St. Clair County Turnpike Co. v. People ex rel. Bowman

Citations

• 82 Ill. 174

Syllabus

<p>1. Private corporations—construction of grants—when corporate rights cease. Grants to private corporations are to be construed liberally in favor of the public, and strictly against the corporation; whatever is not unequivocally granted, is taken to have been withheld.</p> <p>2. Where a charter was granted to a turnpike company 'for twenty-five years, with a proviso that the State might, at the end of that period, become the owner of the turnpike by paying the cost of its construction, and that in case the Slate failed to pay for the same at that time, the company should still own the turnpike, and exercise the. franchises granted until the same was so taken and paid for by the State, it was held, that this simply authorized the corporation to hold and operate the road constructed by it, after the expiration of the twenty-five years, until such time as the Slate chose to become the owner by paying the cost of its construction, and did not authorize it, after that time, to use and enjoy other corporate privileges and rights granted to it by amendment to its charter, not connected with and necessary to the use and beneficial enjoyment of the road constructed by it, and not expressly extended by such amendment beyond the time fixed in the original charter.</p>