84 Iowa 184 | Iowa | 1891
I. The defendant, for an answer to the petition, shows that he is a resident of Independence, and ■a dealer in proprietary medicines, having his fixed and permanent place of business in the town of his residence; that while in Charles City, introducing and advertising his medicines, the plaintiff demanded that he should pay one hundred dollars, for which the plaintiff would procure for the appellant a license from the commissioners of pharmacy, authorizing the defendant to act as an itinerant vendor of drugs and nostrums, and to act as a traveling “quack doctor,” and the plaintiff threatened that, unless defendant would pay or give his note for one hundred dollars, the plaintiff would file an information against him and cause his arrest at Charles City j that to avoid the threatened arrest, though guilty of no violation of the law, as the plaintiff charged, he gave to the plaintiff the note in suit, which the defendant alleges is wholly without consideration and void. The court below found the following facts, upon which judgment was rendered for the plaintiff: “That the defendant is a manufacturer of proprietary medicines, having his permanent manu-factory and residence in Independence, Iowa, on which he pays taxes into the treasury of Buchanan county, Iowa, and from which he supplies drug stores and other stores throughout the state, and also supplies such as call for his remedies, both wholesale and retail. That such business has been conducted in such manner for several years. That during the fall of 1889, and up to September 20th of that year, the defendant attended the county fairs in different parts of the state, and at such places, for the purpose of advertising and introducing his medicines, caused a booth to be erected, and had a band of music and singers, and made speeches to the people, setting forth what he claimed his medicines would cure, and sold said medicines to all persons he could induce to purchase the same. Among said med
II. Chapter 75, Acts of the Eighteenth G-eneral Assembly, 1880, section 10 (Miller’s Code, p. 1282) contains this provision: “Any itinerant vendor of any drug, nostrum, ointment, or appliance of any kind, intended for the treatment of diseases or injury, who shall by writing or printing or any other method publicly profess to cure or treat diseases or injury or deformity by any drug, nostrum or manipulation, or other expedient,, shall pay a license of one hundred dollars per annum.”
III. The only question in the case is this: IJpon the facts, as found by the court below, is the defendant
We reach the conclusion that the defendant was subject to the statute, and liable for the amount prescribed as payment for the license. The judgment of the district court is affirmed.