Sees. 1-3 Connecting tel egraph lines. required. governmental, commercial, and all other purposes, telegraph lines, and exercise by themselves alone all the telegraph franchises conferred upon them and obligations assumed by them under the Acts making the grants as aforesaid. SEC. 2. That whenever any telegraph company which shall have accepted the provisions of title sixty-five of the Revised Statutes shall extend its line to any station or office of a telegraph line belonging to any one of said railroad or telegraph companies, referred to in the first section of this Act, said telegraph company so extending its line shall have the right and said railroad or telegraph company shall allow the line of said telegraph company so extending its line to connect with the telegraph line of said railroad or telegraph company to which it is extended at the place where their lines may meet, for the prompt and convenient interchange of telegraph business between said companies; and such railroad and telegraph companies, referred to in the first section of this Act, shall so operate their respective telegraph lines as to afford Equal facilities equal facilities to all, without discrimination in favor of or against any person, company, or corporation whatever, and shall receive, deliver, and exchange business with connecting telegraph lines on equal terms, and affording equal facilities, and without discrimination for or against any one of such connecting lines; and such exchange of business shall be on terms just and equitable. SEC. 3. That if any such railroad or telegraph comInterstate ComCompany referred to in the first section of this Act or company operating such railroad or telegraph line shall refuse or fail, in whole or in part, to maintain and operate a telegraph line as provided in this Act and Acts to which this is supplementary, for the use of the Government or the public, for commercial and other purposes, without discrimination, or shall refuse or fail to make or continue such arrangements for the interchange of business with any connecting telegraph company, then any person, company, corporation, or connecting telegraph company may apply for relief to the Interstate ComDuties of the merce Commission, whose duty it shall thereupon be, where complaint under such rules and regulations as said Commission may prescribe, to ascertain the facts, and determine and order what arrangement is proper to be made in the particular Complaints to merce sion. Commission is made. Sees. 8-5 case, and the railroad or telegraph company concerned shall abide by and perform such order; and it shall be the duty of the Interstate Commerce Commission, when such determination and order are made, to notify the parties concerned, and, if necessary, enforce the same by writ of mandamus in the courts of the United States, in the name of the United States, at the relation of either of said Interstate Commerce Commissioners: Provided, Commission may institute inThat the said Commissioners may institute any inquiry, quiries on its own upon their own motion, in the same manner and to the same effect as though complaint had been made. motion. Attorney General SEC. 4. That in order to secure and preserve to the United States the full value and benefit of its liens upon all the telegraph lines required to be constructed by and lawfully belonging to said railroad and telegraph companies referred to in the first section of this Act, and to have the same possessed, used, and operated in conformity with the provisions of this Act and of the several Acts to which this Act is supplementary, it is hereby made the duty of the Attorney General of the United States, by Duty of the proper proceedings, to prevent any unlawful interference under this Act. with the rights and equities of the United States under this Act, and under the Acts hereinbefore mentioned, and under all Acts of Congress relating to such railroads and telegraph lines, and to have legally ascertained and finally adjudicated all alleged rights of all persons and corporations whatever claiming in any manner any control or interest of any kind in any telegraph lines or property, or exclusive rights of way upon the lands of said railroad companies, or any of them, and to have all contracts and provisions of contracts set aside and annulled which have been unlawfully and beyond their powers entered into by said railroad or telegraph companies, or any of them, with any other person, company, or corporation. Penalties for sions of this Act the Commission. SEC. 5. That any officer or agent of said railroad or failure to comply telegraph companies, or of any company operating the with the provi railroads and telegraph lines of said companies, who shall or the orders of refuse or fail to operate the telegraph lines of said railroad or telegraph companies under his control, or which he is engaged in operating, in the manner directed in this Act and by the Acts to which it is supplementary, or who shall refuse or fail, in such operation and use, to afford and secure to the Government and the public equal facili Seos. 5 and 6 ties, or to secure to each of said connecting telegraph lines equal advantages and facilities in the interchange of business, as herein provided for, without any discrimination whatever for or adverse to the telegraph line of any or either of said connecting companies, or shall refuse to abide by, or perform and carry out within a reasonable time the order or orders of the Interstate Commerce Commission, shall in every such case of refusal or failure be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, shall in every such case be fined in a sum not exceeding one thousand dollars, and may be imprisoned not less than six months; and in every such case of refusal or failure the party aggrieved may not only cause the officer or agent guilty thereof to be prosecuted under the provisions of Actions for this section, but may also bring an action for the damages damages may al- sustained thereby against the company whose officer or so be brought. Duty of railroad and tele jeet to this Act agent may be guilty thereof, in the circuit or district court of the United States in any State or Territory in which any portion of the road or telegraph line of said company may be situated; and in case of suit process may be served upon any agent of the company found in such State or Territory, and such service shall be held by the court good and sufficient. SEC. 6. That it shall be the duty of each and every one graph lines sub- of the aforesaid railroad and telegraph companies, within to file copies of sixty days from and after the passage of this Act, to file report with the with the Interstate Commerce Commission copies of all contracts and a Commission. contracts and agreements of every description existing between it and every other person or corporation whatsoever in reference to the ownership, possession, maintenance, control, use, or operation of any telegraph lines, or property over or upon its rights of way, and also a report describing with sufficient certainty the telegraph lines and property belonging to it, and the manner in which the same are being then used and operated by it, and the telegraph lines and property upon its right of way in which any other person or corporation claims to have a title or interest, and setting forth the grounds of such claim, and the manner in which the same are being then used and operated; and it shall be the duty of each and every one of said railroad and telegraph companies annuAnnual reports ally hereafter to report to the Interstate Commerce Commission, with reasonable fullness and certainty, the na to the CommisBion. ture, extent, value, and condition of the telegraph lines and property then belonging to it, the gross earnings, and all expenses of maintenance, use, and operation thereof, and its relation and business with all connecting telegraph companies during the preceding year, at such time and in such manner as may be required by a system of reports which said Commission shall prescribe; and if any of said railroad or telegraph companies shall refuse or fail to make such reports or any report as may be called for by said Commission, or refuse to submit its books and sion. Sec. 17 records for inspection, such neglect or refusal shall oper- Penalties for reate as a forfeiture, in each case of such neglect or refusal, fusal to make reof a sum not less than one thousand dollars nor more than ports to Commisfive thousand dollars, to be recovered by the Attorney General of the United States, in the name and for the use and benefit of the United States; and it shall be the duty Duty of Attor of the Interstate Commerce Commission to inform the prosecute. Attorney General of all such cases of neglect or refusal, whose duty it shall be to proceed at once to judicially enforce the forfeitures hereinbefore provided. ney General to to alter, amend, or repeal. SEC. 7. That nothing in this Act shall be construed to Right of Conaffect or impair the right of Congress, at any time here- gress after, to alter, amend, or repeal the said Acts hereinbefore mentioned; and this Act shall be subject to alteration, amendment, or repeal as, in the opinion of Congress justice or the public welfare may require; and nothing herein contained shall be held to deny, exclude, or impair any right or remedy in the premises now existing in Equity rights of the United States, or any authority that the Postmaster the Government General now has under title sixty-five of the Revised Statutes to fix rates, or, of the Government, to purchase lines as provided under said title, or to have its messages given precedence in transmission. preserved. LAKE ERIE AND OHIO RIVER SHIP CANAL [Provision in the Act to incorporate the Lake Erie and Ohio River Ship Canal, June 30, 1906] SEC. 17. That the said canals shall be open to the use 84 Stat. L., 809. and navigation of all suitable and proper vessels or other water craft, by whomsoever owned or operated, upon fair Sec. 17 Charges shall be reasonable. Charges to be Commission. schedules. and equal terms, conditions, rates, tolls, and charges; and the said company may demand, take, and recover for its own proper use, for all persons and things of whatsoever description transported upon the said canals, feeders, and other works, or in vessels and craft using the same, just and reasonable charges, rates, and tolls; but all such charges, rates, and tolls shall be equal to all persons, vessels, and goods under certain classifications to be esapproved by tablished by the company and approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission; and no rebate, reduction, drawback, or discrimination of any sort on such charges, rates, and tolls shall ever be made directly or indirectly. Publication of And the said charges, rates, and tolls for the ensuing year shall be fixed, published, and posted on or in every place where they are to be collected, on or before the fifteenth day of February of each year, and shall not be changed except after thirty days' public notice, which notice shall plainly state the changes proposed to be made in the charges, rates, and tolls then in force and the time when the changed charges, rates, and tolls will go into effect; and the proposed changes shall be shown by printing new schedules or shall be plainly indicated upon the schedules in force at the time and kept open to public inspection: Provided, That the Interstate Commerce Commission may, in its discretion and for good cause shown, allow may modify re- changes upon less notice than herein specified or modify the foregoing requirements in respect to publishing and posting of such schedules, either in particular instances or by a general order applicable to special or peculiar circumstances or conditions. Commission quirements. PARCEL POST [Provisions in the Post Office Department Appropriation Acts of August 24, 1912, and July 28, 1916] 87 Stat. L., 558. The classification of articles mailable as well as the weight limit, the rates of postage, zone or zones and other conditions of mailability under this Act, if the Postmaster General shall find on experience that they or any of them are such as to prevent the shipment of articles de |