The Washington herald., 1909-05-26

The courts h5ve handed down some IN
tereSJing decisbns lately with regard 70
the express companies. one related 10
ne Issuance Of express franks. Tb7
American Ex1ress Company held that
When the rail-Oad rate law prohibited the
Issuance OF passes Il did not have snv
'oea Of making that word applv 10 ex-
press franks. and with that view went
Aheas issuing them. The courts took the
mater up and Judge kohlsaat. OF Chi
eago. rendered an opinion in which he da-
card that q pass and a frank are one
and ne same thing 50 far as the rate Jaw
IS Cincerned
A oank al Aberdeen. s. Oak, sought
10 onPel the express coupanv IN re-
celIa consignments Of money in The
eVerng, so II could be forwarded On
me early train next morning. The ex-
pres company refused 10 ACCEPT the
con1gnments. The State courts al M
held the contention OF the bank. Then
the express company carried the matter
20 ue Federal courts, where Il was held
tnat the bank, having a safety vault Of
as 'Wn. would have 70 keep its money
the7- The result is that the Aberdeen
% Rt their money shipments awav on
the Srst train
Tn express business IS NOV, sez,s--,,
year old IN 1889. William F. HarBde1.
Yali4 n hand made four trims ? week
between New York and Boston. carving
Fs4u'0les and small packages. His Cd
carpfoag was the foreruuner Of that
great American institution. the exn-ess
car BeIore that tine valuables were in
TuStu 20 friends OF even 10 Strangers
"ho Tere introduced by mutual friend.
hud re man who was going 10 New
York or Boston could depend on being
We'll Aden with the valuables Of his ar
Qualnsnces- The man who vould not
accom- 7odated a felIow-beinE in this vav
was rgarded as a suriy person. and there
was q certain unwritten law 20 the e.
fect tat good breeding was indicated
oy a vlHngness 10 become q private ex-
press Messenger for everybody.
From. the small beginning Of HarD6en
there his grown up a system Of exDrsss
companes which reaches every town IN
the United States Il covers nearly
$4,000 niles OF railroad and electric lines
and dos business amounting TO s1zs-
10000 aEear. There are six principal ex-
press Companies. and they do about @
per cent OF the express business The
express iervice has been so highly de- |
veloped hat even the Philippines are
now inclUed. and one may send EXPRESS
packages % more than a hundred Offices I
in those far-oG islands. Prepayment
IS al ESSENTIAL condition in expressing
packages Q Philippine points.
Some on has said that the exnrsss
companies buy transportation at whole 4
sale and sd It at retail. but even this
IS not all They do an order and com
mission BUSINESS Fruit growers ezerv-
where decla,e that the Interstate Com
nlerce Commission ought not 10 take the
right OF doing this sort OF business OFT
OF their hams. In a recent hearing II
was pointed ,ut that many growers got
sureT and better returns when intrlSt
ing the sale OF their goods 70 the ex-
press companes than by sending them
10 regular cenmissiOn merchants. In
many sections a large trucking busi-
ness has been fostered and built I'd
through the aieOf the express companies
IN marketing be goods. The commits
sion houses are trying 10 prevent a con-
tinuation OF tbs business through peti-
tions fled with the Interstate Commerce
Commission 10 decision has been
reached by thaubOdy as 70 the legality
OF this practice under the terms Of the
rate law.
In addition 70 acting as commission
merchants. the &press companies viii
purchase goods ior customers IN any
town where they have agencies. They
VIII file legal doctnaents, redeem pawned
articles. enter and.clear imports and ex-
ports, transport gods IN bond. exchange
foreign money py gas bills, and in
short serve as buiness agents IN any II
sort Of legitimate Transaction where the II