burnet coronado oil gas argued march decided april attorney general thomas thacher sol washington petitioner david richardson oklahoma city thomas gore washington respondent oscar carlstrom atty sveinbjorn johnson urbana amici curiae justice mcreynolds delivered opinion enabling act congress required condition precedent admission oklahoma union constitution make provision common schools benefit granted certain lands state proviso valuable erals gas oil sold prior january might leased act june stat state constitution article established common school system pledged faith preserve lands conveyed sacred trust keep uses purposes granted legislature prescribed regulations leasing directing payment proceeds school fund oklahoma comp statutes sections january lands leased coronado oil gas company renewals followed first lease state received fifty per second twelve per cent gross production oil gas years important lessee entire income came sale portion output commissioner internal revenue assessed income excess profits taxes upon corporation net income board tax appeals approved action appeals district columbia ruled otherwise latter held lease coronado company instrumentality state utilization lands dedicated support public schools tax fruits lease burden performance governmental function maintaining schools conclusion properly thought necessary gillespie oklahoma disposed apply doctrine gillespie oklahoma strictly circumstances closely analogous disclosed principle however present claim exemption distinguished one presented earlier cause adhere rule approved true stated group oil bass consistently held property interest completely passed government purchaser claim immunity taxation respect merely government owned sale effected government purpose property thus passed either national state government private ownership becomes part common mass property subject common burdens distinctly indicated exemption claimed oil corporation denied settled rule applied texas oil gas disposal corporate income arose purchased obtained passed state present sale status title matter determination laws state construed applied courts present cause basis saying according local law transaction state lessee amounted sale distinction cases involving sales leases made seemed sufficiently apparent group oil bass decided less obvious instrumentalities either state federal government exempt taxation stated terms universal application repeatedly held agencies either government immediately directly exercises sovereign powers immune taxing power metcalf eddy mitchell opinion gillespie oklahoma supra often referred expression accepted principle metcalf eddy mitchell supra jaybird mining weir northwestern mut life insurance wisconsin heiner colonial trust shaw oil corporation panhandle oil state mississippi ex rel knox carpenter shaw willcuts bunn group oil bass supra indian motorcycle choteau burnet oklahoma undertook lease public lands benefit public schools exercised function strictly governmental character consequently south carolina ann cas much relied upon point essential parts plan adopted federal constitution accept settled doctrine lay tax upon governmental instrumentalities texas white wall collector day wall pollock farmers loan trust farmers mechanics sav bank minnesota established principle constitutional system dual government instrumentalities means operations whereby exercises governmental powers exempt taxation instrumentalities means operations whereby exert governmental powers belonging equally exempt taxation indian motorcycle supra government sphere order preserve dual system fact must given practical recognition lease respondent instrumentality state purpose carrying duty respect public schools tax income lessee arising therefrom amount imposition upon lease challenged judgment must affirmed affirmed justice stone dissenting think judgment reversed gillespie oklahoma overruled neither stand law consistently principles recently reaffirmed group oil corporation bass state texas like state oklahoma set apart portion public domain educational purposes granted oil gas leases lands differing material respect oklahoma lease involved case royalties received state leases devoted university texas oklahoma devotes income derived leases public schools group oil corporation bass supra decided less year ago notwithstanding decision gillespie case income lessees indian oil lands taxed oklahoma upheld right national government assess collect tax upon income received lessee one texas leases sale oil produced leased land pointed texas law lessee virtue lease became owner oil underground taxed income derived sale oil property upholding tax said pages sold otherwise disposed government either state national order raise revenue government purposes broad sense government instrumentality respect neither property sale sale one government may taxed follow property hands buyer use enjoyment income derives also tax immune new brunswick forbes gracey tucker ferguson wall see weston charleston pet veazie bank fenno wall theoretically tax imposed buyer respect purchased property may effect price thus remotely indirectly affect selling government may assume property subject tax sale governmental seller generally receive less favorable price known advance property hands later owners even buyer alone taxed remote indirect effects upon one government nondiscriminatory tax never considered adequate grounds thus aiding one expense taxing power see willcuts bunn educational films ward metcalf eddy mitchell consistently held property interest completely passed government purchaser claim immunity taxation respect merely government owned sale effected government purpose new brunswick supra forbes gracey supra tucker ferguson supra see gromer standard dredging choctaw mackey central pacific california union railroad peniston wall weston charleston supra page pet ed thus passed either national state government private ownership becomes part common mass property subject common burdens denial either government power tax income derived order insure remote indirect antecedent benefit encroachment sovereign power tax justified implied constitutional restriction see weston charleston supra page pet ed doctrine thus announced new one fifty years long decision gillespie case definitely decided forbes gracey private mining claims granted government public lands ores minerals derived subject state taxation deciding group oil corporation case necessary determine whether result case different oil sale taxpayer derived income become severed soil whether distinguishing features case gillespie case enough taxed income derived lessee sale oil title lease vested severance case definitely controlled precedents whose avowed principles approved concerned lease identical involved gillespie case comparison texas lease unavoidable find distinction substance operation effect texas leases oklahoma leases gillespie case longer followed distinction drawn obvious leasing national government indian oil lands oklahoma private lessees benefit indians leasing oklahoma school lands like fashion benefit schools state less governmental enterprises leasing texas oil lands benefit state university whatever genesis particular public duty sovereignty undertaken perform method chosen instruments selected performance case exercise function concededly governmental result far lessee concerned acquisition certain property rights exclusively benefit lessee taxed profits derived private business production sale oil gas property said identical tax thus levied effect oklahoma differing texas fact fact oklahoma leases lessees acquire ownership oil gas severed soil sale lessees texas leases acquire immediately receipt leases presents distinguishing feature acquire private rights governmental grant exploitation derived income upon principles consistently applied except indian oil lease cases reiterated group oil corporation case may taxed income taxed since comparison two methods disposing state assets reveals formal differences must deal irreconcilable conflict theories upon two decisions rest one gillespie case extends doctrine tax immunity beyond case income private business enterprises merely property used business acquired sovereign government plies proceeds governmental purpose recent case decided full consideration arguments advanced supporting gillespie case restricted immunity property sovereign government income government derives plain place emphasis orderly administration justice rather blind adherence conflicting precedents gillespie case must overruled true ten years state oklahoma deprived decision case taxes upon income derived private business lessees indian lands state reason continue deprived national government denied right like taxes time permitted tax income lessees texas leases interest subserved rigid application stare decisis superior system justice based considered consistent application constitution justice brandeis justice roberts justice cardozo join opinion justice brandeis dissenting rule gillespie oklahoma vast private incomes given immunity state federal taxation agree justice stone case wrongly decided frankly overruled merely construe strictly doctrine adequately protect public revenues compare jaybird mining weir stare decisis like rule res judicata universal inexorable command rule stare decisis though one tending consistency uniformity decision inflexible whether shall followed departed question entirely within discretion called upon consider question decided hertz woodman stare decisis usually wise policy matters important applicable rule law settled settled right compare national bank whitney commonly true even error matter serious concern provided correction legislation cases involving fed eral constitution correction legislative action practically impossible often overruled earlier decisions bows les sons experience force better reasoning recognizing process trial error fruitful physical sciences appropriate also judicial function compare trust savings hill recently overruled several leading cases concluded permitted exercise powers taxation theretofore repeatedly sanctioned cases involving federal position unlike highest england policy stare decisis formulated strictly applied classes cases parliament free correct judicial error remedy may promptly invoked reasons refuse follow earlier constitutional decision deems erroneous particularly strong question presented one applying distinguished may accurately called interpreting constitution cases come us seldom dispute interpretation provision controversy usually application existing conditions constitutional limitation strikingly true cases due process clause question whether statute unreasonable arbitrary capricious cases equal protection clause question whether reasonable basis classification made statute cases commerce clause question whether admitted burden laid statute upon interstate commerce substantial deemed direct issues resemble fundamentally reasonable care negligence cases determination ordinarily left verdict jury every case decision first instance dependent upon determination legal parlance called fact distinguished declaration rule law underlying fact found legal result follows inevitably circumstance decision fact made instead jury allowed obscure real character issue presented case bar character discussed also applicable provision law beyond dispute confessedly may tax interfere substantially functions state question issue whether practical matter interfere statute includes among items general income tax laid profits derived taxpayer operating state school lands lease question resembles closely presented decided willcuts bunn examined surrounding facts determine whether federal tax profits sales securities deemed practical matter lay burden exercise state borrowing power make necessary deny federal government constitutional authority impose tax validity tax held depends upon prospect part ordinary investor obtaining profit resale obligations important element inducing acquisition federal tax profits common profits derived sales property constitutes substantial interference functions state governments obviously matter determination willcuts bunn although made highest land essence matter fact similarly question whether interfere substantially functions state government permit general income tax include profits derived lease involves primarily determination fact decision proposition law doctrine res judicata demands decision made highest whether determination fact declaration rule law shall accepted final disposition particular controversy even confessedly wrong decision essence merely determination fact entitled later controversies parties sanction policy stare decisis accorded decision proposition purely law may decision fact rendered upon inadequate presentation existing conditions conditions may changed meanwhile compare abie state bank bryan moreover judgment earlier decision may influenced prevailing views economic social policy since abandoned cases involving constitutional issues character discussed must order reach sound conclusions feel free bring opinions agreement experience facts newly ascertained judicial authority may chief justice taney said altogether force reasoning supported justice stone justice roberts join opinion footnotes matters deemed important occasionally overruled earlier decisions although correction might secured legislation see chicago eastern illinois industrial commission illinois overruling erie collins erie szary gleason seaboard air line ry part overruling friedlander texas pacific ry lee chesapeake ohio ry overruling ex parte wisner qualifying moore ann cas boston store american graphophone ann cas motion picture patents universal film mfg ann cas overruling henry dick ann cas rosen overruling reid compare greer jin fuey moy olmstead roberts lewis overruling giles little kountze omaha hotel overruling stafford union bank louisiana phelps overruling shelton collector wall hornbuckle toombs wall overruling orchard hughes wall noonan lee black dunphy kleinschmidt wall mason eldred wall effect overruling sheeby mandeville cranch gazzam phillips overruling brown lessee clements vidal girard executors qualifying philadelphia baptist hart executors wheat gordon ogden pet overruling wilson daniel dall compare brenham bank overruling rogers burlington wall mitchell burlingham wall hudson guestier cranch overruling rose himely cranch see also fairfield county gallatin cases cited besides cases note see east ohio gas tax commission overruling pennsylvania gas public service commission terral burke construction overruling doyle continental insurance security mutual life insurance prewitt ann cas pennsylvania towers part overruling lake shore michigan southern ry smith nice overruling heff garland washington overruling crain ed pollock farmers loan trust effect overruling hylton dall leisy hardin overruling thurlow massachusetts leloup port mobile overruling osborne mobile wall morgan overruling texas white wall legal tender cases wall overruling hepburn griswold wall belfast wall overruling part allen newberry genesee chief fitzhugh overruling thomas jefferson wheat steamboat orleans phoebus pet louisville cincinnati charleston letson overruling commercial rail road bank slocomb pet cases qualifying bank deveaux cranch compare marshall baltimore ohio turn qualifying letson case supra compare helson kentucky qualifying crandall nevada wall sonneborn cureton qualifying texas brown bowman continental oil standard oil graves union tank line wright qualifying pullman pennsylvania wheeler sohmer qualifying buck beach ann cas compare baldwin missouri home telephone telegraph city los angeles qualifying barney city new york galveston harrisburg san antonio ry texas qualifying maine grand trunk ry chapman qualifying runkle new orleans city lake new orleans qualifying gordon appeal tax philadelphia mail pennsylvania qualifying state tax railway gross receipts wall wabash louis pacific ry illinois qualifying peik chicago northwestern ry continued kilbourn thompson qualifying anderson dunn wheat see also discussion city new york miln pet passenger cases ficklen shelby county taxing district crew levick pennsylvania texas transport terminal new orleans gulf colorado santa fe ry texas baltimore ohio southwestern settle movement constitutional interpretation application often involving less striking departures doctrines previously established takes place also without specific overruling qualification earlier cases compare example allgeyer louisiana slaughter house cases wall tyson theatre ticket offices banton munn illinois muller oregon ann cas bunting oregon ann cas lochner new york ann cas compare taney passenger cases opinions judicially delivered supposed question settled far question upon construction constitution regarded closed decision however object revision quite willing regarded hereafter law opinion upon construction constitution always open discussion supposed founded error judicial authority hereafter depend altogether force reasoning supported see also miller dissenting washington university rouse wall full respect authority former decisions belongs teaching habit judges trained system jurisprudence think may questions touching powers legislative bodies never finally closed decisions compare field barden northern pacific important right upon later elaborate consideration cases consistent previous declarations doctrines eventually stand bear strictest examination test experience see alpha portland cement com massachusetts overruling baltic mining massachusetts farmers loan trust minnesota overruling blackstone miller see also baldwin missouri beidler south carolina tax commission first national bank boston state maine years preceding decision farmers loan trust minnesota blackstone miller cited approval fifteen times compare educational films ward pacific johnson ed decided today qualifying macallen massachusetts policy stare decisis may appropriately applied constitutional questions arising fundamental laws whose constitution may easily amended action following decision ives south buffalo ry ann cas shows promptly state constitution may amended correct important decision deemed wrong see frankfurter landis business pp two eleventh sixteenth process constitutional amendment successfully resorted nullify decisions see chisholm georgia dall pollock farmers loan trust required eighteen years agitation decision pollock case secure sixteenth amendment compare london street tramways london county council stuart bank montreal sup see arthur goodhart law england america cornell law quarterly williams decisis canadian bar review see frankfurter landis business pp arthur machen elasticity constitution harv rev henry wolf bikle determination questions fact affecting constitutional validity legislative action harv rev roscoe pound theory judicial decision harv law rev ray brown process law police power harv rev legislation health personal safety harv rev percy winfield policy english common law harv rev see charles warren history vol iii pp