Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 February 1903 — TRUST LAW UPHELD. [ARTICLE]

TRUST LAW UPHELD.

Illinois Supreme Court Declares Statute of 18i> 1 to Be Valid. The Illinois anti-trust law of 1801 and its amendment of 1803 were declared valid by the Illinois Supreme Court Wednesday. Under tlie decision corporations will be compelled to lile yearly affidavits with the Secretary of State as to whether or not they are members of a trust. The decision was rendered in the ease of the people vs. the Butler Street Foundry and Iron Company, which was made a test case by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. The Supreme Court decided that the act of 1803 and the amendment of 1897 were unconstitutional, but do not repeal by implication or otherwise the act of 1801 or any part of it, ns amended in 1803. The result of tlie decision will be that members of tlie Illinois Manufacturers’ Association will become liable to a fine of SSO a day for failure to file affidavits, the total amount of the fine lying in the discretion of the judge who shall hear the eases against them. The decision bears directly on the eases pending in the lower courts against the soft coal operators of northern Illinois, who were indicted for conspiracy under the anti-trust act. The operators have based their defense chiefly on the allegation that the act was repealed by the amendment of 1807. which exempts corporations, the combination of whieh results in an increase of wages of workingmen. The cases against the retail coal dealers and the Indiuna operators will not bo affected by the decision, as they were indicted for conspiracy under common and statute law.