The Washington herald., 1914-02-25
WHITE SLAVE
Law BROADENED
Supreme Court Decision Gives
to Mann Act Wider
Scope.
BLOW TO "PURE FOOD"
Action on "Bleached Flour Case" to
Make Governments Work Harder.
Maryland Law Invalid.
TO ''PURE FOOD"

The Supreme Court added another chap
ter yesterday to the construction Of the
Mann white slave law. when II held that
the transportation Of two girls from NIL
waukee to Chicago for immoral purposes
was violation of the law, notwithstand-
ing that the girls were carried over an
electric railroad, over which the Inter-
state Commerce Commission had not ex-
ercised Jurisdiction. The court held that
the taking OF women from one State to
another for immoral purposes Is VIOLA
ton of the law, regardless of the form
Of transportation employed.
The court set aside the conviction OF
Fremont Weeks, OF Kansas City, charged
with violating the LOTTERY laws, by mis-
use Of the malls, because the record
showed that the United States marshal
for the Western district Of Missouri had
obtained evidence with which TO convict
Weeks by the unlawful seizure OF papers
in his home, when he had no search war
rant.
One OF the most important decisions
was that constituting the food and drugs act
In its application to the 'bleached flour
case" In an opinion by Justice Day.
concurred In by the entire court, IL was
held that for the government to main
tain a libel under the food and drugs act
to condemn articles alleged to contain
added poisonous or deleterious SUBJ
stances" II must be proven that the
added substance Is present In suffic!ent
quantity to injure health.
.0yster Lawo Invalid.
DIR. Carl Alsberg. Chief Of the Bureau
Of Chemistry. who is the principal officer
OF the government charged with the ad-
ministration of the food and drugs act.
preferred yesterday TO get the full text
of the opinion before discussing 1t at
length. but admitted tina: on the face OF
things Il looked as IL the difficulty in the
of the law would be in
creased tremendously for the government.
In his opinion, Associate Justice Day
said the object of the food and drugs
act was simply to preserve the public
health. He quoted from a speech made
by the late Senator Hepburn. of Idaho,
author of the pure food law, in which
Mr.. Hepburn admitted that the mere
presence of a poisonous substance was not
sufficient to prove that the article was
necessarily poisonous.
The Maryland oyster law" was held
to be invalid because it was adjudged to
be a burden on interstate commerce.
Justice Lamar read the opinion. The
statute taxed oysters brought into the
State and was defended as a constitu-
tional enactment by the attorney general
OF Maryland. when attacked, and upheld
by the Supreme Court of that State, on
the ground that the tax was for ''inspec-
ton purposes and was within the power
OF the State to enact Justice Lamar
held that the tax was a heavier impOsi-
ton than was necessary for inspection
purposes alone.
Henry Case Begun.
Oral arguments were begun in the Su-
'reme Court in the appeal of George
!. Henry, n New York broker. indicted
n Washington under a Federal statute
'ecaUse of his refusal TO answer certain
questions prOpounded by Samuel Inter
nyer as counsel OF the Pujo committee,
t the money trust investigation.
The Supreme Court held that the State
Il Minnesota could not impose a tax on
he Farmers and Mechanics Savings bank
# Minneapolis on account OF its hold
ngs of 10000 worth of municipal bonds
ssued by the territories of Oklahoma and
indian Territory before Statehood. Justice
'itney held that the bonds were issued
y municipalities under authority of the |
federal government and that tax
ng them was a tax on the instru- |
nentalities and agencies OF the Fed
raj government, and therefore un-
The Supreme Court of |
Minnesota had upheld the tax as valid.
The validity of two statutes OF the |
tate of Ohio was upheld. One Of these
limits the hours Of employment of women |
n certain industries, and prescribes pen-
Llties for employers who violate the
aw. The other case involved the validity
f the statute which imposes a tax on |
ailroads for the privilege of doing BUSH
less within the State. 1t applies to
ntrastate roads. |