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Show MINIMUM WAGE LAW CONDEMNED Precedent of Far Reaching Importnce Set by Washington Wash-ington Court WASHINGTON, Nov. 7. Declaring that the "modern tendency toward indiscriminate in-discriminate legislative and judicial ji'gglery" with great fundamental questions of free government. If persisted per-sisted In, would lead ultimately to "social "so-cial disorder and revolution." the District Dis-trict of Columbia court of appeals today to-day held unconstitutional the mini-maim mini-maim wage kn effective In the capital capi-tal In holding tho law Invalid and thereby establishing what Is regarded as likely to be a precedent of far-reaching far-reaching Importance, tho court of ap-I ap-I peals reversed ltxrif from a decision handed down in June, 1921 JUDGES DISAGREE The court divided two to one on th-question. th-question. The dissenting opinion, rendered ren-dered by Chief Justice Smyth, assailed itne right of Assoclato Justices Van lOrstel and Job!) to hear the caso, brought by a local hospital to enjoin the wage board from enforcing the law. The majority opinion, however, denounced de-nounced the minimum wage law which It declared would takr- from every American citizen the "most sa-crcd sa-crcd safeguard the constitution af-i af-i fords, the right to bargain and sell his labor for the highest wage, hla skill and efficiency affords" "No Rreater calamity could befall the wage earners of the country," tho opinion asserted, "than to have the legislative power to fix wages upheld T.iki- from the citlsen this most sacred safeguard and the laborer would be reduced to an automaton a mere creature of the state. EMERGENCY PASSES. "It is paternalism In the highest degree de-gree and the struggle of tho centuries to BStaMish the pilnHplr that th.i state exists for the citizen and not the citizen citi-zen for the stato would be lost." The opinion added that the art could not be vln'li' t t - l a proper exercise-of exercise-of the police power nor could It be classed as a law to tide over an emer-geney emer-geney on which ground some wartime I legislation has been upheld by the courts. |