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Majority — Hughes J.
Syllabus
APPEAL FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT.delivered the opinion of the court.
The legislature of the State of Oklahoma passed an act, approved December 18, 1907 (Rev. Laws, Okla., 1910, §§ 860 et seq.), known as the ‘Separate Coach Law.’ It provided that ‘every railway company . . . doing business, in this State, as a common carrier of passengers for hire’ should ‘provide separate coaches or compartments', for the accommodation of the white and negro races, which separate coaches or cars’ should ‘ be equal in all points of comfort and convenience’ (§ 1); that at passenger depots, there should be maintained ‘separate waiting rooms,’ likewise with equal facilities (§ 2); that the term negro, as used in the act, should include every person of African descent, as defined by the state constitution (§ 3); and that each compartment of a railway coach ‘ divided by a good and substantial wooden partition, with a door therein, shall be deemed a separate coach’ within the meaning of the statute (§ 4).
It was fürther provided that nothing, contained in the act should be construed to prevent railway companies ‘from hauling sleeping cars, dining or chair cars attached to their trains to be used exclusively by either white or negro passengers, separately but not jointly’ (§ 7).
Other sections prescribed penalties both for carriers, and for passengers, failing to observe the law (§§ 5, 6). The act was to take effect sixty days after its approval (§ 12).
On February 15, 1908, just before the time when the statute, by its terms, was to become effective, five negro
The conclusions of the court below as stated in its opinion were, in substance:
1. That under the Enabling Act, the State of Oklahoma was admitted to the Union ‘ on an equal footing with the original States’ and with respect to the matter in question had authority to enact such laws, not in conflict with the Federal Constitution, as other States could enact; citing, Permoli v. First Municipality, 3 How. 589 , 609; Escanaba Company v. Chicago, 107 U. S. 678 , 688; Willamette Iron Bridge Co. v. Hatch, 125 U. S. 1 ; Ward v. Race-Horse, 163 U. S. 504 ; Bolln v. Nebraska, 176 U. S. 83 . See also Coyle v. Oklahoma, 221 U. S. 559 , 573.
3. That the provision of § 7, above quoted, relating to sleeping cars, dining cars and chair cars did not offend against the Fourteenth Amendment as these cars were, comparatively speaking, luxuries, and that it was competent for the legislature to take into consideration the limited demand for such accommodations by the one race, as compared with the demand on the part of the other.
4. That in determining the validity of the statute the doctrine that an act although 'fair -on its face’ might be so unequally and oppressively administered by the public authorities as to amount'to an unconstitutional discrimination by the State itself (Yick Wo v. Hopkins, 118 U. S. 356 , 373) was not applicable, as there was no basis in the present case, for holding that any discriminations by carriers which were unauthorized by the statute were practised under state authority.
5. That the act, in the absence of a different construction by the state court, must be construed as applying to transportation exclusively intrastate and hence did not contravene the commerce clause of the Federal Constitution. Louisville &c. Ry. Co. v. Mississippi, 133 U. S. 587 , 590; Chesapeake & Ohio Ry. Co. v. Kentucky, 179 U. S. 388 , 391; Chiles v. Chesapeake & Ohio Ry. Co., 218 U. S. 71 .
6. That with respect to the existence of discriminations the allegations of the bill were .too vague and uncertain to entitle the complainants to a decree.
In view of the decisions of this court above cited, there is no reason to doubt the correctness of the first, second, fourth and fifth of these conclusions.
With the third, relating to § 7 of the statute, we are
This argument with respect to volume of traffic seems to'us to be without merit. It makes the constitutional right depend upon the number of persons who may be discriminated against, whereas the essence of the constitutional right is that it is a personal one. Whether or not particular facilities shall be. provided may doubtless be conditioned upon there being a reasonable demand, therefor, but, if facilities are provided, substantial equality of treatment of persons traveling under like conditions cahnot be-refused.' It is the individual who is entitled to
There is, however, an insuperable obstacle to the granting of the relief sought by this bill. It was filed, as we have seen, by five persons against five railroad corporations to restrain them from complying with the state statute. The suit had been brought before the law went into effect and this amended bill was filed very shortly after. It contains'some general allegations as to discriminations in' the supply of facilities and as to the hardships which will ensue. It states that there will be ‘a multiplicity of suits/ there being at least 'fifty thousand persons of the negro race in the State of Oklahoma’ who will be' injured and deprived of their civil rights. But we are dealing here with the case of the complainants, and nothing is shown to entitle them to an injunction. It is an elementary principle that, in order to justify the granting of this extraordinary relief, the complainant’s need of it, and the absence of an adequate remedy at law, must clearly appear. The complainant cannot succeed because someone else may be hurt. Nor does it make any difference that other persons, who may be injured are persons of the same race or occupation. It is the fact, clearly established, of injury to the complainant — not to others— which justifies judicial intervention. Williams v. Hagood, 98 U. S. 72 , 74, 75; Virginia Coupon Cases, 114 U. S. 325 , 328, 329; Tyler v. Judges, 179 U. S. 405 , 406; Turpin v. Lemon, 187 U. S. 51 , 60; Davis & Farnum v. Los Angeles, 189 U. S. 207 , 220; Hooker v. Burr, 194 U. S. 415 , 419; Braxton County Court v. West Virginia, 208 U. S. 192 , 197; Collins v. Texas, 223 U. S. 288 , 295, 296.
The allegations of the amended bill, so far as they pur
“That notwithstanding the terms of said Act of Congress and of .the Constitution of the State of Oklahoma, the said above named defendants and each of them are making distinctions in the civil rights of your orators and of all other persons of the negro race and persons of the white race in the conduct and operation of its trains and passenger service in the State of Oklahoma, in this, to wit: that equal comforts, conveniences and accommodations will not be provided for your orators and other persons of the negro race; that said passenger coaches are not constructed or maintained so as to enable persons of the negro race to be provided with separate and equal toilet and waiting rooms for male and female passengers of said negro race, nor have equal smoking car accommodations, nor separate and equal chair cars, sleeping cars and dining car accommodations by providing for your orators and other persons of the negro race who may become passengers on said railroad, that separate .waiting rooms with equal comforts and conveniences have been or are bound to be constructed by said defendants and each of them for your orators and other persons of the negro race desiring to become passengers on said railroad, and that said orators are not being and will not be provided with equal accommodations with the white race under the provisions of said act.”
We agree with the court below that these allegations are altogether too vague and indefinite to warrant the relief sought by these complainants. It is not alleged that any one of the complainants has ever traveled on any one of the five railroads, or has ever requested transportation on any of them; or that any one of the complainants has ever requested that accommodations be furnished to him in any sleeping cars, dining cars or chair cars; or.that any of these five companies has ever notified any .one of
Decree affirmed.
Me. Chief Justice White, Me. Justice Holmes, Me. Justice Lamar and Mr. Justice McReynolds concur in the result.
Cases cited
- Coyle v. Smith 221 U. S. 559 at 640, at 553, at 1910 p. 151, p. 152, p. 153, p. 155, p. 156, p. 157, p. 158, p. 159, p. 161, p. 163
- Plessy v. Ferguson 163 U. S. 537 p. 151, p. 157, p. 160
- Yick Wo v. Hopkins 118 U. S. 356 at 118 p. 151, p. 153, p. 154, p. 156, p. 160
- Mugler v. Kansas 123 U. S. 623 p. 152, p. 159
- Lawton v. Steele 152 U. S. 133 p. 152
- Holden v. Hardy 169 U. S. 366 p. 152
- California Reduction Co. v. Sanitary Reduction Works 199 U. S. 306 p. 152
- Connolly v. Union Sewer Pipe Co. 184 U. S. 540 p. 153, p. 155, p. 159
- Morgan's Steamship Co. v. Louisiana Board of Health 118 U. S. 455 p. 153
- Louisville, New Orleans & Texas Railway Co. v. Mississippi 133 U. S. 587 p. 154, p. 157, p. 160
- Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Co. v. Kentucky 179 U. S. 388 p. 154, p. 156, p. 160
- Pacific Express Co. v. Seibert 142 U. S. 339 p. 154
- 92 U. S. 214 92 U. S. 214 p. 154
- United States v. Steffens 100 U. S. 82 p. 154
- Poindexter v. Greenhow 114 U. S. 270 p. 154
- 158 U. S. 636 158 U. S. 636 p. 154
- Allen v. Louisiana 103 U. S. 80 p. 154
- Spraigue v. Thompson 118 U. S. 90 p. 154
- Hall v. DeCuir 95 U. S. 485 p. 154
- County of Mobile v. Kimball 102 U. S. 691 p. 154
- Brown v. Houston 114 U. S. 622 p. 154
- Bowman v. Chicago & Northwestern Railway Co. 125 U. S. 465 p. 154
- Chy Lung v. Freeman 92 U. S. 275 p. 155
- Neal v. Delaware 103 U. S. 370 p. 155
- Soon Hing v. Crowley 113 U. S. 703 p. 155
- Strauder v. West Virginia 100 U. S. 303 p. 156
- Arbuckle v. Blackburn 191 U. S. 405 p. 156
- Bonin v. Gulf Co. 198 U. S. 115 p. 156
- Bolln v. Nebraska 176 U. S. 83 p. 156, p. 159
- Chiles v. Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Co. 218 U. S. 71 p. 156, p. 160
- Escanaba Co. v. Chicago 107 U. S. 678 p. 156, p. 159
- Florida Central & Peninsular Railroad v. Bell 176 U. S. 321 p. 156
- 163 U. S. 274 163 U. S. 274 p. 156
- 42 U. S. 339 42 U. S. 339 p. 157
- Permoli v. Municipality No. 1 3 How. 589 p. 157, p. 159
- Shoshone Mining Co. v. Rutter 177 U. S. 505 p. 157
- Shulthis v. McDougal 225 U. S. 561 p. 157
- Southern Railway Co. v. King 217 U. S. 524 p. 157
- Ward v. Race Horse 163 U. S. 504 p. 157, p. 159
- Willamette Iron Bridge Co. v. Hatch 125 U. S. 1 p. 157, p. 159
- Atlantic Coast Line Railroad v. Mazursky 216 U. S. 122 p. 157
- Baltimore & Ohio Railroad v. United States ex rel. Pitcairn Coal Co. 215 U. S. 481 p. 157
- Covington & Cincinnati Bridge Co. v. Hager 203 U. S. 109 p. 157
- Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Co. v. Solan 169 U. S. 133 p. 157
- Giles v. Harris 189 U. S. 475 p. 157
- Interstate Commerce Commission v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad 145 U. S. 263 p. 157, p. 158
- 168 U. S. 165 168 U. S. 165 p. 157
- Texas & Pacific Railway Co. v. Abilene Cotton Oil Co. 204 U. S. 426 p. 158
- 197 U. S. 540 197 U. S. 540 p. 158
- Williams v. Hagood 98 U. S. 72 at 75 p. 162
- Marye v. Parsons 114 U. S. 325 at 329 p. 162
- Tyler v. Judges of the Court of Registration 179 U. S. 405 p. 162
- Turpin v. Lemon 187 U. S. 51 p. 162
- Davis & Farnum Manufacturing Co. v. Los Angeles 189 U. S. 207 p. 162
- Hooker v. Burr 194 U. S. 415 p. 162
- Braxton County Court v. West Virginia ex rel. State Tax Commissioners 208 U. S. 192 p. 162
- Collins v. Texas 223 U. S. 288 at 296 p. 162