Opinion ID: 1648791
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: City's Appeal.

Text: The city's appeal remains to be considered. The city and appellee have devoted much of their briefs to arguing the constitutionality of the reimbursement proviso and of the entire Act No. 18. By striking Paragraph Sixteen of the city's answer and by sustaining complainant's demurrer to the city's cross-bill as last amended, the learned trial court, as it seems to us, declined to hear the city's contention that the reimbursement proviso violated constitutional provisions. In Smith v. Speed, 50 Ala. 276, 282, 283, this court quoted approvingly as follows: ...`In any case, therefore, where a constitutional question is raised, though it may be legitimately presented by the record; yet, if the record also presents some other and clear ground, upon which the court may rest its judgment, and thereby render the constitutional question immaterial to the case, the court will take that course, and leave the question of constitutional power to be passed upon when a case arises which cannot be otherwise disposed of, and which, consequently, renders a decision upon such question necessary.' Cooley on Cons. Lim. 163.... This court, on appeal, will not consider the constitutional validity of statutes, unless the question is presented and is essential to a disposition of the case. Alabama Warehousing Co. v. State, 227 Ala. 258, 261, 149 So. 843; American Surety Co. of New York v. King, 237 Ala. 510, 187 So. 458. Following the above stated rule, we do not now undertake to decide whether all or any part of Act No. 18 is invalid because violative of the Constitution of 1901. In view of the reversal of the decree for reasons hereafter noted, we do not undertake to consider all errors that are argued, but write only to those questions which appear to be appropriate for consideration and which may arise on another trial.