Opinion ID: 1801220
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Oden Act

Text: It is insisted that the Oden Act violates Section 104(29), which provides that the Legislature shall not pass a local law providing for the conduct of elections. The argument is without merit. The Oden Act does not purport to make provisions for the `conduct of elections'. Dunn v. Dean, 196 Ala. 486, 71 So. 709, 714; State ex rel. Brown v. Slaughter, 196 Ala. 428, 71 So. 416; In re Opinion of the Justices, 253 Ala. 111, 43 So.2d 3. It is also argued that the Oden Act violates Section 281 of the Constitution in that it reduces the compensation of the Probate Judge of Franklin County during his term of office. This argument was met and fully refuted in the case of Morgan County v. Edmonson, supra, and we see no need to further elaborate on that proposition. The point is also made in the bill as amended, that the Oden Act is offensive to that part of Section 190 of the Constitution which provides that all election laws shall be uniform throughout the State. In the case of Ex parte Owens, 148 Ala. 402, 42 So. 676, 677, 8 L.R.A.,N.S., 888, this Court said: It is next insisted that said act is violative of section 190 of our Constitution, which provides that `the Legislature shall pass laws, not inconsistent with this Constitution, to regulate and govern elections, and all such laws shall be uniform throughout the state, and shall provide by law for the manner of holding elections and of ascertaining the result of the same.' This provision has reference particularly to the general election laws of the state; but, conceding that it applies to laws providing for elections in the various counties, this law makes provision for all of the counties according to their several needs, and in providing for so many counties, differently situated, it is necessary that they be classified according to their several needs and conditions. It would be manifestly unjust to provide for an election on the same terms and conditions in a county which had just paid large sums of money and assumed heavy obligations to build a courthouse and jail, as in a new county which had neither. This principle of classification has been so often recognized as not impinging upon the principle of the uniformity of laws that it is unnecessary to discuss it at length. This act is not violative of section 190 of our Constitution. Harwood v. Wentworth, 162 U.S. 547, 16 S.Ct. 890, 40 L.Ed. 1069; Bone v. State, 86 Ga. 108, 12 S.E. 205; People [ex rel. Meyer] v. Haselwood, 116 Ill. 319, 6 N.E. 480; Bronson v. Oberlin, 41 Ohio St. 476, 52 Am.Rep. 90; People [ex rel. Daniels] v. Henshaw, 76 Cal. 436, 18 P. 413. From the foregoing, it seems clear that the Oden Act is not offensive to that part of Section 190 of the Constitution mentioned above. The Oden Act provides, inter alia, that: One of said members shall be nominated in the primary held prior to the November general election by the qualified electors of each of the four commissioners districts of Franklin County as they are now constituted. Such members so nominated shall be qualified electors of Franklin County, and shall be electors of and reside in the district from which he or she is nominated. The trial court by its decree struck down that part of the Oden Act quoted last above, for the reason that it attempts to make primary elections compulsory and is violative of Section 190 of the Constitution, which provides that the Legislature shall not make primary elections compulsory. Appellees did not assign cross errors and that portion of the lower court's decree is not before us for review. It is our opinion, and we hold, that the striking down of this provision of the Oden Act does not render the entire act unconstitutional in view of the severability clause in the Oden Act. The rule is that if the invalid section may be stricken from the act, leaving a statute complete within itself, sensible and capable of being executed, the striking of the invalid section does not overthrow the entire act. Dunn v. Dean, supra. This cause was submitted in the court below and to this Court on appeal prior to November 4, 1952. We judicially know that on November 4, 1952, by a vote of the people and proclamation of the Governor, the Constitution of Alabama of 1901 was amended, so as to affect the motor vehicle license tax involved in this opinion. Therefore, what we have said with reference to the motor vehicle license tax applies to the status as it existed prior to the adoption of the amendment. See Special and Regular Sessions of the Legislature of 1951, page 1305. We think that we have fully treated all of the questions raised and argued on this appeal. We find no error to reverse in the decree of the court below, and the same stands affirmed. Affirmed. LAWSON, STAKELY and MERRILL, JJ., concur.