Randle v. Payne

At the outset, we must remember that maxims, such as expressio (or enumeratio) unius est exclusio alterius and construction in pari materia, are but rules to aid in ambiguous cases. The paramount rule is that of ascertaining legislative intent, and while expressions of this principle sound trite, yet perhaps this is because they are familiar rather than because they are shopworn. Glencoe Paving Co. v. Graves, 266 Ala. 154, 94 So.2d 872. See Sutherland, Statutory Construction, § 4502 — “Statutes clear and unambiguous.”

Act No. 53, entitled “An Act To make it unlawful for livestock or animals to…