What is the constitutional provision regarding freight and passenger rates on railroads?

• A. They must be set by the federal government.
• B. They can discriminate between different users.
• C. Generally, they cannot discriminate between different users.
• D. They must be the same for all shipments regardless of distance.

Answer: (C)

Railroads are treated as public carriers, so the key idea is that they must charge just and reasonable rates and not treat customers differently for the same service. This means, in practice, they generally cannot discriminate between different users. The Constitution sets a baseline of non-discrimination to ensure fair access to transportation. While there can be legitimate, negotiated or class-based differences in rates in some situations, the overall rule is that discrimination among users for the same service is not allowed. The other options would imply government-imposed uniform rates or absolute sameness regardless of circumstances, which is not the standard; nor does the Constitution assign rate-setting to the federal government in this context.