Dodge v. Youngblood
Dodge v. Youngblood
Opinion of the Court
Appellants, N. P. Dodge, Jr., and Greenville D. Montgomery, describing themselves as executors and trustees of the estate of G. M. Dodge, deceased, brought this suit to restrain T. A. Youngblood, O. D. Bass, and D. D. Thompson, county judge of Real county, Bass and Youngblood from collecting any money or other thing of value belonging to the Dodge estate and from serving notice on tenants on the land of such estate or from canceling any lease or attempting to make any lease of said lands, and the county judge from granting any further orders or decrees in cause number 11 in the county court, wherein Youngblood was appointed administrator. It was alleged in the petition that appellants had been duly appointed executors and trustees of the estate of G. M. Dodge in Pottawattamie county, state of Iowa, and had qualified as such; that administration of the estate was pending; that in their capacity *117 as executors they had, on September 15,1917, filed in the county court of Real county, Tex., their application for the probate of the will of G. M. Dodge, as provided in articles 3278, 3288, and 3289 of the Revised Statutes of Texas, giving legal notice of the same, and that the hearing had been set down for November 5, 1917; that said estate owned a large amount of land in Texas, the larger portion of which was situated in Real county, the reasonable value of the same being $150,000, the reasonable annual rental value being $4,000. It was further alleged that, without any notice, Youngblood had been appointed administrat- or of the estate of G. M. Dodge, in May, 1917; that he has attempted to qualify as such by giving a bond for $1,000, and is acting as administrator and taking control and management of said estate; that Bass is the attorney of record of Youngblood, and Thompson is the county judge; that Young-blood, has applied to the county court, and has been granted an order authorizing the employment of Bass and approving a contract between Bass and Youngblood for a large and exorbitant attorney’s fee, and also ordering a suit to he filed to obtain a construction of the will of G. M. Dodge; that all charges were to come out of said estate, and that the same were wholly unnecessary and useless; that Bass and Youngblood had colluded with each other to damage and defraud the estate; that, in pursuance of the advice of C; L. Bass, Youngblood has served notice on the tenants of the estate that they must attorn to and pay the rents to him, or have their lease contracts set aside; and that Bass and Youngblood have offered to compromise large claims against the estate for small sums. A temporary restraining writ was granted, and the case set down for October 13, 1917. An amended petition was filed. On December 8, 1917, the cause was heard, and the temporary writ of injunction was dissolved, and the prayer for a permanent injunction denied.
In the answer it was alleged that the administration had been granted by the county judge on a report of the county attorney that the estate owed an inheritance tax to the state, and Youngblood had been appointed temporary administrator, and he had retained Bass as his attorney; that the court, upon the advice of Bass, had made Young-blood permanent administrator, without notice, and had appointed appraisers of the estate, who had not made a report, but had notified appellants of their appointment and duties.
Without the petition being aided by the allegations of the answer, which placed the administration upon the provisions of the inheritance tax law alone, this case would be considered under the general' provisions as to the administration of estates. This court is forced by the allegations in the answer to consider the constitutionality of the inheritance tax law, and especially that part of it relating to the appointment of administrators.
In the act of 1907, appearing in the Revised 'Statutes of Texas as chapter 10, arts. 7487 to 7502, inclusive, provision is made for the collection under certain conditions of an inheritance tax. In the title to the act it is described as:
“An act to tax property passing by will or by descent or by grant or gift; taking effect on the death of the grantor or donor.”
In section 5 of the act, being article 7491, Revised Statutes, it is provided:
“If within three months after the death of a decedent leaving property subject to taxation under this chapter, no application for letters testamentary or of administration shall be made, it shall be the duty of the county court to appoint an administrator. It shall be the duty of the county attorney to report to the judge of the county court all such estates, whether the property passes by will or by laws of descent or otherwise.”
Article 7492 provides that the tax shall be assessed upon the actual or market value of the property, and that two appraisers, competent, disinterested persons, shall be appointed by the county judge to fix the value of property subject to the tax. It is also provided :
That the appraisers, after being sworn, shall give notice to all persons “known to have a claim or interest in the property to be appraised, including the executor, administrator or trustee, and the collector of taxes of the county, of the time and place when they will appraise the same.”
“To require every end and means necessary or convenient for the accomplishment of this general object to be provided for by a separate act relating to that alone would not only be unreasonable, but would actually render legislation impossible. * * * The generality of a title is therefore no objection to it, so long as it is not made to cover legislation incongruous in itself, and which by no fair intendment can be considered as having a necessary or proper connection.”
The test is well supported by good authority. People v. Briggs, 50 N. Y. 553; Donnersberger v. Prendergast, 128 Ill. 229, 21 N. E. *118 1; People v. Hang, 68 Mich. 549, 87 N. W. 21; Montclair v. Ramsdell, 107 U. S. 147, 2 Sup. Ct 391, 27 L. Ed. 431; Jonesboro v. Railway, 110 U. S. 192, 4 Sup. Ot 67, 28 L. Ed. 116; Ackley School Dist. v. Hall, 115 U. S. 135, 5 Sup. Ct. 371, 28 L. Ed. 954; Carter v. Sinton, 120 U. S. 517, 7 Sup. Ct. 650, 30 L. Ed. 701; Battle v. Howard, 13 Tex. 345; Robinson v. State, 15 Tex. 311; Giddings v. San Antonio, 47 Tex. 535; Stone v. Brown, 54 Tex. 330.
It has been held that the word “subject,” used in our present Constitution, is less restrictive than the word “object,” used in former Constitutions, and .it is held that the test under the present Constitution is:
“Does the title fairly give such reasonable notice of the subject-matter of the statute itself as to prevent the mischief intended to be guarded against? If so, the act should be sustained.” Stone v. Brown, 54 Tex. 330.
In the ease of Fahey v. State, 27 Tex. App. 146, 11 S. W. 108, 11 Am. St. Rep. 182, a law was attacked as being unconstitutional, in that it embraced more than one subject, and the court held, through Judge Hurt:
“Most clearly the subject of these acts is the regulation of the sale of spirituous, vinous, and malt liquors and medicated bitters. Now, if there be but one subject in the act, but more than one object, the act would not be obnoxious to the Constitution. We could concede, for the argument, that the objects of these acts are to regulate the sale of these liquors, to collect revenue, and divers other purposes and objects; still, unless there was more than one subject in the act, it would be valid — constitutional. Again, suppose that there be more than one subject mentioned in the acts. If they be germane or subsidiary to the main subject, or if relative, directly or indirectly, to the main subject, have a mutual connection, and are not foreign to the main subject, or so long as the provisions are of the same nature and come legitimately under one general denomination or subject, we cannot hold the act unconstitutional.”
In addition to the Texas cases herein cited, Judge Hurt cites Breen v. Railway, 44 Tex. 306; Austin v. Railroad, 45 Tex. 267; Webb v. Maxan, 11 Tex. 678; and Tadlock v. Eccles, 20 Tex. 792, 73 Am. Dec. 213.
Under the authorities cited, as well as many others, we hold that the act of May 16, 1907, is not unconstitutional. That portion in regard to the appointment of an administrator to collect the taxes is in perfect harmony with the subject expressed in the title, and is not obnoxious to the constitutional provisions requiring the subject to be expressed in the title. There is but one subject treated in the act, and that is . the collection of inheritance taxes.
“The Legislature not having prescribed the kind of notice, it may be personal or by mail.” Atty. General v. Roche, 219 Mass. 601, 107 N. E. 667.
The Legislature had the right to provide for the appointment of appraisers, and no constitutional right of the appellants was infringed thereby. The appointment of an administrator is a part of the procedure in the county court prescribed for the collection of taxes, and it is not obnoxious to the due process clause of the federal Constitution. Due process of law has been exercised when the law of the state on the subject has been followed. White v. White (Sup.) 196 S. W. 508.
The statute empowers the county court to appoint the administrator and gives authority to the county judge, upon the filing of the report of the appraisers, to calculate the amount of the taxes. The law fixes the rate of taxation, and it is only a matter of calculation for the county judge to ascertain the taxes.
“The orders of the county judge made in this estate constitute ‘proceedings of the county court,’ which the district court may review by certiorari. The fact that a proceeding is void does not prevent the district court from exercising its appellate jurisdiction.”
The inheritance tax law provides that the appraisers shall give notice to all persons known to have a claim or interest in the property appraised, and there could be but one reason for such notice, and that would be to give such persons the opportunity to be heard as to the valuation of the property and file objections to the report when filed with the county judge. The interested person could contest the valuation before the county judge and could appeal from his order fixing the amount of the taxes, because such decision would be a proceeding of the county court from which appeal or certio-rari would lie. Clearly the interested parties would have their day in court.
The judgment is affirmed.
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Reference
- Full Case Name
- DODGE Et Al. v. YOUNGBLOOD Et Al.
- Cited By
- 8 cases
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- Published