United States Supreme Court Cases & Opinions

U.S. Supreme Court

Packet Company v. Catlettsburg, 105 U.S. 559 (1881)

Packet Company v. Catlettsburg

105 U.S. 559

Syllabus

1. A town situate upon navigable waters may, without infringing the Constitution of the United States, erect wharves, collect reasonable wharfage proportioned to the tonnage of vessels, and forbid them, under a penalty, to land within the corporate limits at any point other than the public wharf or landing.

2. The ordinances of the Town of Catlettsburg (infra, p. 105 U. S. 560), adopted pursuant to the power conferred by its charter, are not unconstitutional, and this case shows no such abuse of that power as entitles the complainant to relief.

3. Congress has not prescribed the rules touching the landing and departure of vessels, wharfage, and other matters relating thereto, which are enforced at points upon the navigable waters of the country where the amount of commerce requires them, and if they may be justly regarded as regulations of commerce, they are such as the states may respectively adopt, until that body deems it expedient to act.

The facts are stated in the opinion of the Court.