State v. Fant
State v. Fant
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the Court was delivered by
Defendant was convicted and sentenced upon an indictment under the dispensary law of 1909, 26 Stat. 60, charging that on September 3, 1910, at Anderson, S. C., he “wilfully and unlawfully did store and keep in possession contraband, spirituous liquors containing alcohol and used as a beverage against the form of the statute, * * *.”
Defendant demurred to the indictment: (1) On the ground that it alleges no offense, in that it is not charged that the liquors were stored and kept by defendant for an unlawful use, and for what use; (2) because the act of 1909 is unconstitutional, being in violation of section 17, article III, of the Constitution of South Carolina, providing : “Every act or resolution having the force of law shall relate to but one subject, and that shall be expressed in the title;” (3) because said act is in contravention of the interstate commerce clause of the United States Constitution, article I, section 8. These objections are renewed here by the exceptions to the refusal of the Court to quash the indictment.
Reading the charge as a whole it is very clear that the issues were properly submitted to the jury, with instructions to acquit unless satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that such .ficpiors were stored and kept in possession for an unlawful purpose, and there was no violation of the rule prohibiting charging as to the facts; hence the exception to the charge must be overruled.
The judgment of the Circuit Court is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- State v. Fant.
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- Syllabus
- 1. Pleading. — An indictment charging an unlawful storing and keeping of contraband liquors in the language of the statute creating the offense, is sufficient. 2. Constitutional Law — Statutes—Liquors.—The title of the act of 1909, 26 Stat., 60, prohibiting the manufacture, sale, barter, etc., of liquors is broad enough to cover the provisions in the body against storing and keeping in possession, which are germane to the purposes declared in the title. 3. Ibid. — Interstate Commerce. — Whether the statute prohibiting keeping in possession of liquors for unlawful use violates the interstate commerce clause of the Federal Constitution will not be considered, unless there be something to show the liquors in question were under the protection of interstate commerce. 4. Liquors — Issues.—Testimony here is sufficient to send to the jury the issue of unlawful keeping and storing liquors. 5. Rehearing refused.