In a series of most important decisions it has been held that commerce does not begin until the goods intended for purchase. sale, or exchange in another State have begun their trip thither. That is to say, they must at least have been placed in the hands contractual relations, and to furnish the means of enforcing a contract right. This is true of insurance policies, and both are contingent in nature. . . . If a lottery ticket is not an article of commerce, how can it become so when placed in an envelope or box or other covering, and transported by an express company? To say that the mere carrying of an article which is not an article of commerce in and of itself nevertheless becomes such the moment it is to be transported from one State to another, is to transform a noncommercial article into a commercial one simply because it is transported. I cannot conceive that any such result can properly .follow. It would be to say that everything is an article of commerce the moment it is taken to be transported from place to place, and of interstate commerce if from State to State. An invitation to dine, or to. take a drive, or a note of introduction, all become articles of commerce under the ruling in this case, by being deposited with an express company for transportation. This in effect breaks down all the difference between that which is. and that which is not, an article of commerce, and the necessary consequence is to take from the States all jurisdiction over the subject so far as interstate communication is concerned. It is a long step in the direction of wiping out all traces of state lines, and the creation of a centralized government."

This subject will receive especial treatment in Chapter XLIII (Federal Legislative Power Over Interstate Commerce. 345. Federal Legislation) in which will be considered the extent of the legislative powers of the Federal Government under the commerce clause and. especially, the discussion arising under the Anti-Trust Act of 1S90.