In the Matter of the Application of the Long Sault Development Company, Appellant, for a Writ of Mandamus Against…

Summary

The Court affirmed the denial of a writ of mandamus, holding that the 1907 act granting the Long Sault Development Company extensive rights over the St. Lawrence River was unconstitutional because the legislature cannot relinquish state control over navigation, and that the 1913 repeal effectively nullified the charter’s obligations. The dissent argued the repeal should not extinguish the corporation’s franchise rights.