martin pittsburgh argued decided december reuben martin brought action recover compensation personal injuries time martin injured train railroad company employ railway postal clerk route extending cleveland ohio pittsburg pennsylvania injuries arose derailing pennsylvania train negligence crew work train permitting switch leading side track open among defenses company pleaded law pennsylvania passed april alleged applicable relieved responsibility reply plaintiff denied existence applicability statute moreover defended ground statute existing applicable void first contrary power delegated congress establish postoffices post roads second repugnant commerce clause constitution third conflict equal protection due process clauses amendment also clause prohibiting state making enforcing law shall abridge privileges immunities citizens trial jury held statute question applicable valid hence operative defeat recovery verdict judgment favor railroad company severally affirmed circuit state ohio charles koonce robert murray william anderson plaintiff error james wilson arrel wilson harrington defendant error justice white making foregoing statement delivered opinion quote pennsylvania statute april upon case turns enacted senate house representatives commonwealth pennsylvania general assembly met hereby enacted authority person shall sustain personal injury loss life lawfully engaged employed roads works depots premises railroad company train car therein thereon company person employee right action recovery cases company shall exist person employee provided section shall apply passengers application statute valid presents federal question unconcerned matter although may observed passing conceded argument bar settled construction given statute pennsylvania plaintiff railway postal clerk passenger greater rights event injured course employment employee railroad company application statute thus construed railway postal clerk conflict power congress establish postoffices post roads price pennsylvania ed sup question effect foreclosed plaintiff error case brought judgment pennsylvania holding railway postal clerk passenger within meaning pennsylvania act hence right recover injuries suffered consequence negligence employee company federal ground relied upon substantially one asserted power government establish postoffices post roads effect legislation congress act postmaster general appointing mail clerks thereunder fully considering subject case dismissed substantial federal ground involved saying ed sup person thus carried mail matter without extra charge passenger charge mail compensation made transportation charge fact employment defendant bound contract government carry affect question company contracted person charge freight train carry without additional compensation statutes authorize employment direct service therefore make person engaged passenger deprive character construing pennsylvania statute give persons employed right railroad company belong person similar employment others brings us second contention repugnancy pennsylvania statute commerce clause constitution apparent decision price case previously referred deciding question must determine application statute plaintiff error wholly irrespective fact time injured railway postal clerk words validity invalidity statute adjudged precisely plaintiff time injury serving hire employment private individual corporation circumstances stated case pennsylvania hughes ed sup clearly establishes unsoundness contention pennsylvania statute question void conflict commerce clause case horse shipped point state new york point state pennsylvania bill lading limited right recovery exceeding injury might occasioned animal transit horse hurt within state pennsylvania negligence connecting carrier courts pennsylvania applying pennsylvania doctrine denies right common carrier limit liability injuries resulting negligence recovery sum value animal writ error judgment pennsylvania affirmed held least absence legislation congress subject effect commerce clause constitution deprive state pennsylvania authority legislate within jurisdiction concerning liability common carriers although legislation might extent indirectly affect interstate commerce ruling hughes case effect reiterated principle adopted applied chicago solan ed sup iowa statute forbidding common carrier contracting exempt liability sustained person injured interstate transportation contention cases referred operation state laws sustained augment liability carrier therefore rulings inapposite consequence application state statute may lessen carrier liability rests upon distinction without difference result previous rulings recognize absence action congress power legislate course power involved authority regulate state might deem best public good without reference whether effect legislation might limit broaden responsibility carrier words assertion federal right disposed determine question power involve considering wisdom lawful power may stated conditions exerted views previously stated adequate dispose assertion pennsylvania statute void repugnancy amendment conceded contended plaintiff error recovered statute follow legislature pennsylvania preventing recovery took away vested right right property accident cause action asserted arisen occurred long passage statute difficult grasp contention statute deprived plaintiff error rights stated contention reason must rest upon proposition state pennsylvania without power legislate subject proposition adversely disposed must since clearly follow argument relied upon maintained state without power subject said state authority premises authority even extend prescribing rule applicable conditions wholly arising future contention plaintiff error citizen constitutional right travel one state another entitled result accident happening pennsylvania cause action allowed laws state different form reiterate pennsylvania statute repugnant commerce clause constitution conceding accident happened ohio right recover fact deprive state pennsylvania authority legislate affect persons things within borders commerce clause controlling absence legislation congress follows necessity plaintiff error incident right travel state state possess privilege accident happening pennsylvania exert cause action given laws state immunity exempting control state legislation proposition statute denied plaintiff error equal protection laws arbitrarily unnaturally classification made deprived railway mail clerks rights passengers might enjoyed statute enacted without merit classification made statute alone embrace railway mail clerks places class clerks others whose employment railroad subjects greater peril passengers strictest sense general difference renders imposible reason say within meaning amendment legislature pennsylvania classifying passengers strict sense one class subject greater risks including railway mail clerks another acted arbitrarily violate equal protection clause amendment judgment affirmed