City of St. Louis v. Laughlin
Supreme Court of Missouri
Appeal from St. Louis Circuit Court. I. Corporate powers, especially the power of taxation, will be strictly construed, and cannot be claimed unless clearly within tbe limits of the charter; any doubt or ambiguity must be resolved against tbe corporation and in favor of tbe public. (Cool. Const.
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Appeal from St. Louis Circuit Court. I. Corporate powers, especially the power of taxation, will be strictly construed, and cannot be claimed unless clearly within tbe limits of the charter; any doubt or ambiguity must be resolved against tbe corporation and in favor of tbe public. (Cool. Const. Lim. 195; Clark v. Davenport, 14 Iowa, 495, 500; Savannah v. Hartridge, 8 Ga. 23 ; Beatty v. Knowles’ Lessee, 4 Pet. 152; Minturn v. Larue, 23 How. 435; Grand Rapids v. Hughes, 15 Mich. 54; Sprague v. Birdsall, 2 Cow. 419.) H. Tbe general clause “ and all other business, trades, avocations or…
1Opinion of the CourtWasner, Judge
This case comes here for review on an appeal from the Criminal Court, where the defendant was found guilty and a fine was assessed against him. The facts in the case are agreed upon, and by them it appears that the defendant is a practicing lawyer in the city of St. Louis, and that, while practicing his profession, he neglected and refused to pay a license tax imposed by an ordinance of the city upon all lawyers before they were allowed to practice or engage in their professional business.
There is but one question presented by the record, and that is whether the city possessed the authority…
2Cases cited2 opinions
- Grumley v. WebbSupreme Court of Missouri · 1869
- Simmons v. StateSupreme Court of Missouri · 1848
3Cited by59 opinions
- In Re Application of GalushaCalifornia Supreme Court · 1921
- National Bank of Commerce v. RipleySupreme Court of Missouri · 1901
- City of St. Louis v. SternbergSupreme Court of Missouri · 1879
- State v. SchuchmannSupreme Court of Missouri · 1896
- Ex Parte Siemens v. ShreeveSupreme Court of Missouri · 1927
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