Stephen Johnson Field

“ To assert that the enforcement of a contract of this kind would be repugnant to the commercial power of Congress, because the espenses of transportation would be less if the contract were annulled, would not be more extraordinary than the position assumed by the appellant in the present case, and would be equally entitled to consideration.
When counsel speaks of the public policy established by the acts of Congress mentioned, he must mean nothing more than that the acts were intended to facilitate commercial intercourse among the States. ”

“ A contract, for example, for the supply of coal for the engines of the company, made upon terms which were at the time reasonable, might be felt to be very hard and oppressive if, before its termination, the discovery of new fields of coal in the vicinity of the road should reduce the market price of the article one-half. ”

“ The act of July 25th, 1866, authorized the construction of certain bridges over the Mississippi River, and among others a bridge connecting Dubuque with Dunleith, in the State of Illinois, and provided that the bridges, when constructed, should be free for the crossing of all trains of railroads terminating on either side of the river, for reasonable compensation. ”