Kevin Williamson, National Review
It started with ferries. Lord Chief Justice Hale considered the question of ferry regulation in De Portibus Maris in 1670. Even if a man owns the land and docks on both sides of a river, and owns a ferry that can be used to take people and cargo between them, he does not have the right to operate a public conveyance without the king’s permission. The king, Lord Hale insisted, has a right of franchise or privilege, that no man may set up a common ferry for all passengers, without a prescription time out of mind, or a charter from the king …
Source: Real Clear Politics