Erie Railway Co. v. Wilcox

Whatever contrariety there may he in the decisions of comts in respect to the duties and obligations of common carriers, it is settled, as firmly as any legal proposition can be, such carrier is not bound to assume responsibility for the transportation of goods beyond the terminal points reached by its own conveyances. It is optional whether the carrier will take upon itself the enlarged responsibility of making the connecting carriers its own agents for the transportation of goods, rather than the agents of the shipper.

Although the cases elsewhere are not harmonious, the rule adopted and…