In the case of Wheless v. St. Louis et al., 1900, the U.S Supreme Court dealt with a dispute over land ownership in Arkansas between Joseph W. Wheless and the city of St. Louis along with other defendants including railroads companies who were given rights to certain lands by Congress under an act passed in 1853 for building rail lines from Missouri to California via Arkansas. The lower court ruled that these railroad companies had no claim on this particular piece of land as they failed to construct any part of their railway line within it before July 4,1861 - a deadline set by Congress. Wheless claimed he purchased his title from those who acquired it directly from the state after this date when according to him, all rights lapsed back into hands of state due its non-use by railways till then. The Supreme Court however reversed this decision stating that while indeed there was such a condition imposed on railways regarding time limit for construction but there was also another provision which allowed them extension if delay occurred due to Civil War or legal injunctions etc., both conditions being applicable here thus making their claim valid despite missing original deadline.

In the dissenting opinion for Wheless v. St. Louis et al., Justice Harlan disagreed with the majority's decision to uphold a Missouri law that allowed railroads to charge more for short hauls than long ones, arguing it violated the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. He contended that this ruling would allow states to interfere with interstate commerce and potentially create a patchwork of conflicting state regulations, which could disrupt national economic activity and undermine federal authority over interstate trade. Furthermore, he argued that such laws were discriminatory against small businesses located near state borders who had no choice but to pay higher rates due their geographical location while larger companies further from borders enjoyed lower rates for longer distances traveled on same rail lines within one state.