panama johnson argued december decided april richard reid rogers new york city plaintiff error wade ellis washington defendant error justice van devanter delivered opinion action seaman employer owner ship serving recover damages personal injuries suffered sea ascending ladder deck bridge course complaint charging injuries resulted negligence employer providing inadequate ladder negligence ship officers permitting canvas dodger stretched insecurely fastened across top ladder ordering seaman go ladder employer new york corporation ship domestic merchant vessel time injuries returning ecuadorian port action brought side district right recovery based expressly section act march stat amended section act june stat comp ann supp reads follows seaman shall suffer personal injury course employment may election maintain action damages law right trial jury action statutes modifying extending right remedy cases personal injury railway employees shall apply case death seaman result personal injury personal representative seaman may maintain action damages law right trial jury action statutes conferring regulating right action death case railway employees shall applicable jurisdiction actions shall district defendant employer resides principal office located defendant unsuccessfully demurred complaint answered issues tried jury verdict plaintiff returned judgment entered thereon circuit appeals affirmed fed defendant prosecutes writ error apparently action brought district defendant residence principal office provided act ground defendant objected district entertain objection made outset special appearance defendant appeared generally demurred complaint thought objection went venue waived general appearance objection overruled fed error assigned ruling think right case arose law involved requisite amount requisite doubt case within general jurisdiction conferred district courts section judicial code comp unless defendant contends excluded concluding provision act says actions shall district defendant employer resides principal office located although happily worded provision taken alone gives color contention general rule existing legislation particular subject systematically revised restated comprehensive general statute judicial code subsequent enactments touching subject construed applied harmony general statute save clearly manifest different purpose intention depart course policy thus deliberately settled lightly assumed see barnes sup sweet sup rule specially pertinent beginning judiciary act stat congress pursued policy investing federal first circuit courts later district general jurisdiction expressed terms applicable alike regulating venue separate provisions designating particular district defendant shall sued district inhabitant place purpose venue provisions prevent defendants compelled answer defend remote districts policy carried judicial code shown sections comp one embodying general jurisdictional provisions applicable rights subsequent laws well laws existing containing particular venue provisions reading provision us sections light policy carried makes reasonably certain provision intended affect general jurisdiction district courts defined section prescribe venue actions brought new act part reason different purpose suggested perceive use owrd seems inapt therefore special significance words stressed defendant found also earlier provisions uniformly held relate venue afford ground distinction long line decisions recently reaffirmed settled provision merely confers defendant personal privilege may assert may waive election waive sued district enters general appearance without claiming privilege interior construction improvement gibney sup hvoslef sup ann cas general investment lake shore michigan southern ry sup lee chesapeake ohio ry sup defendant objects statute whereon plaintiff based right action conflict section article constitution extends judicial power cases admiralty maritime jurisdiction coming particular grounds objection helpful refer briefly purpose scope constitutional provision reflected prior decisions cases maritime jurisdiction absence maritime law arise provision presupposes existence law character law system law existed colonial times confederation commonly applied adjudication admiralty maritime cases embodied principles general maritime law sometimes called law sea modifications supplements adjusting conditions needs side atlantic framers constitution familiar system proceeded mind purpose strike abrogate system place entire substantive well procedural national control intimate relation navigation interstate foreign commerce pursuance purpose constitutional provision framed adopted although containing express grant legislative power substantive law provision regarded beginning implicitly investing power commentators took view congress acted courts including gave effect practically therefore situation view written provision constitution went effect substantive law theretofore force regarded superseded law several become law power congress alter qualify supplement experience changing conditions might require considered therefore room doubt power congress extends entire subject permits exercise wide discretion limitations come well recognized one boundaries maritime law admiralty jurisdiction inhere subjects altered legislation excluding thing falling clearly within including thing falling clearly without another spirit purpose constitutional provision require relating matters whose existence influence confined restricted field cooley board wardens coextensive operate uniformly whole waring clarke lottawanna wall butler boston savannah steamship sup garnett sup southern pacific jensen sup ann cas knickerbocker ice stewart sup washington dawson sup ed story const ed connection well recall constitution section article declares judicial power shall vested one inferior courts congress may time time ordain establish section article empowers congress make laws shall necessary proper carrying execution several powers vested government mention also made enactment first congress embodied sections judicial code comp whereby district courts given exclusive original jurisdiction civil causes admiralty maritime jurisdiction saving suitors cases right remedy common law competent give particular grounds conflict section article asserted statute enables seaman asserting cause action essentially maritime withdraw reach maritime law admiralty jurisdiction determined according principles different system applicable distinct irrelevant field also disregards restriction respect uniformity reasons stated think neither ground sustained statute concerned relative rights obligations seamen employers arising personal injuries sustained former course employment without question matter falls within recognized sphere maritime law respect maritime rules differed materially common law applicable injuries sustained employees nonmaritime service congress empowered constitutional provision alter qualify supplement maritime rules reason may bring relative conformity rules modification latter change uniform operation constitutional provision interposes obstacle permitting rights founded maritime law admissible modification enforced appropriate actions side say proceedings personam according course common law chelentis luckenbach steamship sup knickerbocker ice stewart sup permissible constitution still permissible judicial code waring clarke new jersey steam navigation merchants bank leon galceran wall schoonmaker gilmore knapp stout mccaffrey sup carlisle packing sandanger sup red cross line atlantic fruit sup ed rightly understood statute neither withdraws injuries seamen reach operation maritime law enables seamen contrary brings law new rules drawn another system extends injured seamen right invoke election either relief accorded old rules provided new rules election alternatives accorded maritime law modified law nonmaritime system source new rules drawn contributes nothing force field translated field strength operation come altogether inclusion maritime law louisville nashville western union telegraph sup true many words made part law express declaration essential make originally enacted section part act declared purpose promote welfare american seamen provided suits recover damages personal injuries command shall held servants authority chelentis luckenbach steamship supra page sup treated part maritime law held disclose purpose impose shipowners measure liability injuries suffered crew sea common law prescribes employers respect employees shore decision section amended form set forth part act expressed object provide promotion maintenance american merchant marine form makes applicable personal injuries suffered seamen course employment statutes modifying extending right remedy cases personal injury railway employees thus origin environment show intended bring rules refers maritime law insisted even statute brings rules law still invalid restricts enforcement right founded actions law thereby encroaches admiralty jurisdiction intended constitution must conceded construction thus sought put statute finds support words also construed grave question arise respecting constitutional validity often held statute must construed fairly possible avoid conclusion unconstitutional also grave doubts upon score jin fuey moy sup ed ann cas delaware hudson sup baender barnett sup question arises therefore whether statute fairly open construction may room diverging opinions answer think better view affirmative course legislation exemplified section judiciary act sections par par revised statutes sections para par judicial code comp always recognize admiralty jurisdiction open adjudication maritime cases matter course permit resort remedies appropriate proceedings personam matter admissible grace therefore reasonable believe congress intended statute withdraw rights action founded new rules admiralty jurisdiction make cognizable law side courts expressed intention terms befitting pronounced say terms unmistakably manifesting purpose make resort remedies compulsory merely permissible doen contrary terms statute regard imperative permissive says maintain action law right trial jury import injured seaman permitted required proceed side trial jury incident words action succeeding clause troublesome regard meaning seaman may benefit new rules sues law side sues admiralty side distinction unreasonable unwilling attribute congress purpose make reasonable view consistent spirit purpose statute whole words used sense action recover damages injuries emphasis object suit rather jurisdiction brought think reference actions brought recover compensatory damages new rules distinguished allowances covered old rules usually consisting wages expense maintenance cure see osceola sup iroquois sup chelentis luckenbach steamship sup view statute leaves injured seaman free general par par judicial assert right action new rules admiralty side side issues tried sues side right trial jury construed statute encroach admiralty jurisdiction intended constitution permits jurisdiction invoked exercised beginning criticism made statute set forth new rules merely adopts generic reference criticism without merit reference readily understood employers liability act april stat amendments comp recognized mode incorporating one statute system statutes another serves bring latter fairly covered reference kendall pet heath sup corry baltimore sup interstate ry massachusetts sup ann cas asserted departure restriction respecting uniformity operation without basis statute extends territorially far congress make go nothing cause operation otherwise uniform national legislation respecting injuries railway employees engaged interstate foreign commerce adopts uniform operation neither deflected therefrom local statutes local views rules second employers liability cases sup baltimore ohio baugh sup course legislation like operation part statute objection urged statute conflicts due process law clause fifth amendment permits injured seamen elect varying measures redress different forms action without according corresponding right employers therefore unreasonably discriminatory purely arbitrary complaint directed either measure redress either form action right election given course objection must fail many instances law person entitled sue may choose alternative measures redress modes enforcement true since constitution never held thought far advised permit choice alternatives otherwise admissible violation due process law nature things right choose accorded parties accorded either rest one seeking redress rather one redress sought trial defendant requested directed verdict favor ground actionable negligence shown request denied although approved circuit appeals ruling complained view concurring action two courts deem enough say record discloses sufficient evidence negligence warrant submission jury defendant also complains two requests preferred subject assumption risk denied requests framed considering state evidence conveyed right understanding subject might well proved misleading refusal error judgment affirmed justice sutherland hear argument participate decision footnotes see first third subdivisions section judicial code