The case was Munn v. Illinois.
Munn v. Illinois of 1876 was Supreme Court decision in which the Court upheld the power of states governments to regulate private businesses that effect 'the common good ' ( the public well-being ).
The National Grange, an association of farmers, complained that the Chicago grain warehouse Munn and Scott set maximum rates that a company could charge for storage and transport of agricultural products.
The Supreme Court ruled that because grain storage facilities were devoted to public use, their rates were subjects to public regulation.
This case was a watershed in the struggle for public regulation of private businesses. The government's power to regulate private enterprises was however sharply curtailed by other court decisions later on.