Page:United States Reports, Volume 209.djvu/349

 09 U.S. Opinion of the Court. States," but in 1858 the legislature of that State altered the name to" National Life Insurance Company," and this was ten years prior to the incorporation of the Washington, D.C., cor- poratien. The defendant company has ever since that time maintained the name given it in 1858, and it was in use by it when, in 1860, it was admitted to do business in Illinois. It established a business office in Chicago prior to 1868, and has since that time continuously made use of the mails of the United States, under its corporate name. After the Washington company was incorporated in Au gust, 1868, it was admitted to do business in the State of Illi- nois, but it was not until 1874 that it estabshed in the city of Chicago what it denominated its principal branch office. The defendant company, under the law of Illinois, places on its signs in the building where it does business a statement that it was incorporated in Vermont, but its corporate name no such addition. Both companies being engaged in the life insurance business in vario_ns States, and, after 1874, both having business offices n Chicago, are constantly receiving letters through the mils. Large numbers of them are properly addressed, those intended for the complainant being addressed to it by its own name, to which is usually added the street number of the building in which it has its office, 159 La Salle street, while those in- tended for the defendant company are addressed to it by name, with the addition of Marquette Building, where its office is, or they are addressed to D. G. Drake, its manager. The diffi- culty has aisen over letters which were simply addressed "National Life Insurance Company, Chicago, Illinois," and these have, with the exception of a brief time between January and July, 1905, been delivered to the defendant company, in the Marquette Building. After they have been there opened such of them as have been intended for the complainant have been returned to the post-office at Chicago, from which they have.been then delivered to the complainant. A very large proportion of the letters thus addressed have proved, upon

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