Hedden v. Richard

Citations

• 149 U.S. 346
• 13 S. Ct. 891
• 37 L. Ed. 763
• 1893 U.S. LEXIS 2307

Syllabus

<p>The language of commerce, when used in laws imposing duties on importa^ tions of goods, and particularly when employed in the denomination of articles, must be construed according to the commercial understanding of the terms employed.</p> <p>This rule is equally applicable where a term is confined in its meaning not merely to commerce but to a particular trade, and in such case, also, the presumption is that the term was used in its trade signification.</p> <p>In an action against a collector to recover an excess of duties paid under protest, the defendant is entitled to show that words employed in a tariff act have a special commercial meaning in the trade, and to have it submitted to the jury whether the imported goods in question came within them.</p>