State ex rel. Astor v. Schlitz Brewing Co.

59 S.W. 1033, 104 Tenn. 715
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedJune 18, 1900
StatusPublished
Cited by68 cases

This text of 59 S.W. 1033 (State ex rel. Astor v. Schlitz Brewing Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. Astor v. Schlitz Brewing Co., 59 S.W. 1033, 104 Tenn. 715 (Tenn. 1900).

Opinion

Caldwell, J.

The bill in this cause was brought in the name of the State of Tennessee, on the relation of W. B. Astor, against the Sehlitz Brewing Company, a foreign corporation with its situs in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Sigmund Boescher, its agent in Tennessee.

The complainant alleged as matter of fact, in substance, that the defendants, as principal and agent, had entered into, and for years had enforced, and were still enforcing, an arrangement, [721]*721contract, agreement, trust, or combination with, the Tennessee Brewing Company, a domestic corporation, with its situs and principal place of business at Memphis, Tennessee, and with other brewers, for the purpose and with the tendency and effect of lessening competition in the importation and sale of beer, and of dominating and controlling the price thereof in this State; and charged as matter of law, in substance, that the Sehlitz Brewing Company thereby violated the provisions of Section 1 of Chapter 94 of the Acts of 1897, and, as declared in Section 2 of that Act, forfeited the right to do business in this State; and prayed that the Sehlitz Brewing Company be farevei4 restrained by injunction from transacting business in this State.

'The defendants demurred to the bill on numerous grounds, some assailing the Act referred to as unconstitutional in several particulars, some denying the jurisdiction of the Chancery Court, and others disputing the sufficiency of the facts alleged.

The Chancellor sustained one assignment of demurrer as to the unconstitutionality of the Act, one as to the want of jurisdiction of the Court, but overruled all the others. Both the complainant and the defendants have appealed, and their assignments of error, when combined, present all the questions raised by the demurrer except those relating to the sufficiency of the facts alleged in the bill.

[722]*722The Act whose provisions are invoked by the complainant, and whose constitutionality is called in question by the defendants, is familiarly known as the anti-trust statute of 1897. Its terms, title, and body are as follows:

“AN ACT to declare unlawful and void all arrangements and contracts, agreements, trusts, or combinations made with a view to lessen, or which tend to lessen, free competition in the importation or sale of articles imported into this State; or in the manufacture or sale of articles of domestic growth or of domestic raw material; to declare unlawful and void all arrangements, contracts, ag-reements, trusts, or combinations between persons or corporations, designed, or which tend, to advance, reduce, or control the price of such product or articles to producer or consumer of any such product or articles; to provide for forfeiture of the charter and franchise of any corporation, organized under the laws of this State, violating any of the provisions of this Act; to prohibit every foreign corporation, violating any of the provisions of this Act, from doing business in this State; to require the Attorney-general of this State to institute legal proceedings against any such corporations violating the provisions of this Act, and to enforce the penalties prescribed; to prescribe penalties for any violation of this Act; to authorize any person or corporation, damaged by any such trust, agreement, or combination, to sue for the recovery of such damages, and for other purposes.

“SectioN (1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That from and after the passage of this Act all arrangements, contracts, agreements, trusts, or combinations between persons or corporations, made with the view to lessen, or which, tend to lessen, full and free competition in the importation or sale of articles imported into this State, or in the, manufacture or sale of articles of domestic [723]*723growth or of domestic raw material, and all arrangements, contracts, agreements, trusts, or combinations between persons or corporations designed, or which tend, to advance, reduce, or control the price or cost to the producer or to the consumer of any such product or article, are hereby declared to be against public policy, unlawful and void.

“Sec. 2. Be it further enacted, That any corporation chartered under the laws of this State which shall violate gny of the provisions of this Act, shall thereby forfeit its charter and its franchise, and its corporate existence, shall thereupon cease and determine. Every foreign corporation which shall violate any of the provisions of this Act, is hereby denied the right to do, and is prohibited from doing, business in this State. It is hereby made the duty of the Attorney-general of this State to enforce the provisions by due process of law.

“Sec. 3. Be it' further enacted, That any violation of the provisions of this Act shall be deemed, and is hereby declared to be, destructive of full and free competition and a conspiracy against trade, and any person or persons who may engage in any such conspiracy, or who shall as principal, manager, director, or agent, or in any other capacity, knowingly carry out any of the stipulations, purposes, prices, rates, or orders made in .furtherance of such conspiracy, shall, upon [724]*724conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars or more than five thousand dollars, and by imprisonment in the penitentiary not less than one year, nor more than ten years; or in the judgment of the Court by either such fine or imprisonment.

“Sec. 4. Be it further enacted, That the provisions of this Act shall not apply to agricultural products or live stock while in the possession of the producer or raiser.

“Sec. ,5. Be it further enacted, That any person or persons, or corporation, that may be injured or damaged by any such arrangement, contract, agreement, trust, or combination described in Section 1 of this Act, may sue for and recover in any Court of competent jurisdiction in this State, of any person, or persons, or corporation operating such trust or combination, the full consideration or sum paid by him or them for any goods, wares, merchandise, or articles the sale of which is controlled by such combination or trust.

“Sec. 6. , Be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the Judge of the Circuit and Criminal Courts of this State specially to instruct grand juries as to the provisions of this Act. “Sec. 7. Be it further enacted, That all laws and parts of laws in conflict with the provisions of this Act be, and the same are hereby, repealed.

“Sec. 8. Be it further enacted,. That this Act [725]*725take effect from and after its passage, tbe public welfare requiring it.

“Passed April 5, 1897.

“MORGAN C. ElTZPATRICK,

“Speaker of the House of Representatives.

“John Thompson,

“Spealcer of the Senate.

“Approved April 30, 1897.

“Robert L. Taylor,

“Governor.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
59 S.W. 1033, 104 Tenn. 715, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-astor-v-schlitz-brewing-co-tenn-1900.