A. G. Russell Co. v. Miller
A. G. Russell Co. v. Miller
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
The appellant, A. Gr. Russell Company, sued the appellees, C. J. Miller and others, in the circuit court of Warren County, for damages for injuring its business. Appellees interposed a demurrer to the declaration, which was sustained by the court, and, appellant declining to plead over, judgment final was rendered dismissing the suit, from which judgment this appeal is prosecuted.
The declaration sets up substantially the following facts: That appellant is a corporation, engaged in the business of a cotton factor, its place of business being in the city of Vicksburg; that it has customers at points along the Yazoo and Sunflower rivers, to whom it makes advances in consideration of the shipment to it by such •customers.of cotton to be sold on commission, from the proceeds of which it reimburses itself for such advances ; that appellees own a line of steamboats running between points on the Yazoo and Sunflower rivers, and "the city of Vicksburg, being common carriers of freight and passengers; that it is the custom of appellees, and bas been for a long time, to accept consignments of cotton along the Yazoo and Sunflower rivers to cotton factors in the city of .Vicksburg, and collect the freight, levee taxes, and landing charges from such consignees on delivery- of the cotton; that the appellees still follow this custom as to all other cotton factors in the city of Vicksburg, except appellant; that at divers times appellees refused to accept from the customers of appellant, at points along said rivers, cotton consigned to ■appellant, and collect the freight, levee tax, and landing •charges on delivery, but made an exception of appellant, •and demanded of its customers the prepayment of such ■freight, levee tax, and landing charges; that this dis•crimination against appellant has driven customers away from it and injured its business. Both actual and punitive damages are sued for.
We quote the following from Judge Thayer, in Little Rock & Memphis R. Co. v. St. L., I. M. & S. R., supra, which is a very clear and able elucidation of the question: “Usually, no doubt, railroad companies find it to their interest, and most convenient, to- collect charges from the consignee; but we cannot doubt their right to demand a reasonable compensation in advance for a proposed service, if they see fit to demand it. This common-law right of requiring payment in advance of some customers, and of extending credit to others, has not been taken away by the interstate commerce law, unless it is taken away indirectly by the inhibition contained
In Gamble-Robinson Com. Co. v. Chicago & N. Ry. Co., supra, Judge Sanborn, for the court, quotes the above language of Judge Thayer with approval. In the latter case the authorities will be found collected in the notes. The state has not .undertaken to supervise common carriers in all relations to their customers, but in such only as known evils had grown out of. In Allen v.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- A. G. Russell Company v. C. J. Miller
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- 1 case
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- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Common Carriers. Right to demand prepayment of freight. Discrimination heiween shippers. Common carriers have the right to demand of consignors the transportation charges in advance. 2. Discrimination Between Shippers. At common law common carriers have the right to require prepayment of freight charges from all or some shippers, as they may deem best, and this right of discrimination is not abrogated by our statutes providing for the supervision of common carriers.