When the US Supreme Court Had to Decide What Is a Tomato
A Fruit or a Vegetable? The Court was Asked to Rule
The Tariff of 1883
When President Chester A. Arthur (R-New York) signed the 1883 tariff bill, on March 3rd, the government hoped to put a long-fought debate to rest. For decades, government-made tariffs caused constant controversy and were frequently in need of change.
It was a big ugly ongoing mess. While the intentions of the government were good, the 1883 tariff was even a bigger mess than its predecessors. Known as “The Mongrel Tariff”, the idea was to substantially cut taxes for imported goods. However, when Congress got ahold of the draft, interest groups changed the wording to protect themselves and thus came about a mix of different taxes which made little sense.
This story focuses on one clause of the 1883 tariff bill, the decision to impose a 10% tax on imported vegetables and to leave imported fruits exempt.
Nix v. Hedden
John Nix was the owner of John Nix & Co. Fruit Commission, one of the largest sellers of fruit and vegetables in New York. Nix, and his sons, were importing produce from Bermuda to NY.
In the spring of 1886, John Nix & Co. had a shipment of imported tomatoes sent to the New York harbor. The…
