Slaughter House Cases

three in number (at first five, but two dismi ed on compromniise). These cases arose out of an act of the Louisiana Legislature of 1869 to protect the health of New Orleans and to incorporate the ‘‘ Crescent City Live-stock, Landing and Slaughter House Company.’? The Butchers’ Benevolent A ociation of New Orleans protested against this act as creating a monopoly. Suit was also brought against the State by Paul Esteben and others, on ground that their busine was injured. It was claimed by the plaintiffs that the creation of a monopoly of this sort by a State’s Legislature was directly opposed to that clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibits State Legislatures from enforcing laws “which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of the citizens of the United States."” The Supreme Court of Louisiana decided that this act did not conflict with the Fourteenth Amendment, and the Supreme Court of the United States confirmed the decision, thus decidedly limiting the scope of that Amendment.