currin wallace argued january decided january lanier greenville royster oxford roberts greenville petitioners robert jackson sol robert mcconnaughey dayton ohio respondents chief justice hughes delivered opinion plaintiffs tobacco warehousemen auctioneers oxford north carolina seek declaratory tobacco inspection act august unconstitutional injunction enforcement circuit appeals reversing district sustained validity act directed dismissal bill complaint granted certiorari october act scope purpose secs applies transactions involving sale tobacco auction commonly conducted auction markets transactions carried tobacco producers persons engaged business buying selling tobacco commerce defined commerce interstate foreign within territories district columbia congress finds classification tobacco according type grade characteristics affects prices received uniform standards classification inspection evaluation tobacco susceptible speculation manipulation control fluctuations prices quality determinations occur constituting burden upon commerce use uniform standards imperative protection producers others engaged commerce public interest therein secretary agriculture authorized investigate handling inspection marketing tobacco establish standards type grade size condition characteristics may determined standards official standards secs secretary authorized designate markets tobacco bought sold auction products customarily manufactured therefrom move commerce designate market unless thirds growers voting prescribed referendum favor act provides public notice market designated tobacco shall offered sale auction thereon inspected certified authorized representative secretary according established standards proviso case competent inspectors available reasons secretary unable provide inspection certification auction markets within type area shall first designate markets greatest number growers may served facilities available sec warehousemen must provide space warehouse tickets tags labels used showing grades determined authorized inspector sec secretary authorized publish ute without cost grower timely information supply demand location disposition quality condition market prices sec violation requirement inspection certification designated markets made misdemeanor punishable fine imprisonment one year sec market practices led enactment disclosed record described length report committee agriculture house representatives submission bill growers sort tobacco market best tied bundles brought auction warehouse put baskets weighed placed rows warehouse floor ticket pile warehousemen auction tobacco acting representatives growers receiving fees rates fixed state law auction goes forward extreme one basket every ten auctioneer proceeding along one side row buyers moving auction conducted technical vocabulary intelligible initiated bids made understood gestures sale completed grower accepts bid may decline bid take tobacco away bidders representatives tobacco companies speculators experts grades committee reported possession grade price information buyers lack part growers places growers severe handicap marketing tobacco opens way abuses practices farmers ized thought committee purchaser needs expert grades order protect interest sale growers accorded protection also appears record speed sale buyers opportunity make satisfactory examination tobacco consequently many errors made although average buyers supposed suffer seriously effect methods used introduce unusual degree uncertainty prices grower may receive tobacco particular grade operation act federal inspectors examine tobacco hour sale pull samples pile place tickets indicating grade day displayed warehouse report indicating average price government grades sold previous day weekly reports issued preceding week secretary promulgated regulations effective january later official standard grades tobacco prescribed secretary designated markets throughout country compulsory inspection grading north carolina tobacco marketed forty auction markets three oxford goldsboro farmville designated view lack expertly trained inspectors graders markets north carolina designated defendants say markets named selected previous years department established places voluntary inspection tobacco farm products inspection growers familiar benefits accruing federal action relation oxford market question required referendum upwards ballots distributed growers sold market previous season ballots returned favor designation ballots returned per cent favorable plaintiffs contend transaction offering tobacco sale auction warehouse floor transaction interstate commerce hence subject congressional regulation act invalid discriminatory character act provides unconstitutional delegation legislative power act violates due process clause fifth amendment circuit appeals found record supports finding actual controversy plaintiffs defendants entitling plaintiffs invoke declaratory judgment act see aetna life insurance company haworth urge tobacco inherently interstate commodity auction transaction sale title passed grower accepts price auction grower may often reject bid may take tobacco away inspection required act done prior offering sale sale delivery purchaser tobacco interstate commerce control reserved state objections untenable record shows sales consummated oxford auction market predominantly sales interstate foreign commerce principal purchasers number main engaged export trade manufacture tobacco products appears given week shortly beginning suit approximately pounds tobacco sold oxford market per cent definitely destined manufacture north carolina per cent part manufacture north carolina part per cent moved directly foreign commerce fact growers bound accept bids certain instances reject remove auction immediate relation sales consummated upon offers growers accept auction cases manifestly part transaction sale far sales shipment foreign countries idle contend sales interstate foreign commerce subject congressional regulation goods purchased one state transportation another commerce includes purchase quite much transportation swift milling bondurant lemke farmers grain stafford wallace flanagan federal coal shafer farmers grain packing haydel permissible constitutional theory apply principle purchases livestock swift stafford cases grain lemke shafer cases deny application tobacco lemke case supra pages page condemning effort state control buying grain shipment referred power congress provide regulation transactions saying alleged legislation interest grain growers essential protect fraudulent purchases secure payment fair prices grain actually sold may true congress amply authorized pass measures protect interstate commerce legislation character needed shafer case supra pages page said right buy grain shipment ship interstate commerce privilege derived state laws may fetter conditions common right regulation committed congress denied commerce clause constitution fact intrastate interstate transactions commingled tobacco market frustrate restrict congressional power protect control committed care said shreveport case respect intrastate rates interstate interstate intrastate transactions carriers related government one involves control congress state entitled prescribe final dominant rule otherwise congress denied exercise constitutional authority statem nation within national field see also minnesota rate cases ann wisconsin railroad commission chicago stafford wallace supra page page transactions tobacco market conducted indiscriminately virtually time manner made necessary congressional rule applied make govern tobacco thus offered sale authority regulate sales tobacco market congress prescribe conditions sales made order give protection sellers purchasers congress denied exercise constitutional ity prescribing regulations merely may quality police regulations principle misbranding food drugs embraces false misleading statements ingredients commodities effects use see seven cases inspection establishment standards commodities regarded colonial days appropriate regulation trade authority enact inspection laws recognized constitution art sec cl see turner maryland pacific company white inspection laws state relating exports articles purchased shipment subject paramount regulatory power congress turner maryland supra pages page congress long exercised authority enacting laws inspection establishment standards relation various commodities involved transactions interstate foreign commerce fact inspection grading tobacco take place auction dissociate former latter contrary obvious inspection grading immediate relation sales interstate foreign commerce congress thus undertakes govern townsend yeomans recently consideration legislation georgia prescribing maximum charges services tobacco warehousemen conducted business manner similar prevailing north carolina warehousemen strongly insisted engaged interstate foreign commerce tobacco sold floors destined interstate foreign shipment hence state without power fix fees invoked federal act support contention found nothing federal act undertook regulate charges warehousemen hence concluded congress restricted requirements left state free deal matters covered federal legislation inconsistent therewith authority congress enact tobacco inspection act questioned complain act discriminatory say warehousemen tobacco markets north carolina sort business competing patronage among growers liberty conduct sales warehouses without inspection certification reason selection shown lack sufficient number expert inspectors made impracticable supply inspection grading tobacco auction markets practical difficulty mind congress directed reason others secretary unable provide inspection certification markets within type area first designate greatest number growers may served facilities available sec doubt selection within congressional power repeatedly said power given congress regulate interstate foreign commerce may exercised utmost extent acknowledges limitations prescribed constitution gibbons ogden wheat hold congress establishing regulation restricted making uniform rules impose limitation constitution prescribe requirement uniformity connection commerce power art sec cl respect power lay duties imposts excises art sec cl clark distilling western maryland undoubtedly exercise commerce power subject fifth amendment monongahela navigation cress louisville joint stock land bank radford amendment unlike fourteenth equal protection clause labelle iron works steward machine davis assumed might discrimination injurious character bring operation due process clause fifth amendment different matter contention mere lack uniformity exercise commerce power renders action congress invalid contention find warrant essence plenary power conferred congress may exercise discretion use power congress may choose commodities places regulation shall apply congress may consider weigh relative situations needs congress restricted technical requirement may make limited applications resort tests may benefit experience deciding upon continuance extension policy constitution free adopt choices question one wisdom power argument unconstitutional delegation legislative power equally untenable case congress attempted abdicate transfer others essential legislative functions vested constitution art sec sec cl see panama refining ryan schechter corporation always recognized legislation must often adapted conditions involving details impracticable legislature deal directly said constitution never regarded denying congress necessary resources flexibility practicality enable perform function laying policies establishing standards leaving selected instrumentalities making subordinate rules within prescribed limits determination facts policy declared legislature apply without capacity give authorizations sort anomaly legislative power many circumstances calling exertion futility panama refining ryan supra cases general provision may made power given act general provisions fill details wayman southard wheat think tobacco inspection act belongs class far growers tobacco concerned required referendum involve delegation legislative authority congress merely placed restriction upon regulation withholding operation given market growers voting favor similar conditions frequently found police regulations cusack company city chicago case group producers may make law force upon minority see carter carter coal prohibition inoffensive legitimate use property imposed legislature property owners see washington ex rel seattle trust roberge congress exercises legislative authority making regulation prescribing conditions application required favorable vote upon referendum one conditions distinction pointed hampton sustaining tariff provision act september authority conferred upon president said may feel unable conveniently determine exactly exercise legislative power become effective dependent future conditions may leave determination time decision executive often happens matters state legislation may left popular vote residents district affected legislation sense one may say residents exercising legislative power exact statement power already exercised legislatively body vested power constitution condition legislation going effect made dependent legislature expression voters certain district unconstitutional delegation secretary agriculture congress set forth policy establishment standards tobacco according type grade size condition determinable characteristics secs provision secretary shall make necessary investigations end fix standards according kind quality plainly appropriate conforms familiar legislative practice shown various statutes already mentioned different principle authority conferred upon secretary treasury establish standards purity quality fitness consumption kinds teas imported buttfield stranahan conferred upon interstate commerce commission fix standards safety devices equipment louis iron mountain taylor napier atlantic coast line conferred upon secretary war determine whether bridges structures constitute unreasonable obstructions navigation specify prescribe structural changes required union bridge secretary agriculture authorized designate markets tobacco bought sold thereon auction moves commerce sec calls ascertainment fact intention congress clear markets thus ascertained shall designated subject prescribed conditions rapidly facilities inspection available find unfettered discretion lodged administrative officer requirement referendum already noted calls expression wishes growers secretary acts merely administrative agent conducting referendum provision suspension designated market competent inspectors available quantity tobacco enough justify cost service sets forth definite well reasonable criteria statute also lays practical rule guidance secretary selection markets event lack inspectors reasons secretary unable furnish inspection certification auction markets within type area case first designate auction markets greatest number growers may served facilities available statute thus defines policy congress establishes standards within framework administrative agent supply details provisions act well within principle permissible delegation applied relation administration forest reserve grimaud allocation licenses wave lengths etc federal radio commission nelson exercise powers conferred upon interstate commerce commission new york central securities corporation appear use authority instant case secretary acted arbitrary capricious manner adequate corps experts supply north carolina markets selected voluntary inspection prior act said unreasonable course plaintiffs invoke due process clause fifth amendment plaintiffs warehousemen auctioneers acting agents growers tobacco pay commissions plaintiffs thus position contesting regulation benefit principals alleged interference business act affect rate charges deprive erty growers sure may take tobacco please even assumed contention markets subject inspection provision lose patronage afford ground resisting sort regulation otherwise valid claim instance rests conjecture proof agree circuit appeals asserted difference prices obtainable inspected markets compared inspected evidence little probative value loss business growers desire inspection seem record counterbalanced gain business desire page decree circuit appeals affirmed affirmed justice mcreynolds justice butler dissent footnotes declaratory judgment act stat stat iii see section report committee agriculture june accompany methods similar followed georgia described townsend yeomans referendum also smithfield resulted unfavorably see cotton standards act food drugs act warehouse act certification condition agricultural products shipped interstate commerce farm products inspection act perishable agricultural commodities act stat see note farm products inspection act