United States v. Craig’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

8 federal appellate · 6 district ·

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 33 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““Again, another guide to the meaning of a statute is found in the evil which it is designed to remedy; and for this the court properly looks at con temporaneous events, the situation as it existed, and as It was pressed upon the attention of the legislative body. United States v. Union Pacific Railroad, 91 U. S. 72 , 79 [ 23 L. Ed. 224 ]. The situation which called for this statute was briefly, but fully, stated by Mr. Justice Brown, when, as District Judge, he decided the case of United States v. Craig [C. C.] 28 Fed. 795 , 798: ‘The motives and history of the act are matters of common knowledge. It had become the practice for large capitalists in this country to contract with their agents abroad for the shipment of great numbers of an ignorant and servile class oi foreign laborers, under contracts, by which the employer agreed, upon the one hand, to prepay their passage, while, upoh the other hand, the laborers agreed to work after their arrival for a certain time at a low rate of wages. -The effect of this was to break down the labor market, and to reduce other laborers engaged in like occupations to the level of the assisted immigrant. The evil finally became so flagrant that an appeal was made to Congress for relief by the passage of the act in question, the design of which was to raise the standard of foreign immigrants, and to discountenance the migration of those who had not sufficient means in their own hands, or those of their friends, to pay their passage.’ ””

   3 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. United States v. Laws · United States v. Gay

2. ““Sec. 4. That it shall be a misdemeanor for any person, company, partnership, or corporation, in any manner whatsoever, to prepay the transportation or in any way to assist or encourage the importation or migration of any contract laborer or contract laborers into the United States, unless such contract laborer or contract laborers are exempted under the terms of the last two provisos contained in section 2 of this act. “Sec. 5. That for every violation of any of the provisions of section 4 of this act the persons, partnership, company, or corporation violating the same, by knowingly assisting, encouraging, or soliciting the migration or importation of any contract laborer into the United States shall forfeit and pay for every such offense the sum of one thousand dollars, which may be sued for and recovered by the United States, or by any person who shall first bring his action therefor in his own name and for his own benefit, including any such alien thus promised labor or service of any kind as aforesaid, as debts of like amount are now recovered in.the courts of the United States; and separate suits may be brought for each alien thus promised labor or service of any kind as aforesaid. And it shall be the duty of the district attorney of the' proper district to prosecute every such suit when brought by the United States. “Sec. 6. That it shall be unlawful and be deemed a violation of section 4 of this act to assist or encourage the importation or migration of any alien by p”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. United States v. Morrisey · United States v. River Spinning Co.

3. ““ * * * Wo think that if, after having entered into the contract, the alien laborer should refuse to carry it out by migrating, the offense would not be complete, and the action could not be sustained.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. United States v. River Spinning Co.