Morning journal and courier., 1883-04-02
THE WEST.
Illinois.

Palace Cars Common Carriers-Com- PelIed by Law to Accommodate Custom CTS.
 CHICAGO, April 1.-The Supreme court of Illinois, the full bench assenting, has just filed it's opinion, declaring in substance that the Pullman Palace Car company and like corporations common carriers, placing them in the same category as railroad com panies. This is contrary to the decision given by the same tribunal some years ago. and affirms the principle which the present State Legislature has endeavored to embody in a statute. The suit was brought by Luke Nevin against the car company for refusing to permit him to occupy sleeping birth as signed him, and which he offered to pay for. The lower courts decided that the plaintiff had no power to force accommoda- tions from the car company and that it was optional on it's part to furnish the same. The court asserts that the running of sleepsrs has become business and social necessity, and in this view the law can impose obliga- tions on the company the same as on rail ways, ferry men and inn keepers. In the language of the opinion: ''When, there fore, passenger, who under the rules of the company is entitled to berth on payment of the usual fare, and to whom no personal ob- iection attashes, enters the company's sleep ing car at proper time with the purpose of procuring accommodations and in an order ly and respectful manner applies for a berth, offering or rendering the customary price therefor, the company is bound to furnish it. providing 1t has a vacant one at it's disposal" For breach of any of these implied duties the court holds the company clearly liable.
 Harmony on the Telephone Wires.
 CHICAGO, April IA singular fact was noted in this city Thursday night. At a cer- tain hour all who had occasion to use the telephone found it vibrating to musical tones Private and public telephones and even the police and firm alarm instruments were alike affected. The source of the music was mystery until yesterday, when it transpired that the telegraph wire from the stock yards, which passes near most of the telephone wires, was connected with the harmonic sys- tenn that tunes were being played over it and that the telephone wires took up the sounds by induction. This suggests rather a grave question to the results should the harmonic system be generally introduced.
 The Boom Over-A Falling Off in East
 Bound Shipments.
 CHICAGO, April 1.-The boom in east DGuAu 1I61Sab fSu1DIuCutS 11OM IulS C1by, which continued for several months seems to be over at last. The shipments of flour, grain and provisions for the week just passed fell off near twenty-two thousand tons and it is believed that next weeks shipments will be still smaller. The opening of lake navi- gation is now so near at hand that shippers will wait until they can take advantage of the low lake rates. As the markets in the East have declined it is no object for shippers to ship by rail and pay the present high rates. Now that rail shipments are getting lighter again the rumors of cutting rates by the Nickel Plate, which is not in the east bound pool, are again started. The Nickel Plate officials, however, claim that they are not cutting the rates yet. It is quite certain that unless speedy action is ta- ken by the Trunk lines regarding the admis- sion of this road into the pool it will make trouble before long. Action will also have to be taken regarding the admission into the pool of the Chicago and Atlantic, (extension of the Erie). The road will open for South business May 1st, and unless guaranteed 8 proportion of business will not be able to do much unless it cuts the rates. It is not believed any satisfactory arrangement for the immediate admission of these roads into the east bound pools can be made, and it looks very much as though there would be another freight war between the eastern roads during the summer. That the roads expect this is indicated by the warlike preparations that are being made by the Vanderbilt roads, the Pennsylvania lines and the Grand Trunk. The total shipments of -four, grain and pro- visions by the various roads running east from the city for the week ending March 31st amounted to 4S, ,O92 tons against 70, TOY tons for the week previous. The shipments for the corresponding week last year amounted to 25, ,S37 tons.