Show DEPARTMENT STORE LEGISLATION LEGISLA-TION A bill has been introduced in the Illinois legislature which provides as follows Section 1 Be it enacted that from and after the taking effect of this act it shall be unlawful for any person or persons to form a corporation for the purpose of engaging in any mercantile Business for the sale or exchange of any kind of merchandise at retail and all such corporations heretofore organ ized or existing under the laws of this state for the purpose of carrying on such retail business shall terminate and cease to exist except for the purpose pur-pose of enforcing the contracts and obligations held by them for the purpose pur-pose of being compelled to liquidate their liabilities within six months from the time this act takes effect Sec 2 It shall be unlawful for any foreign corporation to carry on any i retail mercantile business from and after six months from the time this act shall take effect Sec 3 Any person or association of persons who shall hereafter attempt or assume to carry on such business as a corporation either foreign or domestic do-mestic contrary to the provisions of this act shall forfeit and pay the sum of 1000 for each retail sale or exchange change it may make to be recovered b > a qui tam action in the name of the people of the state of Illinois as plaintiff against the violating corpora tion onehalf of which shall go to the state and the other half to the pary or parties causing the action to be brought Sec 4 All provisions in any law or laws of this state in conflict with the provisions of this act are hereby resealed re-sealed The purpose of the bill is to kill the department stores It is hardly likely that it will become a law but there is i no telling what legislatures will do having become more uncertain than what verdict a jury will render I Could anything be any more ridiculous ridicu-lous than the purpose of this bill Most all large business concerns and many small ones are now conducted as corporations and that a concern is doing a mercantile business asa as-a corporation does not imply that It has a large capital by any means The real object of those who introduce such bills as this is to cater to some vote to cripple the thrifty for the benefit of I the unthrifty There is but too much truth in the now common saying that most of the legislative bodies of the country are a real menace to the best interests of the country Not a cranky scheme is suggested by the most hair brained man in the community but will find a champion in a legislature Worse than this it is very apt to find a considerable support The reason is that so many men are elected as legislators legis-lators who like Ephraim are unturned un-turned cakes This is inevitable ifsll classes are to be represented but it is much to be wished that the unturned cake class will diminish rather than increase I |