Salt Lake Telegram | 1933-10-18 | Page 4 | Court Profound in Ruling upon Pregnant Issue

Court Profound In Ruling Upon Pregnant Issue By BRUCE COTTON Those who hare been looking sidewise sidewise sidewise side- side wise at the principal acts of the administrations administration's ad ad- mb ministrations ministration's recovery program fearful fearful fear fear- ful fullest lest they find a revolutionary hue in them ou ought ht to sit down and read the text of the decision by which District Dis of Columbia Supreme Court Justice Jus Jus- lice tice Daniel upheld the constitutionality of ot the agricultural adjustment act Compressed into a few paragraphs here is is' a ruling under which our pur whole form of society and our entire economic mach machine could be put upon a brand new basis If that statement seems strong you have only to read the following quotation quotation quo quo- tation from Justice decision decision de do- The welfare of the people and the very existence o of the government it- it are in peril rn The day clay has passed when absolute vested rights In contract or property are to be regarded as sacrosanct or above the law Neither the necessities of life lle nor commodities affected with a public interest can any longer be left to ruthless ruthless ruth ruth- ruthless less competition for lor selfish greed for lor their production or distribution That decision as a matter r of fact may become a great milestone in the never ending conflict between human rights and property rights Let it fi finally finally finally fi- fi nally be upheld by the nations nation's highest high high- est cst tribunal and md we shall have an entire new philosophy embedded in our legal structure Its implications are clear upon a moments moment's reflection nor does one have to ponder very long to discover over that some very revolutionary things could be done under the doctrine therein set forth The statement that there are rights which transcend the rights of property property property prop prop- erty and the rights of contract followed followed followed fol fol- fol- fol lowed as it is by the blunt declaration declaration declaration declara declara- tion that the day of free competition in the production and distribution of the necessities of life or commodities commodities commod commod- affected with a public interest is about as far reaching a dictum as the American courts have ever laid down In its influence upon subsequent legislation and upon the general direction direction direction di di- of the stream of American life this ruling may well be ranked as one of the most important in American American Amer Amer- ican legal history