Commonwealth v. Grossman

Citations

• 248 Pa. 11
• 93 A. 781
• 1915 Pa. LEXIS 504

Syllabus

<p>Constitutional law — Constitution of Pennsylvania, Art. 8, Sec. 1 — Banks and banking — Act of June 19, 1911, P. L, 1060 — Reasonable classification.</p> <p>1. Classification is a legislative question with which the courts will not interfere, if made in good faith and based on genuine and substantial distinctions of the subjects classified.</p> <p>2. In construing a statute the presumption is that it is a valid exercise of legislative power, and the burden is upon him who attacks it to show beyond all doubt that it offends some clearly expressed or necessarily implied prohibition of the Constitution.</p> <p>3. The Act of June 19, 1911, P. L. 1060, providing for the licensing and regulating of private banking is not a special law. The exemption from the operation of the act of bankers who have done business continuously for seven years in the same locality prior to the approval of the act, and who are not engaged in the sale of railroad or steamship tickets is a reasonable classification based on a real and substantial distinction between two classes of private bankers and does not Tender the act obnoxious to section 7 of Article 3 of the Constitution of Pennsylvania.</p>