Court Opinion

ID: 9794758
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 03:11:04.483225+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:19:48.716193
License: Public Domain

CONCURRING OPINION OF
STAINBACK, J.
I concur in the conclusion of the foregoing opinion that the territorial law conflicts with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (which is a treaty of the United States) and is, therefore, void. Yet I would like to add that the court below was in error in sustaining the demurrer on the ground that Act 167 is in contravention of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America in that it deprives defendant of his property without due process of law.
Ordinarily, for an Act of the legislature to be held unconstitutional it must clearly violate a constitutional provision. All doubt is resolved in favor of the constitutionality of a legislative Act. It does not appear that it is unreasonable for a legislature to pass an Act to protect domestic industry against foreign. Frequently Acts of Congress, particularly tariffs, have provided that goods when imported from a foreign country must have tags indicating their place of origin. Such provisions are to inform the buying public of the fact that the goods are imported so that the buyer, if he feels a home product is of better quality or he wishes to aid home industry, may act accordingly.
It may be asked what is wrong with a requirement to place in a conspicuous spot a placard bearing the words “WE SELL FOREIGN EGGS” printed in legible boldface letters of a size not less than three inches in height, as the placard tells the truth.
While we as a Nation do not, as the Chinese, label all foreigners as “foreign devils,” the term “foreign” indicates *573some inferiority or undesirable quality in the product. This is not the same as requiring the name of a particular country to be placed upon its product, as such may often be regarded as highly complimentary rather than otherwise. For examples: terms such as “French wines,” “English woolens,” “New Zealand butter,” or “Australian wool,” would be beneficial as these products are considered of exceptionally high quality throughout the world, while the term “foreign” standing alone does not so indicate but the contrary is implied when such is required by law. The eggs may be from Timbuktu or anywhere on the globe under such a label. .
As stated above, ordinarily for a law to be unconstitutional it must clearly violate a provision of the Constitution and in construing the same all doubt is resolved in favor of the constitutionality of the Act, but we have a different rule in construing treaties and that is the so-called rule of uberrima fides. Where a treaty admits of two constructions, the one giving the most favorable rights is to be preferred. (Johnson v. Brown, 205 U. S. 309.)
Following this rule, the designation of “foreign eggs” is not as favorable a treatment “in respect of all laws, regulations and requirements affecting their internal sale, offering for salé, purchase, transportation, distribution or use,” as is accorded to the sellers of domestic eggs, and therefore the requirement contravenes the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.