4 Ga. App. 859 | Ga. Ct. App. | 1908
Jenkins, by his friends familiarly called Jinks, had' a little store in La Grange; and to the rear, partially cut off by a. partition wall, was a smaller room, in which no goods were usually-bought and sold, but in which he kept coca-cola and stored “plun- • der.” Eor some reason — he doesn’t explain why, but then some-officers are naturally suspicious of some folks — the chief of' the-police of the city suspected that Jinks was occasionally selling a little liquor. So on a certain Saturday afternoon the chief of police, sauntering leisurely in the neighborhood of the store, was. “given the wink” by some one who had been stationed to watch, and immediately thereafter, going into the store and into the-back room, found a man and two women standing in the presence-.
That the foregoing definition is not evolved factitiously, or by refining beyond due and legitimate refinement, will be apparent to any one who takes the pains to call to mind a few examples of the use of the word “at.” As showing how this preposition varies in range of meaning, according to the nature of the thing which constitutes its grammatical object and of the principal notion in the speaker’s mind, we give the following examples. It is correct to speak of a young man as being “at” the University of Georgia not only when he is in the buildings or on the campus, but when he is in or near Athens, the seat of the University, and is connected with the school in any of the usual relations. It --would not be correct to speak of one having no relationship to the school as being “at” the University of Georgia, unless he were at least upon the campus. The word “at” in the statement “The
We wish to say further that the foregoing approach to a definition is provisional only. It may need future extension or limitation. The law is of too recent enactment and the illustrative cases have been too few for us to believe that our judicial comprehension of the many new questions naturally arising under it has become sufficiently developed to compass the whole field, and to evolve a final definition. It is our whole desire to arrive at an •open-minded, unbiased interpretation of the law and of every part •of it; such an interpretation as will be judicial and intelligent and as will give the legitimate effect to the legislative will, without either limitation or extension on account of the personal views •of ourselves, or of anybody else, or of any class of persons.
Lawyers and trial judges, in making application of the definition announced, should be careful to remember that it is to be taken in connection with the other provisions of the prohibition law itself and with the previous decisions of this court on the name and cognate subjects. It should be kept in mind that we are now dealing with the phrase “at their place of business,” and not with the other phrase found in the act, “at any other public place.” The underlying considerations for prohibiting the keeping of liquors at places of business are broader than the reasons for prohibiting their being kept or had at other public places. It must be remembered, too, that the “business” referred to in the phrase now under contemplation means, as its context shows, trade or some form of commerce. The Roberts case, supra, makes this distinction clear.