wholly within the State, and levied upon telephone companies of $5 upon each $1,000 of gross receipts from all sources from all business done within the State,

Any municipal or parochial corporation in the State shall have the right to impose a license tax upon any business, occupation or profession herein provided for.

Cities, towns, and villages have power to grant the right for the erection of telegraph or telephone poles and wires along any of the streets or ways of the municipality and change, modify and regulate the same, but such privilege shall not be exclusive.

V. CRIMES AND PENALTIES.

Any grantee of any franchise granted by the State, or any parish or municipal corporation, whereby the grantee or lessee is to enjoy certain rights and privileges and collect certain dues or fees in connection with such grant or franchise shall not wilfully or intentionally overcharge or make any other charge than those specified in such grant or franchise, and the penalty therefor shall be a fine of not more than $25, or more than thirty days imprisonment; and for the second and subsequent offenses not more than $50, or sixty days imprisonment, or both, at the discretion of the court for each violation. Unlawful and intentional injury or destruction of any telegraph line or materials belonging thereto, or any molestation or interference with or interruption of the use or operation of any such line, is punishable by fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment not exceeding one year, or both. No operator or person in the employ of a telegraph company shall refuse or omit to send or deliver any despatch or message of which the charges or fees have been paid or offered to be paid, or cause or direct the same to be detained, or held, nor given precedence to a message or despatch subsequently brought to the office or station, nor shall such operator or agent in any way give precedence in sending or delivering any despatch or message belonging to a director, officer or stockholder of such company or other person for any despatch or message previously offered for transmission, nor shall such agent reveal or make public any despatch or message and the punishment therefor is a fine of not more than $1,000, one-half to the charity hospital of New Orleans and the other one-half for the use

of the parish where such offense was committed, and such agent shall be answerable in damages to the party injured, and for a subsequent offense the penalty is also imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months.

A State Board of Arbitration and Conciliation is formed.

VI. LIMITATIONS OF TRADE AND COMMERCE.

Every contract or combination in the form of trust or conspiracy in restraint of trade or commerce, or to fix, or limit the amount or quantity of any article, commodity or merchandise to be manufactured or mined, produced or sold in the State, is declared illegal, and the penalty therefor shall be a fine not exceeding $5,000 or imprisonment not exceeding one year, or both. Any person who shall monopolize or attempt to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce within the State shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and be subject to a like penalty.

It is unlawful to enter into or maintain a combination or agreement expressed or implied to create or carry out restrictions in trade, and to limit or reduce the production or to increase or reduce the price of merchandise, produce, or commodities, or to prevent competition or to fix any standard or figure whereby merchandise or commodity shall be controlled or established in price, or to carry out or make any agreement which shall combine, those entering therein not to sell, dispose of or transport any article or commodity below a standard figure, or by which they shall agree in any way to keep the price of such article at a fixed or graded figure, or by which they shall in any way establish or fix the price of any article or commodity or transportation between them or themselves. and others to preclude free and unrestricted competition among themselves or others in the sale or transportation of any such article or commodity, or by which they shall agree to pool, combine, or unite any interest they may have in connection with the sale or transportation of any such article or commodity that its price may in any way be affected.

Any corporation holding a charter under the laws of the State affected by a violation hereof shall forfeit its rights and franchises and its corporate existence shall cease and determine, and any foreign corporation so convicted is denied the right and prohibited from doing any business within the State.

Any violation of this act is declared a conspiracy against trade, and any person who may be engaged in such conspiracy shall be punished by a fine of not more than $1,000 and imprisonment of not more than one year, or by either fine or imprisonment, or both. Any contract or agreement in violation of the provisions of this act shall be void, provided that the same shall not apply to agricultural products or live stock while in the hands of the producer or raiser. This act shall not be construed so as to affect any combination of or confederation of laborers for the purpose of procuring an increase of their wages or a redress of grievances. Discriminating between the different localities or communities in the State in the sale of commodities is prohibited and the person or corporation engaged therein shall be guilty of an unfair discrimination which is prohibited and declared a misdemeanor, and all sales so made shall be construed, prima facie, as unfair discrimination; the penalty therefor shall be a fine of not more than $5,000 or imprisonment not more than two years, or both, and if any corporation, foreign or domestic, is found guilty of unfair discrimination, the permit or license to do business within the State shall immediately be revoked by the Secretary of State.

VII. LEGISLATURE.

The General Assembly shall meet biennially.

MARYLAND.

1. CONSTITUTION.

Corporations shall not be created by special act, except for municipal purposes, and all charters granted and created are subject to repeal or modification, and may be altered from time to time.

The credit of the State shall not be loaned to any individual, association or corporation, nor shall the credit of any county of the State be loaned to corporations unless authorized by an act of the General Assembly.

No private property shall be taken for public use without just compensation.

II. CORPORATIONS.

Corporations may be formed by any five or more persons, citizens of the United States, and a majority of them citizens of the State, and may be formed for the constructing, owning, or operating of telegraph or telephone lines within the State where the principal office of the company is located in the State, and for the transaction of any business in which electricity over or through wires may be applied to any useful purpose, and any company may be incorporated for any two or more purposes aforesaid, when in the judgment of those forming the company the same may be conducted by one corporation to its general interests.

Any corporation may unite with another where the capital stock of both has been fully paid in and where the companies have been originally incorporated in whole or in part for the same purposes.

A certificate of incorporation must be signed and acknowledged setting forth the name and residence of the applicant, the proposed name of the company, and its objects, the place where its operations are to be carried on, the capital stock, number of shares, and the number of directors, or managers, and their names, which certificate shall be submitted to a judge of the judicial circuit, where the office of the company is to be located, and if such judge certifies that the certificate is in conformity with the law, it shall be re

corded in the clerk's office for the Circuit Court for the county where the principal office shall be located.

The property and affairs of any company shall be managed by not less than four or more than twelve directors or managers.

Within thirty days of the payment of the last installment of capital stock, the president and a majority of the directors shall file a certificate stating the amount of stock, and of all property received in payment, with the clerk of the court in which this certificate of incorporation was originally recorded. Loans shall not be made by the corporation to any stockholder. A statement of the affairs of the corporation shall be given by the finance officer under oath upon written demand by any person or persons owning 5 per cent. of the capital stock, and upon failure so to do, shall forfeit to the person presenting the request $50, and a further sum of $25 for every twenty-four hours thereafter until such statement. shall be furnished. Every corporation shall cause to be made semi-annually statements of its affairs, which shall be recorded in a book kept in its principal office. The capital stock of any corporation may be increased or decreased, or the par value of its stock may be changed.

Foreign Corporations.

Foreign corporations, except telephone, banking, insurance, railroad, electric light, or construction companies shall, before transacting any business in the State, file with the Secretary of State, a certified copy of its charter of incorporation together with a statement from its chief executive officer setting forth the amount of its stock, and the amount issued, its assets and liabilities and character of its business within the State, its principal office, and the name of its agents upon whom legal process can be served. Upon receipt of which and the fees provided by law, the Secretary of State shall issue to such company a certificate that its business is such as may be lawfully carried on in the State.

If any officer of a foreign corporation, before procuring such certificate shall do business in the State, he shall forfeit the sum of $100 for every day he shall act as such agent or may occupy office for the transaction of such business and no such foreign corporation shall be permitted to maintain an action in law or any equity in the State until it shall have complied with the requirements of the statutes.