as thereby bearing upon the question of necessity, and being without such power this license is granted and bond approved.” In the opinion preceding the above order the court states: “A particular license may be refused by the court because, for reasons connected with that application, to grant it would be detrimental to the public good, but that is not the point here; here the objection is based on a matter which is alleged to be common to all licenses.”
The court was right in the position it took. In the oft referred to case of Schlaudecker v. Marshall, 72 Pa. 200, Justice Agnew states: “Whether any or all licenses .Should be granted is a legislative, not a judicial question.
Had the lower court refused the license and given as the reason for his action that the sale of liquor generally is harmful to any community and therefore no licenses should be granted, we would have been compelled to find that the court had not exercised a proper judicial discretion in refusing a license on such grounds.
It is contended by the appellant that the language employed by the court leads to the conclusion that it refused to consider the remonstrance at all, but we think this is not borne out by the opinion. The court states that it is obliged to disregard the petition filed against
The order is affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.