US v PONS

Juan Pons and Gabino Beliso were trading partners. On April 5, 1914,
the steamer Lopez y Lopez arrived in Manila from Spain and it
contained 25 barrels of wine. The said barrels of wine were delivered to
Beliso. Beliso subsequently delivered 5 barrels to Pons house. On the
other hand, the customs authorities noticed that the said 25 barrels
listed as wine on record were not delivered to any listed merchant
(Beliso not being one). And so the customs officers conducted an
investigation thereby discovering that the 25 barrels of wine actually
contained tins of opium. Since the act of trading and dealing opium is
against Act No. 2381, Pons and Beliso were charged for illegally and
fraudulently importing and introducing such contraband material to the
Philippines. Pons appealed the sentence arguing that Act 2381 was
approved while the Philippine Commission (Congress) was not in
session. He said that his witnesses claim that the said law was
passed/approved on 01 March 1914 while the special session of the
Commission was adjourned at 12MN on February 28, 1914. Since this is
the case, Act 2381 should be null and void.
ISSUE: Whether or not the SC must go beyond the recitals of the
Journals to determine if Act 2381 was indeed made a law on February
28, 1914.
HELD: The SC looked into the Journals to ascertain the date of
adjournment but the SC refused to go beyond the recitals in the
legislative Journals. The said Journals are conclusive on the Court and
to inquire into the veracity of the journals of the Philippine Legislature,
when they are, as the SC have said, clear and explicit, would be to
violate both the letter and the spirit of the organic laws by which the
Philippine Government was brought into existence, to invade a
coordinate and independent department of the Government, and to
interfere with the legitimate powers and functions of the Legislature.
Pons witnesses cannot be given due weight against the
conclusiveness of the Journals which is an act of the legislature. The
journals say that the Legislature adjourned at 12 midnight on February
28, 1914. This settles the question, and the court did not err in
declining to go beyond these journals. The SC passed upon the
conclusiveness of the enrolled bill in this particular case.