United States Supreme Court Cases & Opinions

U.S. Supreme Court

Buttfield v. Bidwell, 192 U.S. 498 (1904)

Buttfield v. Bidwell

No. 296

Argued January 4, 1904

Decided February 23, 1904

192 U.S. 498

ERROR TO THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES

FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

Syllabus

Decided on authority of Buttfield v. Stranahan, ante, p. 192 U. S. 470.

MR. JUSTICE WHITE delivered the opinion of the Court.

This action was brought by Buttfield to recover damages sustained by being prevented from importing into the United States a large number of packages of Country green teas, being

Page 192 U. S. 499

four shipments from China. These teas, on reexamination by the Board of General Appraisers, were found to be inferior in quality to the standard prescribed by law, and Bidwell, as collector for the port of New York, so notified Buttfield. Thereupon the teas were withdrawn from the bonded warehouse, and exported. Judgment was entered for Bidwell upon a directed verdict in his favor. The right to reversal of that judgment is predicated solely upon the asserted unconstitutionality of the Tea Inspection Act of March 2, 1897. It will not be necessary to determine whether, even supposing the statute to be unconstitutional, a cause of action is stated in any of the four counts of the complaint below. The statute having been held to be valid in the opinion just announced in Buttfield v. Stranahan, the judgment must be and is hereby

Affirmed.

MR. JUSTICE BREWER and MR. JUSTICE BROWN took no part in the decision of this case.