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Supreme Court — Part 6
Page 16
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12 Hague vs, Committce for Industrial Organization.
Streets and parks is as ahsolute as one's ownership of his home,
With consequent power altogether to exclude citizens from the use
thereof, or unless, though the city holds the streets in trust for
public use, the absolute denial of their use to the respondents is a
valid exercise of the police power.
The findings of fact negative the latter assumption.
port of the former the petitioners rely upon Dams vy. Massachy-
setts, 167 LS. 43. There it appeared that, pursuant to enabling
legislation, the city of Boston adopted an ordinance prohibiting
anyone from speaking, discharging fire arma, selling goods, or
maintaining any booth for public amusement on any of the public
grounds of the city except under a Permit from the Mayor. Davia
spoke on Boston Common without a permit and without applying
to the Mayor for one. He was charged with a violation of the
ordinance and moved to quash the complaint, tater alia, on the
ground that the ordinance abridged his privileges and immunities
ad 8 citizen of the United States and denied him due process of
law because it was arbitrary and unreasonable, His contentions
were overruled and he was convicted, The judgment was af-
firmed by the Supreme Court of Massachusetts and by this court,
The decision seems to be grounded on the holding of the State
court that the Common ‘was absolutely under the control of the
legislature’’, and that it was thns ‘conclusively determined there
was no right in the plaintiff in error to use the common except
in such modé and subject to such regulations as the legislature
in its wisdom may have deemed proper to prescribe.”? The Court
added that the Fourteenth Amendment did not destroy the power
of the states to enact police regulations as to a subject within
their control or enable citizens to use public preperty in defiance
of the constitution and laws of the State.
The ordinance there in question apparently had a different pur.
pose from that of the one here challenged, for it was not directed
solely at the exercise of the right of speech and assembly, but was
addressed as well to other activities, not in the nature of civil
rights, which doubtless might be regulated or prohibited as respects
their enjoyment in parks. In the instant ease the ordinance deals
only with the exercise of the right of assembly for the purpose of
communicating views entertained by speakers, and ia not a general
measure to promote the public convenience in the use of the streets
or parks.
In sup-
Hague vs. Commitice for Industrial Organization,
We have no oecasion to determine whether, on the facts d
closed, the Daris Case was rightly decided, but we cannot ae
that it rules the instant case. Wherever the title of 5 res
parks may rest, they have immemorially been held in ae “r }
use of the public and, time out of mind, have been used or
poses of assembly, communicating thonghis between citizens,
diseussing public questions. Such use of the streets an p |
places has, fram ancient times, heen a part of the priser |
mmnities, tights, and liberties of citizens, The privilege of a a ,
af the United States to use the streets and parks for comma
al views an national questions may be regulated in the intere ‘
all; it is not absolute, but relative, and must be exercised an
dination to the teneral comfort and convenience, and in sonsene
with peace and good order; but it must not, In the suise 7
i bridged or denied. ;
Fe ine the court below was right in holding the ordina
quoted in Note 1 void upon its face.* Jt does not man oe
convenience in the use of siteets or parks the standar “ a
action, It enables the Director of Safety to refuse 8 ee
mere opinion that siteb refusal will prevent ‘‘riots, ok vanes
disorderly assemblage."’ It can thus, as the record dis: roses
made the instrument of arbitrary suppression of free espr a
views on national affairs for the prohibition oF Bea ws
oubtediy ‘‘prevent’’ such eventualities. Bu r
seer eakion at the privilege cannot be made a substitute for
duty to maintain order in connection with the exercise me
The bill recited that pelicemen, acting under Peta nts
tions, had searched various persons, including t een nea
had seized innocent eireulars and pamphlets wit “ atitty
probable cause. It prayed imjunctive relic£ agains aan
this conduet, The District Court made no indines elie?
cerning such searches and seizures and grante aa ee nl
veenest, to them, The Cirenit Court of Appeals di not on
the terms of the deeree but found that unreasonape a .
seizures had oceurred and that the prohibitions » ae
Amendment had been taken over by the Fourteen
fect citizens of the United States against such action.
1 strain
The deerce as affirmed by the court helow docs not Tes
i sisi essed to i
searches or seizures. In each of its provisions addr
23 Lovell v, Griffin, sxpra, |
Supreme Court of New Jersey in Thomas
: onstruction of the ordinanee Bb,
ee rhnmae os Casey, 121 N. J. L, 185.
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