1450 LAWS OF MARYLAND.

SEC. 33 1/2. Whenever there shall have been enacted by the
Congress of the United States and shall be in effect any Act
providing an exclusive remedy and compensation to employes
of common carriers by railroad while employed in interstate
or foreign commerce who sustain personal injury by accident
arising out of and in the course of such employment and re-
sulting in disability, or to the dependents of such employes in
case such injury results in death, it shall be lawful for any
such common carrier by railroad in this State and its employes
or any of them, by agreement between such employer and em-
ployes, to provide for the payment by the employer of com-
pensation in the amounts at the times and in the manner
specified in said Act of Congress to any employe who, while
employed by such employer in commerce or business wholly
within this State, sustains personal injury by accident arising
out of and in the course of his employment and resulting in
his disability, or to the dependents, as defined in said Act of
Congress, of such employe in case such injury results in his
death; and in and by such agreement to stipulate and agree
that, except as provided therein, such employer shall not be
civilly liable for any injury to or death of any such employe
resulting from any such accident.

If any such employer shall file with the Commission an in-
strument in writing under its corporate seal offering to enter
into such an agreement with all and any of its employes in
this State and referring to such Act of Congress, and shall
cause notice of such offer filed to be published once each week
for three successive weeks following the date of such filing
in a newspaper published in each County in this State through
which such employer runs regularly any freight or passenger
train, and in two newspapers published in the City of Balti-
more, if such employer runs regularly any freight or passenger
train into or through said city, every employe of such em-
ployer shall be conclusively presumed to accept such offer of
the employer and to have entered into such agreement, unless
such employe shall, within thirty days after the filing of such
offer by the employer, file with the Commission a notice in
writing or statement declining such offer; and at the expira-
tion of said period of thirty days the terms of said agreement
shall be mutually binding upon the employer and upon every
employe not so declining, but any employe or the employer
may at any time by filing with the Commission not less than
thirty days' notice in writing of his or its intention so to do,