The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-04-02
DUTY POINTED OUT
ISTRATION'S ATTENTION TO
VIOLATION OF LAW
U. S. STEEL CORPORATION
1t Is Not Complying With Require
ments of SomervilIe Act-Gov-
ernor May Have Another
"Merger'' to Play With.

Now that Gov. Van SAINT is so agitated
lest his administration shall not make
sufficiently clear to the people it's oppo-
sltlon to the so-called mergers he will
probably be rejoiced when his attention
is called to a communication sent to the
secretary Of state yesterday by Attorney
Moritz Helm, of this city Mr.. Helm
last evening presented to Secretary Of
State Hansen a communication, given be-
low in full, in which he calls the atten-
ton of the Republican administration
to a great opportunity to prove it's well
known antipathy to violation of state
laws, and especially to mergers" The
document was filed late yesterday after
noon, and none of the representatives of
the administration had an opportunity to
acknowledge Mr.. Helms communication
1t is as follows:
Mr.. Helms Letter.
Hon. P. E. Hanson, Secretary of State
of Minnesota, City-Sir: 1 have the hon
or to call your attention to chapters SO
and 20 of the General Laws of the State
Of Minnesota for the year 1899, common
~ known as the SommerviIIe 1ore4gn
corporation act, which in substance re-
quires all foreign corporations organized
for pecuniary profit desiring to do bust
ness In this state must first comply with
such law.
Upon examination Of the records in
ration known as the United States Steel
corporation, organized in the state of
New Jersey, has ever complied with our
law.
1 therefore desire that you investigate
the following facts:
The United States Steel Corporation
was incorporated in the state of New
Jersey on Feb. %, 1901, with capital stock
over one billion ($1. 900, 900 dollars of
which there is common stock, $506, 1863. 300
and preferred stock, Z per cent cumula-
tive, $40, 196, 400, besides funded debt,
The United Steel corporation, for moro
than three months last past, has been
and now is operating, controlling and
managing, in violation Of the general
laws of this state, known as the SOmmer-
vile act, in the county Of st. Louis, two
parallel railroads, known as the Duluth,
Missabe & Northern railroad and the Du-
luth Iron Range company, and all
mines and properties formerly owned
controlled and manager by The Ameri-
can Steel and Wire company, Federal
Steel company, Carnegie & Co., and Lake
Superior Consolidated Iron Mines com
pany, being the most productive iron ore
mines in the world, with an annual out
put of over 100000 tons of iron ore,
yielding to the United States Steel cor
poratlon, c0nservatively stated $50 Co.,,
600 per year out Of the mines in st. Louis
county.
The railroad property controlled by this
company is estimated at least $50, 900,
and the mines 1920, 900 900, an aggregate
value of $150.G00000.
Under the Somerville act the company
must pay into the state treasury a fee Of
at least $4,000 and file a certified copy Of
its articles of Incorporation before it is
permitted to do business in this state
1 further, call. your attention to that
provision of the law which provides that
whenever you may be advised that cor
porations are doing business in contra
Nention of this act to report such fact to
county attorney in which the business of
such corporation is located.
The United States Steel corporation is
engaged in and doing business in St
employees and attorneys in that county
and in Duluth, the county seat of ST.
Louis county. Yours very respectfully,
-Moritz Helm.
April 1, 1902