State v. Wetzel

243 N.W. 768, 208 Wis. 603, 86 A.L.R. 274, 1932 Wisc. LEXIS 407
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedJune 20, 1932
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 243 N.W. 768 (State v. Wetzel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Wetzel, 243 N.W. 768, 208 Wis. 603, 86 A.L.R. 274, 1932 Wisc. LEXIS 407 (Wis. 1932).

Opinion

Wickhem, J.

The first contention of the defendant is that the provision under which conviction was had is void [608]*608because it imposes an unreasonable burden upon interstate commerce, without any necessity from the standpoint of safety. It is asserted that the section falls within the rule as stated in Michigan Public Utilities Comm. v. Duke, 266 U. S. 570, 45 Sup. Ct. 191, 69 Lawy. Ed. 445, in which the court said:

“But it is well settled that a state has no power to fetter the right to carry on interstate commerce within its borders by the imposition of conditions or regulations which are unnecessary and pass beyond the bounds of what is reasonable and suitable for the proper exercise of its powers in the field that belongs to it.”

See, also, Sioux Remedy Co. v. Cope, 235 U. S. 197, 35 Sup. Ct. 57, 59 Lawy. Ed. 193; Bush & Sons Co. v. Maloy, 267 U. S. 317, 45 Sup. Ct. 326, 69 Lawy. Ed. 627; Western Union Tel. Co. v. Kansas, 216 U. S. 37, 30 Sup. Ct. 190, 54 Lawy. Ed. 370; Sprout v. South Bend, 277 U. S. 163, 48 Sup. Ct. 502, 72 Lawy. Ed. 833, 62 A. L. R. 45; Morris v. Duby, 274 U. S. 135, 47 Sup. Ct. 548, 71 Lawy. Ed. 967; Interstate Transit, Inc. v. Lindsey, 283 U. S. 183, 51 Sup. Ct. 380, 75 Lawy. Ed. 953.

The second contention is that the section, both in its relation to interstate and intrastate commerce, is unreasonable and discriminatory, and violative of the Fourteenth amendment and the Wisconsin constitution, in that it takes property without due process and denies equal protection of the law. Reliance is had upon the doctrine as stated in Bonnett v. Vallier, 136 Wis. 193, 116 N. W. 885, in which this court said:

“There must be reasonable ground for the police interference and also the means adopted must be reasonably necessary for the accomplishment of the purpose'in view. So in all cases where the interference affects property and goes beyond what is reasonable by way of interfering with private rights, it offends against the general equality clause of the constitution; it offends against the spirit of the whole [609]*609instrument; it offends against the prohibitions against taking property without due process of law, and against taking private property for public use without first rendering just compensation therefor.”

Since both contentions have a common fact basis, they may properly be discussed together. It is the claim that since sec. 85.45 (2) (b), Stats., purports to regulate the size of vehicles in the interest of public safety upon the highways, and since it is conceded in the stipulation of facts that in limiting the length of a semitrailer to thirty-three feet the statute has forbidden the operation of the safest combination, and required the operation of combinations that are less safe, an unreasonable burden is cast upon interstate commerce and there is an unjust and unreasonable discrimination between owners of trucks upon the highway. We regard this contention to be without merit for several reasons. It is of course elementary that the stipulation of facts in this case is not binding upon the court or conclusive as to the relation between the section under attack and public safety upon the highways. The legislative power to adopt such measures as in its judgment will promote’public safety cannot be deféatéd~by~~stipülation of the parties, even ff one of_the parties is the State. At most, this stipulation, as well as the testimony upon which it was based, is entitled to be considered for the purpose of assisting the court in a determination of the question whether .the statute has any reasonable jglati on to safety. So considered, it falls short'of its objective. It is based upon the opinions of experts that the section excludes from the highways a truck-trailer combination that is safer than the types that are permitted. The difficulty with this sort of testimony is that the final and conclusive opinion on the subject must be that of the legislature.

In State v. Evans, 130 Wis. 381, 110 N. W. 241, error was assigned on the exclusion of the testimony of a druggist [610]*610and member of the Wisconsin State Board of Pharmacy, as to whether he saw any reason for discriminating between large and small communities. This court said:

“Such testimony was wholly inadmissible. The exercise of the power of legislation is by the constitution made dependent upon reasons which address themselves to the minds of those whom the people may choose as legislators, not on those which appeal to some particular druggist or some particular member of a state board. The question whether or not there can be any consideration to appeal to the mind of any reasonably intelligent person is a judicial one, solution of which is by the constitution imposed upon the courts of the state. The fact that this particular witness had an opinion one way or the other was wholly irrelevant, and could neither control nor aid the court.”

Assuming, however, the utility of this evidence for the purpose of informing the court, its ultimate effect is merely to demonstrate the likelihood that an error in judgment was committed by the legislature. This is not enough to condemn the law. In Metropolis Theatre Co. v. Chicago, 228 U. S. 61, 69, 33 Sup. Ct. 441, 443, the court said:

“To be able to find fault with a law is not to demonstrate its invalidity. It may seem unjust and oppressive, yet be free from judicial interference. The problems of government are practical ones and may justify, if they do not require, rough accommodations-^-illogical, it may be, and unscientific. But even such criticism should not be hastily expressed. What is best is not always discernible; the wisdom of any choice may be disputed or condemned. Mere errors of government are not subject to our judicial review. It is only its palpably arbitrary exercises which can be declared void under the Fourteenth amendment. . . .”

Similar expressions may be found in State ex rel. United States F. & G. Co. v. Smith, 184 Wis. 309, 199 N. W. 954; Kreutzer v. Westfahl, 187 Wis. 463, 204 N. W. 595; State ex rel. Hickey v. Levitan, 190 Wis. 646, 210 N. W. 111; Interstate Trucking Co. v. Dammann, ante, p. 116, 241 N. W. 625.

[611]*611We are unable to come to the conclusion that this act is a merely arbitrary exercise of power. It is conceded that the length of a vehicle increases the dangers of its operation upon the highways. This fact obviously had the consideration of the legislature, since the section under examination specifically deals with the subject and provides for limitations upon the length of vehicles. The superior construction and safety of defendant’s combination does not appear so clearly that the court must take notice of it as a fact.

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Bluebook (online)
243 N.W. 768, 208 Wis. 603, 86 A.L.R. 274, 1932 Wisc. LEXIS 407, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-wetzel-wis-1932.