90 Ga. 326 | Ga. | 1892
The constitution declaims that “ No law or ordinance shall pass which refers to.mor'ethan one subject-matter, or contains matter different from what is expressed in the title thereof.” Code, §5067. The question is, whether the latter part of this inhibitory provision has not been violated by the legislature in enacting the third section' in the charter of the city of Columbus, approved November 29th, 1890. The title of the act constituting the charter reads thus : “ An act to create
“First. The mayor and aldermen of the city of Columbus shall have the sole and exclusive right to regulate the sale of spirituous and malt liquors within said police district, and to grant or refuse a license therefor; and they may put such terms, restrictions and conditions on the sales of such liquor as they may deem proper, but in no case shall a license be granted within said district for a less term than one year, and if any license is granted within said district, the fees thereof shall never be less than the amount of the license fee, within the corporate limits proper of the city of Columbus. All such fees shall be collected in the same manner as similar fees are collected in the city of Columbus and iiaid into the city treasury.
“ Second. All laws and ordinances in force in the city of Columbus in reference to crimes or misdemeanors against the persons of citizens or individuals, against the habitations of persons, relative to property, against the public peace and tranquillity, against public morality and health, and offences committed by cheats and swindlers, and offences against public trade, against fraudulent or malicious mischief, shall be in force within the territory comprising the said police district, in the same
The title of the act affords no indication of any purpose on the part of the General Assembly to clothe the mayor and aldermen with any power whatever to be exercised over persons or places beyond the corporate limits of the city. The fair and reasonable import of the words, “to create a new charter for the city of Columbus,” is that territorially the charter and the city will be coextensive, that the boundaries of the city will limit the range of the charter, and that all parts of the State not embraced within the city limits, as defined by the new charter, or as previously defined by law, would remain unaffected by the legislation about to be enacted; and the fair and reasonable import of the words, “ to consolidate and declare the rights and powers of said corporation,” is that the rights and powers to be consolidated and declared would be such as are appropriate
On the trial of the present case in the court below, the policeman alleged to have been assaulted should have been treated simply as a private citizen with reference to his power of making arrests on the territory adjacent to the city. He had no power to arrest for the use of abusive language addressed to himself tending to cause a breach of the peace. Under the code, §4372, no person can be called upon to answer for that species of offence until after' indictment or presentment by a grand jury. As the trial proceeded on a wrong theory, it is unnecessary to do more than correct that theory now. The numerous questions and sub-questions growing out of it will not arise again.
The contention that the State was obliged to introduce all the witnesses who were present at the difficulty and in court at the time of the trial, is not supported by law or the practice which prevails in this State. The solicitor-general is> as free to manage the State’s case in his own way as is counsel for the accused to conduct the defence according to his own sense of prudence, utility and propriety. Hill v. Commonwealth (Va. 1892), 14 S. E. Rep. 330. Judgment reversed.