The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1889-03-30
The Interstate Commerce Act.

Among the last acts Of the late Con-
gress was an amendment to a part Of
Section 10 of the Interstate Commerce
Law, which reads as follows;
ANY person and any officer or agent
of any corporation or company who
shall deliver property for transpOrta-
tion to any common carrier, subject to
the provisions of this act, or for whom
as consignor or eonsignee any such
carrier shall transport property, who
shall knowingly and wilfully, by false
billing, false classification, false weigh
ing, false representation ofthe contents
Of the packages, or false reports of
weights, or by any other device or
without the consent or eonnivanee of
the carrier, its agent or agents obtain
transportation for such property at
less than the regular rates then estab-
lished and in force on the line of trans
portation, shall be deemed guilty of
fraud, which is hereby declared to be
mssdemeanor, and shall upon convic-
tion thereof in any court Of the United
States of competent jurisdiction within
the district in which such offence was
committed, be subject for each offense
to a fine not exceeding $4,000 or i'm
prisonment in the penitentiary for a
term Of not exceeding two years, OF
both, in the discretion of the court.
If any such person, or any officer OF
agent of any such corporation or COM
pany, shall, by payment of money OF
other thing of value, solicitation
or otherwise, induce any common
carrier subject to the provisions Of
this act, or any of its officers or agents
to discriminate unjustly in his, its oil
their favor as against any other con-
signor or consignee in the transporta-
tion of property, or shall aid or abe
any common carrier in such unjus
discrimination, such person or sucl
officer or agent of such corporation Of
company shall be deemed guilty of
misdemeanor and shall, upon convic
tian thereof in any court of the United
States ofcompetent jurisdiction within
the district in which such offence wa
committed, be subject to a fine of no
exceeding $4,000 or Imprisonment Il
the penitcntiary for a term of not ex
ceeding two years, or both, in the dis
cretion of the court, for such offence
and such person, corporation or com
pany shall also, together with said con
mon carriers, be liable, jointly or sey
orally, in an action in the case to b
brought by any consignor or consigne
Disseminated against in any court G
the United States of competent juri'
diction, for all damages caused by 0
resulting therefrom'
Railroad officials have held meeting
with viow TO a correct understand
ing of the effect and intent of the abov
amendment; which the Manufacture
Record thus states:
"The evident intent OF Congress i
framing this law was to prevent collu'
ion between shippers and common cal
ers,whereby some ofthe former nigh
purchase, or otherwise obtain advan
tages over their competitors, and ais
to protect the transportation compa
nies from shippers who might seek t
defraud them of their just dues. Thi
amendment will enable the interstat
commission to enforce the maintenance
of uniform rates. Honest shippers ar
protected as well as transportation
companies, for it is made for tho inter
est Of both to seek legal redress fron
those who shall attempt any fraudu
lent practices in future.