In the case of Seaboard Air Line Railway v. Seegers, 1907, the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of Mrs. Seegers who was seeking compensation for her husband's death caused by a train accident while he was working on a railway line owned by the defendant company. The court held that under South Carolina law, an employer is responsible for providing safe work conditions and equipment to its employees and failure to do so can result in liability if it leads to injury or death. In this case, Mr. Seegers' fatal injuries were due to defective machinery which should have been maintained properly by his employers - the railway company; hence they were liable for his untimely demise.

In the dissenting opinion for Seaboard Air Line Railway v. Seegers, Justice Harlan disagreed with the majority's decision to dismiss the case on jurisdictional grounds. He argued that there was indeed a federal question involved in this dispute over property damage caused by a railway accident because it required interpretation of an interstate commerce law - specifically, whether or not such laws imposed upon railroads an absolute liability for damages resulting from accidents like those at issue in this case. Justice Harlan believed that if state courts were allowed to interpret and apply federal laws without any possibility of review by higher courts, it could lead to inconsistent interpretations across different states and undermine uniformity in national legislation. Therefore, he concluded that the Supreme Court should have jurisdiction over cases involving questions about how federal statutes are interpreted and applied by state courts.