The Supreme Court of the United States cited Dillon's book "Municipal Corporations" and fully adopted Dillon's emphasis on state power over municipalities in "Merrill v. Monticello," 138 U.S. 673 (1891), reaff'd. "Hunter v. Pittsburgh", 207 U.S. 161 (1907), which upheld the power of Pennsylvania to consolidate the city of Allegheny into the city of Pittsburgh, despite the wishes of the majority of Allegheny residents to be a separate city. The Court's ruling that states could alter or abolish at will the charters of municipal corporations without infringing upon contract rights relied upon Dillon's separation of public, municipal corporations from private ones.