The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-26
i'm MERGER FIGHTS
Two Of To-day's Senate Bills Will
Prove Of Material As
sistance.
They Provide Fuller State Author
ity Over Corporations Doing
Business Here.

Next time Minnesota has any trouble
with mergers or similar ventures the state
will have an easier time in bringing the
interested parties into court, if two bills
introduced this morning by Senator George
p. Wilson should become laws. One pro-
vides that a foreign corporation owning
stock in any corporation doing business
IN Minnesota must appoint a resident
agent within the state, on whom the serv-
Ice OF legal process shall be recognized as
valid. "
The other bill provides that the meet
ings of the stockholders of corporations
organized under the laws Of the state, for
the purpose Of electing directors, must
be held in this state. It is made unlaw-
full to hold such meetings outside of the
state, and violations are punishable by a
fine Of $4,000 to ST. 900. Moreover, cor
porations violating the provisions of this
act thereby waive their rights to exist as
| a corporation.
| These bills with similar measure in
| troduced yesterday grew out Of the
| states attack on the Northern Securities
merger. In the fight against the merger
the Great Northern, which is a Mime
sofa organization, contended that the an
| nual meetings for the election of di-
rectors were held outside of the state and
| the action of the stockholders did not,
| therefore, come within the jurisdiction of
the state courts. The contention of the
| Great Northern was sustained, greatly
to the disappointment of the state Off
Gals. All these bills are heartily approved
by Attorney General Douglas.
To Release Executors.
Executors Of wills and administrators Of
estates frequently have difficulty in being
| relieved of their duties. This is particu-
| larly true when beneficiary under a will
or a person legally interested in an es-
| tate cannot be found. Under this bill
| executors may, upon order of the court
| after having faithfully discharged all their
duties, turn over to the county treasurers
| such undistributed portions of the prop
| -erty belonging to persons who can not be
! found.
| Money for Vets Home.
| Senator Gjertsen presented a bill au-
| thoriZing the management of the soldiers
| home to expend $4,000 in the erection
| and maintenance Of cottages for widows,
wives and mothers of soldiers. OF this
$4,000 is for the construction Of build
ings, S.. 900 for additional lands and $10,-
| 600 for maintenance for two years.
bitches and swamps
Senator Gjertsen's bill, S. F. No. 4,
| prohibiting the management of the state
soldiers home from Withholding any of
! the pension money of the inmates Of the
| home, was returned by the committee on
soldiers home this morning. Although the
bill has been in charge of the committee
since Jan. 8, no recommendation was
made.
| Senator Peterson presented a bill au-
| thorizing county commissioners to con-
struct drainage bitches when the same
affect two or more townships. The bill
i also authorizes the drainage of lakes
which have become swamps and form a
menace to public health.
:, These Were Killed. : -.,-. 49,
| Among the measures 'es killed We're th@
The Wilson bill, S. F: 41O, requiring
certain vegetables and food products tt
be sold by weight; the Durant bill, pro
viding for the retirement on a pension
of district judges who have been on the
bench for twenty-five years; and II. F
532, providing for a bounty on crows
Two bills We're killed on final passage
These were II. F. 73 by Buck, authorizing
municipal bodies to pay for surety bonds
of certain officers, and S. F. 1856 by
thomson. regulating the suspension OF
i cancellation of teachers certificates. This
bill provided for the cancellation of Ger.
tificates of teachers who jump their con
tracts, but the senate gallantly sustained
the right of teachers to jump whenever
they listed by vote of 80 to "a.