The respondent was arrested, tried, and convicted before the police justice of the city of Spokane,
The respondent has filed m> brief in this court, and the following statement appears in appellant’s brief:
“The court, after hearing the argument of counsel, made an order discharging the said respondent from custody, and based his decision on the grounds that section 1 of ordinance No. A1512, of the ordinances of the city of Spokane, was void, for the reason that the city under its charter provisions did not have the power to prohibit the business of peddling within the fire limits. All other objections raised by respondent to the ordinance were overruled.”
The above statement not being challenged, and the record not showing to the contrary, it is proper that we shall first determine whether the city has the power- to prohibit peddling within the limits mentioned. Subdivision 34 of Bal. Code, § 739, confers the following powers' upon cities of the first class:
“To regulate the carrying оn within its corporate limits of occupations which are of such a nature as to affect the-public health or the good order of said city, or tо disturb the public peace, and which are not prohibited by law; and to provide for the punishment of all persons violating such regulations, and of all pеrsons who knowingly permit the same to be violated in any building or upon any premises owned or controlled by them.”
The charter of the city of Spokane; § 59, subd. 6, рrovides as follows:
It is manifest from the foregoing provisions that the power to regulate and control the business of peddling resides.in the city of Sрokane. Does the power of regulation and control include the power to' prohibit within a specified portion of the city ? We think it does. If the restricted district were so extensive as to- effect a practically general prohibition in the city, of a business lawful within itself, it is possible that a different questiоn might arise. But such a question is not now before us. That the power to- regulate includes the power to prohibit a business within specified territory, was directly held in Cronin v. People,
“We see nothing, therefore, in the language of the other subdivisions to- change our conclusion that an ordinance which excludes from a specific рlace or locality the business of slaughtering cattle is a regulation of that business, and therefore within the power conferred upon the common council by the provision under discussion. Indeed the precise point was long ago adjudged. In The Village of Buffalo v. Webster (
Appellant cites the above as a leading case upon the subject, and many others are cited upon this point. But we regard the principle as well settled and shall not indulge in further reference to authorities except to say that the recent case of In re Garfinkle,
“No person, firm, or corporation shall engage in, prosecute, or carry on the business of peddling fruits, vegetables, butter, eggs, etc., within the fire limits in the city of Spokane. The provisions of this section not to apply to-farmers disposing of produce grown by themselves.”
It will be seen, that farmers, when disposing of products which have been grown as the result of their own efforts, are exempted from the terms of the ordinance. The principle of discrimination presented by said provision was considered in State ex rel. Luria v. Wagener,
“Thus, the manufacturer is allowed, by himself and his employee, to peddle without license the wares of his own manufacture. The legislature can regulate thе business of hawker or peddler only for the purpose of preventing-it from becoming a nuisance. The business is inherently moral and legitimate in itself, but there is in it a tendency to abuse, as many irresponsible, clamorous and intrusiva persons engage in it. It cannot be held, on any
The manifest object of the sеction of the ordinance now under consideration is regulation, and not to raise revenue, for the reason that the excluded persons are not permitted to peddle, even if they should pay a license tax. It has been held that a classification may be valid if the object of the legislation is rеvenue, and invalid if the object is regulation only. This distinction was recognized in Rosenbloom v. State,
“No- law shall be passed granting to any citizen, class of citizens, or corporation other than municipal, privileges
For the foregoing reasons, we believe the judgment of the lower court was right, and it is affirmed.
Reported in
