McLaughlin v. United States

10 Ct. Cust. 24, 1920 WL 19912, 1920 CCPA LEXIS 3
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedFebruary 2, 1920
DocketNo. 1982
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 10 Ct. Cust. 24 (McLaughlin v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Customs and Patent Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McLaughlin v. United States, 10 Ct. Cust. 24, 1920 WL 19912, 1920 CCPA LEXIS 3 (ccpa 1920).

Opinion

Barber, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

In the case of Dutton & Co. v. United States (6 Ct. Cust. Appls., 460; T. D. 35987), the question before us was whether some 150 titles of the well-known series of books called “Everyman’s Library” were entitled to free entry as textbooks under paragraph 426 of the tariff act of 1913, hereinafter quoted.

[25]*25Seven exhibits were submitted as representative of the 150 titles and tbe argument upon both sides assumed tbat these 150 titles in turn were fairly representative of the entire series.

The exhibits were — -

Motley’s Dutch Republic, three volumes.
Machiavelli’s Prince, one volume.
The Federalist, one volume.
Shelley’s Complete Poems, two volumes.
Marcus Aurelius, one volume.
Adam Bede, one volume.
Browning’s Poems, two volumes.

It was held that the merchandise was not entitled to free entry.

T. D. 37781 (G. 'A. 8195) was another case ipyolvipg the same question heard by the Board of General Appraisers. This covered 26 different titles of Everyman’s Library, among which were 17 titles involved in the case now before us, hereinafter enumerated, and in addition—

The Motion of the Heart and Blood, by William Harvey.
Experimental Researches in Electricity, by Michael Faraday.
The Pilgrim Fathers, by John Masefield.
Conquest of Mexico, by William H. Prescott.
The History of Rome, by Theodor Mommsen.
Utilitarianism, Liberty, Representative Government, by John Stuart Mill.
Plato’s Dialogues, two volumes.
A Discourse on Method, by René Descartes.
History of Rome, by Charles Merivale.

The board held that all the books were essentially of the same class as the ones before this court in the Dutton case and overruled the protest.

The case now before us involves some 10,900 volumes, all cloth bound, of Everyman’s Library, imported at different times. They were held dutiable by the collector under paragraph 329, which so far as material is as follows:

329. Books of all kinds, bound or unbound, * * * not specially provided for in this section, 15 per centum ad valorem.

Some nine protests were filed, claiming free entry under paragraph 426, which extends that favor to—

Books and pamphlets printed wholly or chiefly in languages other than English; also books and music, in raised print, used exclusively by the blind, and all text, books used in schools and other educational institutions; * * *.

The protests were overruled by the Board of General Appraisers, and the case comes here on the importers’ appeal.

The brief of importers’ counsel classifies these books under various headings, indicative of the study or subject in the teaching of which it is claimed the respective books are textbooks, and we arrange these titles substantially as set forth in the brief.

[26]*26 Philosophy and 'Ethics.
Plato’s Republic. .
Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle.
Theory of Vision. Principles of Human Knowledge, by Berkeley.
Emile, or Education.
St. Augustine’s Confessions.
English Literature, History thereof, and—
Minor Elizabethan Drama.
Bede’s Ecclesiastical History.
Age of Fable, by Thomas Bullfinch.
Macaulay’s Critical and Historical Essays.
Century of Essays.
Select Plays of Beaumont and Fletcher.
Everyman, and Other Moralities and Miracle Plays,
Lincoln's Speeches and Letters.
Political Economy.
Ricardo’s Principles of Political Economy.
Economics and Finance.
Smith’s Wealth of Nations.
History.
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, by Gibbon!
Froissart’s Chronicles.

Counsel argue that some of the books are entitled to be regarded as textbooks on more than one of thé aboye subjects'. To illustrate, Froissart’s Chronioles is claimed to bé a textbook on the subject of English literature as' well as history. "'Some of the above five subjects were subdivided in the brief, but as arranged above sufficiently present importers’ contention. It is stipulated among other things that the books before us are identical in every respect with those bearing the same titles in T. D. 37781 and that the record taken therein shall be admitted in evidence and made part of the record in this case. We understand that pursuant thereto the only testimony considered below consisted of that which was offered in T. D. 37781.

One result of importing into the record here the evidence taken in T. D. 37781 is that there is before us considerable testimony which does not relate to any books involved in this case. It aids nevertheless in disclosing the very wide and comprehensive scope of importers’ theory as to what are textbooks.

Counsel for importers say they do not ask the. court to modify or reverse any of the reasoning or findings in the Dutton decision but rather to apply the principles established there to' the books of these importations in the light of the present record and claim that each of these books is a' textbook within the rule of that case and that each book presents a. separate and distinct issue. As we view the case, however, it is unnecessary to discpss each volume separately.

[27]*27Tbe record bere, as in tbe Dutton case, is voluminous. Tbe importers’ witnesses include Mr. Macrae, tbe vice president and manager of Dutton & Co., tad distinguished professors and instructors from leading educational institutions, including Harvard, Yale, Wellesley, and Yassar. Tbe Government called competent witnesses upon tbe question of commercial designation, but, as in tbe earlier case, we do not think such evidence establishes a commercial understanding' of tbe word “textbooks” that differs from the common meaning thereof.

Tbe real question bere is whether or not these books are textbooks. If not, they were properly classified by tbe collector and tbe judgment below should be affirmed.

In the Dutton case, while tbe exhibits were bound in cloth, it appeared that the entire series included three other styles of binding, namely, leather, quarter pigskin, and fortified library. Here it is limited to cloth-bound books.

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10 Ct. Cust. 24, 1920 WL 19912, 1920 CCPA LEXIS 3, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mclaughlin-v-united-states-ccpa-1920.