Quincy Railroad Bridge Co. v. County of Adams

Citations

• 88 Ill. 615

Syllabus

<p>1. Conflict of laws—creating the same corporation by two Slates—by which State incorporated. The States of Illinois and Missouri have no power to unite in passing any legislative act, and can not fuse themselves into a single sovereignty, and as such create a body politic which shall be a corporation of the two States, without being a corporation of each State, or of either.</p> <p>2. The legislation of a State bordering on this can not have the least effect in creating a corporation in this State. . Where a company was chartered by this State to build a bridge across the Mississippi river at a given place, and a similar charter was granted by the State of Missouri for the same purpose, and the two companies consolidated, and the consolidation was recognized and approved by the legislature of this State, it was held, that the only proper status of the company was, that it is an association incorporated in and by each of the States, and when acting as a corporation in either of the States, it acts under the authority of the charter of the State in which it is then acting, and that only, the legislation of the other State having no operation beyond its territorial limits.</p> <p>3. Same—capital slock of such corporation—where taxable. The Quincy Railroad Bridge Company, across the Mississippi river at Quincy, originally chartered as two distinct companies by. the legislature of this State and that of Missouri, and consolidated by articles which were confirmed and approved by the legislature of this State, is an association incorporated under our laws, in the sense of the Revenue law authorizing the taxation of its capital stock.</p> <p>4. Taxation—statute relating to bridge companies, construed. The act of May 1, 1873, entitled “An act to provide for the assessment and taxation of bridges across navigable waters on the borders of this State,” does not exempt the companies owning such structures from the payment of taxes upon their capital stock. Its sole object is