The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1912-04-06
BIG CASES INCREASE
States Litigation Grows Into
Huge Proportions.
Hasty Review OF Some OF Most
important OF Great Suits
Tried During Recent
Years In Illinois.

the old attacne OF the attorney ben-
erals department to the questoner,
viewing large, heavily bound case
in the center of an office foor, The
records Of ease ready to ship to
some court" he laconically replied;
Il don't know where it will end. When
| came to this Office We could carry
the records of our biggest cases
around in our pockets. Now we have
to express them in trunks his isn't
anything unusual nowadays" and he
tucced at the trunk to move 1t into a
corner.
The last few years have been re-
markable for the number OF big cases
which the state has instituted or ce-
Tended through the gamut OF court
procedure.
Just Few Of Them.
Let's take up briefly just few OF
those that have developed during the
term OF Attorney General Stead.
One of the first things he did was
TO cut short in their infancy new
form Of swindle which promised to be-
come prolific because Of its air Of re-
spectability. The Continental Finance
company was partnership affair so
liciting money for investment pur-
poses. Its literature indicated that 1t
depended upon the apses and forfeit
ures OF Its contract holders for It's
profits. Mr.. Stead proceeded against
the concern The courts decision was
that this company was carrying on an
Illegal banking, money leaning and In
vestment business.
Strengthens inheritance Tax Law.
The assembly having passed an act
prohibiting trust companies, banks.
insurance companies and corporations
to transfer the personal property OF
decedent without n permit from the
attorney general was attacked by the
National Safe Deposit company in a
suit against the state treasurer Mr..
Stead defended the law and the courts
decision upheld the act
AboIshes Habeas Corpus Mil.
The habeas corpus mill, as 1t came
to be known in Cook county, was
broken up by Attorney General Stead
when he made a determined effort to
stop the liberation by lower courts OF
prisoners from Joliet and Chester
prisons on mere tcchnicalities and
flimsy excuses after the supreme
court had decided they had been legal
ly tried and convicted.
The Famous Joyce Case.
The Joyce case is one of the most
celebrated in the administration Of
Attorney General Stead Joseph A.
Joyce alleged that his rearrest for VIC
lation of his parole from Joliet prison
was unconstitutional In February.
1910, the court decided that the parole
law of 1899 was invalid. This decision
threatened wholesale liberation OF
prisoners and by inference invalidated
a large number Of laws applying to
different subjects Attorney General
Stead approaching the chaos that
would ensue. petitloned for a rehear-
ing, and with new evidence and author
ity the court reversed its decision
The Two.Cent Fare Law.
The Forty-hfth general assembly
made two cents per mile the maximum
passenger fare in this state. The rail.
roads opposed 1t. One of the weaker
of their number having gone into re.
ceivers hands attacked the law. The
attorney general has defended the law.
The case is in the federal courts pend
ing decision.
The right of the trustees OF drain.
age district to destroy a navigable
body of water Is denied by the SUI
preme court in what is known as the
Spring Lake case. This large body OF
water, It was proposed to drain out,
Mr.. Stead filed an injunction which
the supreme court granted.
The Auditors Cases.
Under the registered bond law, the
auditor and treasurer had, for thirty
years, been claiming as their own. the
fees paid by municipalities for the col
lecting by the state of interest and
principal on bonded indebtedness.
Attorney General Stead was called
upon to prosecute suits for the recov.
cry of these funds. The supreme
court held that the fees belong to the
state. Up to the present time $780,
773 has been collected; judgment for
$60,9S6 has been obtained. making
a total of $241, 1859 collected or in judg.
ment. The remainder, 1t is expected,
will be collected in due time,
Submerged Land Litigation.
In conjunction with the states at
torney of Cook county, Mr.. Stead has
instituted five suits to recover made
lands along the shores of Lake Mlchi-
gan in Chicago. The last general as
sembly created department In his
Office to deal exclusively with the re-
coyery Of submerged lands from I'M
lawful holders.
The KasAaskia Commons case was
notable for its historical interest. AS
a result of this litigation a large
amount Of property has been recov-
cred for the Kaskaskia school,
The act of the last general assembly
all state boards and off.
GERS to turn their fees into the state
treasury was attacked by the Chicago
Board OF Trade. because 1t affected