Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-03-30
supRFME COURT OPINIONS.

a Justice Shiras handed down an opinion
of the supreme court to-day IN the case
of the Texas Pacific railroad vs.. the
sn'Ar-state comission, appealed from the
court of appeals for the second
.s...-,. known as the import rate case.
The opinion Of the supreme court re-
verses The opinion of tho circuit court,
which held that it was illegal to charge
less on imported goods than on domestic
articles. The effect of this opinion is to
continue the alleged discrimination in
the interest of foreign shippers.
An opinion was given in the long and
short haul case, involving the validity of
the provision of the interstate commerce
act, prohibiting greater charge for long
than for short hauls, appealed from de-
cision of the circuit court of appeals for
the fifth circuit by the Cincinnati, New
Orleans & Texas Pacific Railway COM
pany, ct al.
The decision of the court below was
affirmed in the main, the opinion holding
+ that in case of shipments from one state
/ to another on through bills Of lading,
railway companies could not exempt the
parties and give the special rates.
+ Justice Shiras delivered the opinion.
Justice Brown delivered the opinion in
the cases of Thomas Pearsol VS.. the
+ Great Northern Railway company, and
the louisville & Nashville Railroad COM
pany va. the Commonwealth of Kentucky,
as to the right of parallel and competing
railway lines to consolidate, holding in
the case of the Great Northern that it
could not under It's charter and in oppo-
sition to the act of the Minnesota legisla-
ture of 1874 be consolidated with the
Northern Pacific, as was sought to be &C.
complished.
Justices Field and Brewer disssented.
In the Kentucky case a like opinion
was rendered as to the attempt to consoli-
date the Louisville q Nashville with the
Chesapeake d Southwestern.
The decision of the court below in the
case OF Russ VS.. Telfener, involving the
title to 1,l60,820 acres Of land in FL Paso
county, Texas, was reversed by the su-
preme court to-day and the case re.
manded for q new trial. Justice Field
read the opinion.
SESSION OF THE SENATE TODAY.
Mr.. Hoar, chairman of the senate COM
mitee on judiciary, made an effort to
pass the. house bill abolishing capital
punishment in certain cases in the senate
o.day, bat after a brief discussion it
went over until tomorrow.
Theodore T. Shuey and Edward V. Muir
ply were unanimously chosen to succeed
the late Dennis T. Murphy in charge of
the atenographic staff of the senate.
A bill was passed directing the score
tary of tho war to prepare roll of tele-
graph operators who served not less
than ninety days in the military tele-
graphic service during the war of the re-
bellion and present each certificate Of
honorable service.
NOTHING BUT TALK.
A conference of the senate and house
committees on the Pacific railway bills
was held to-day, but in the absence OF sew
eral members it resulted in nothing but
an informal discussion.
THE CUBAN RESOLUTION
The belief is general that Mr.. Cleveland
will not, for some time at least, pay any
attention to the Cuban resolutions, but
the fact, of their final adoption is regarded
as liableto lead to some direct resentment
on the part of Spain. The Cubans them
selves will probably be disposed to re-
gard this action by congres as sufficient
for recognition of belligerency. Spain
herself may act upon this assumption, In
asmuch as it is not fully agreed, even
among the best authorities in congress,
what force the action of congress, inde-
pendent of the president, may have. The
burden of opinion is that it amounts
to no more than an expression of opin-
ion. The result Of SPANS giving too
broad construction to the action ofcon-
gress might be embarrassing. Spanish
war vessels, it is suggested, may, if that
government gets no better understands
ing of the scope of tie resolutions than
they have had heretofore, attempt to
search American vessels. In this lies the
chief danger of trouble.