Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-09-05
AKIN ASKS MORE WORK
FOR STATES ATTORNEYS


The Illinois attorney generals re-
port for lS99-l900 is now in the
hands of the printer. The report
contains an account of the business
transacted in the office during the
year. In the report unofli cial Upin-
ions are referred to as opinions rem
dered to county, city. town and dis
trict officials, or which pertain to
matters of public interest. By July
1. 1900. the volume of these requests
grew to such proportions that they
interfered with the regular duties of
discontinued. In reference as to
whose duty it is to render decisions
on such matters. Attorney General
Akin said: 81 am of the opinion
that the burden of this work should
no longer be performed by the attor
ney general, but would suggest that
the states attorney be made the legal
adviser of all public Off ;ers within
his county, except city aud village
officers. and that his com pensation be
proportiOnately increased"
The report states that during the
past two years 1870 cases have received
attention and of this number ~ have
been disposed of and 80 are pending.
During the past two years Is new
CLAIMS were filed against the state be-
fore the commission of claims, aggre-
eating $52, 232 81. OF this amount,
one claim was allowed in the sum of
81, 900; two claims are pending aud
ten claims aggregating $50. pa IL
have been denied. A review of the
work shows that more opinions were
rendered during the past four years.
official and unofficial, than during any
like period in the history of the attor.
ney generals Office.
Regarding the suits brought under
the antitrust law the attorney gen
eral says: Within the past two years
the states attorney of Cook county,
under my direction and on my rela-
ion, brought many suits against C IT
Orations TO recover penalties Fro
VIded in the antitrust laws of this
state for failure to file aflidavits as
therein required. A number of these
cases were recently tried before
Judges Tuley, Waterman and Dnnne,
of the circuit court of Cook county,
and a majority OF the Judges held
that sections l and of tue antitrust
law of 1891 were unconstitutiona al
and void by reason of tie
amendment made to section l by the
act of 1897, and all the Judges cor
Cured in holding, as stated in their
published opinion, that the antitrust
law of 1898 was piece of Legislative
abortion and un-enforc-able by rea-
son of the fact that while trusts were
defined in that act the formation of
the same was not declared Illegal
While L am not prepared to concur
fully in the decision referred to, 1t
| serves to show the difficulties attend
ing the attempted enforcement Of
these laws by reason of matter con-
tanned therein and omitted therefrom.
which may easily be rejected or sup
piled by appropriate legislation, and
l therefore renew my former recon
mendation that the antitrust laws of
this state be revised u"
OF suits instituted by the depar
ment, "A per cent have been won. 20
per cent are still pending and per
cent lost. During the period AZ
claims against the state aggregating
S249. 993 have been defended against
by the attorney general; 10 claims
aggregating s. 426 have been allowed.
four claims aggregating sos. 040 are
still pending and % claims agyregat-
ing 1888. $40 have been disallowed.
and of the claims pending, one for
the sum of $34 .737 has once been
tried and the claim denied and is now
pendipO on reheariuC