State v. Winkelmeier

• Decision Date: 31 March 1864
• Citation: 35 Mo. 103
• Parties: THE STATE OF MISSOURI, Respondent, v. JULIUS WINKELMEIER, Appellant.
• Court: Missouri Supreme Court

35 Mo. 103

THE STATE OF MISSOURI, Respondent,

v.JULIUS WINKELMEIER, Appellant.

Supreme Court of Missouri.

March Term, 1864.

Appeal from St. Louis Criminal Court.

Voullaire, for respondent.

Woerner, for appellant.

BATES, Judge, delivered the opinion of the court.

The defendant was indicted for selling liquor on Sunday.The evidence was that he sold beer, but did not sell distilled liquors.He was found guilty and fined, and appealed to this court.He claims a right to keep open his beer-house and sell beer on Sunday, under a supposed permission by the corporate authorities of the city of St. Louis.The General Assembly, by an act approved March 4, 1857, enacted “that the corporate authorities of the different cities in the county of St. Louis shall have the power, whenever a majority of the legal voters of the respective cities in said county authorize them so to do, to grant permission for the opening of any establishment, or establishments, within the corporate limits of said cities, for the sale of refreshments of any kind (distilled liquors excepted), on any day in the week.

This act does not directly repeal the act making it criminal to sell fermented liquor on Sunday; and the power of the city of St. Louis to grant permission for the opening of any establishment for the sale of beer on Sunday, very clearly depends upon a previous authorization by a majority of the legal voters of the city.The act expressly requires a majority of the legal voters; that is, of all the legal voters of the city, and not merely of all those who might at a particular time choose to vote upon the question.The defendant did not give in evidence any permission specially to himself, but gave in evidence an...