Page:United States Reports, Volume 209.djvu/345

 09 U.S. Statement of the Case. The company was duly admitted to do business in the State it established in the city of Chicago, Illinois, what is denomi nated its principal branch office, and thereafter continuously transacted in the city of Chicago nearly all of the business usually transacted at the home office of an insurance company. In 1881 the company ceased to solicit or to write any new business, and such omission continued until 1900, and during that period the business transacted by it at its principal branch office,in Chicago was such as was incident to the care and preservation of the business written prior to 1881. Betweeh those years the company was suffering a natural liquidation, its outetanding policies decreasing from 5,966 in number to 1,317, while its policies in Illinois had decre from 394 to 100. In the year 1900 the company again bogan to solicit new business, and up to March, 1904, transacted at its principal branch office in Chicago all of the business usually transacted at the chief or national office of an insurance company. In March, 1904, the complainant was incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois, with ita principal office and place of busincas in the National Life building, at 159 La Salle street, in the city of Chicago, and the complainant forthwith took over all the property and busincas of the Washington, District of Columbia, corporation, and continued thereafter to transact the business theretofore transacted by the latter corporation. Prior to this time (March, 1904) the Washington company had 'taken over the business of two other life insur- ance companies and one trust company, all of which had come merged in the Washington company when the com- plainant took over its business. The Washington corporation still preserves its corporate entity, but since March, 1904, has transacted no business except such as was incident to carry- ing out the contracts by which the complainant took over it property and businezs. The average number of pieces of mail received by the com- pl,,int at its chief office in Chicago, intended for it, duing

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