Evans v. Lumber Co.

21 Ohio C.C. 80, 11 Ohio Cir. Dec. 543
CourtOhio Circuit Courts
DecidedJanuary 15, 1901
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 21 Ohio C.C. 80 (Evans v. Lumber Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Circuit Courts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Evans v. Lumber Co., 21 Ohio C.C. 80, 11 Ohio Cir. Dec. 543 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1901).

Opinion

Summers, J.

On March 12, 1896 (92 O. L,, 61), an act was passed to' take effect and be in force from and after September 1, 1896, amending sections 3175 and 3176 of the Revised Statutes so as to abolish days of grace on bills and notes, etc., and to require demand of payment thereof to be made on the day mentioned for the payment of the same.

Prior to this amendment these sections provided that negotiable promissory notes, payable at a day certain after date, shall be entitled to three days of grace, and that demand of payment made on the third day of grace, and notice of non-payment thereof to' the indorser within a reasonable time thereafter,shall be adjudged due diligence.

The first question presented is whether days of grace on a note entitled thereto under the statute before amendment are abolished by the amendatory act, the note having been [82]*82made after the passage of the act, but before it took effect, aud being made payable at a date subsequent to that the act went into effect?

Days of grace, when not abolished, by statute, enter into the contract (Bank of Washington v. Triplett and Neal, 1 Pet., 25; Kilgore v. Bulkley, 14 Conn., 362, 389; Daniel on Neg. Insts., section 614; Swan’s Treatise, 712; Wood v. Rosendale, 18 O. C. C., 247), and cannot be cut off by a statute subsequently passed. But it is contended that inasmuch as these notes were not made until after the passage of this act, and are payable after the act took effect, there is a legal presumption that days of grace did not enter into the contract.

No such presumption arises “until the day when the act is to take effect arrives the law has no force, even as notice to the persons to be affected' by it. ” Endlich on Inter, of Stat., section 499; Sutherland bn Stat. Const., section 107; 23 Ency. of Law, 217, 218.

The next question presented is the constitutionality of the act known as the Saturday half holiday act (92 O. L,, 208), This act was passed and took effect on April 21, 1896, prior to the execution of these notes. After declaring that every Saturday after 12 o’clock noon shall be a “one-half legal holiday” thé statute reads: “Provided that all bills, bonds or promissory notes presentable for payment or acceptance on Saturday, or on the preceding day if said preceding day should be a holiday, shall be presentable for acceptance or payment at or before twelve o’clock noon of such Saturday. But if not then paid or accepted, a demand of acceptance or payment thereof may be made and notice of protest or dishonor thereof may be given on the next succeeding secular business day.” The first note was presented for payment on Saturday, September 26, before noon, and was not again presented on the following Monday. ■ The contention on one side is that demand on Saturday was’necessary,and payment not then being made,it was necessary to again present the note on Monday, and on the other that it could be made on either Saturday or Monday, and that a demand on both days was not necessary.' Tbe wording of the statute is a botch, and inasmuch as it has been held unconstitutional,an attempt to interpret it would [83]*83be a waste of time. The act was limited in its application to cities of fifty thousand or more inhabitants and was declared unconstitutional in Dimer v. Hudson, 18 O. C. c., 890, on the ground that it was a law of a general nature and did not have a uniform operation throughout the state. The decision finds support in City of Cincinnati v. Steinkamp, Trustee, 54 Ohio St., 284.

The next question is at what hour must anote payable at a bank be presented.

The first note was presented at the bank before noon on the day of its maturity and at no other time. The contention on the part of the plaintiff in error is that demand must be made at the close of banking hours, and on the part of defendant that demand during banking hours is all that is required.

Bank v. McGuire, 38 Ohio St., 275, is cited in support of plaintiff’s contention. In the opinion Wright, J., says: “If the demand had been made at'the close of bank hours, non constat but that the note might have been paid, Perhaps the supposition is far fetched, we concede it to be so. But the indorser had the right to have that done which would exclude the possibility of any supposition, reasonable or unreasonable. He had to the last minute of the last hour of the last day, and if no one by that time stepped in to meet the demand of payment, he was liable.” This is not a correct statement of the law, and is contrary to all the decisions English and American.

But the question here presented was neither considered nor decided in that'case. In that case no demand at all was made. The maker had made an assignment of all his property to an indorser for the benefit of all the maker’s creditors equally and it was held that this did not dispense with demand and notice in order to hold the indorser, the property assigned being insufficient to meet all the maker’s liabilities. The learned judge did not have in mind the exception to the rule.

In Gordon v. Parmelee and others, 15 Gray, 413, 418 (1860), Shaw, C. J., says: “By the general rule of the common law, on an obligation to pay money on a day certain, as debt for rent, debt due on bond or speciality, or otherwise, the party bound has the whole of the last day in [84]*84which to pay it, and his obligation is not broken so as to subject him to an action for a breach till the whole day has expired. To this rule negotiable instruments, as bills of exchange and promissory notes, payable with grace, are an exception. Whether they are entitled to grace by usage, by the terms of the instrument, or by statute, in this respect makes no difference. Leftley v. Mills, 4 T. R., 174; WHitwell v. Brigham, 19 Pick., 122.

The question then is as to the nature, extent and limits of such exception. We think that exception is, that notes and bills entitled to grace are payable on demand at any reasonable time and place on the last day of grace, and, if not paid on such demand,- the note is dishonored, the contract is broken, and an action may be forthwith brought against the promisor or acceptor, and on due notice given, or due diligence used to give notice, action may be brought against the indorser.”

The decision in that case is in accord with the earlier cases, Staples v. Franklin Bank, 1 Met., 43 (1840), in which Shaw. C. J., reviews the cases. Hine v. Alley, 4 B. and A., 624, decided in 1833, is not noticed, but is in accord

In King v Crowell, 61 Me., 244, 250, Virgin, J., says: ‘‘Ever since the review of the cases by C. J. Shaw in Staples v. Franklin Bank, 1 Met., 43, the rule applicable to notes like the one in question has been that the note .is due on actual demand at any such hour on the last .day of grace that, having regard to the habits and usages of the community where the maker resides, he may be reasonably expected to be in condition to attend to ordinary business; and if upon demand payment is not made, the maker is in default, and notice of dishonor may forthwith be given to the indorser But if no such demand be made, and the maker does nothing amounting to a waiver, he has the whole of the day in which to make payment, and is not in default until the expiration of the business day within which such demand might have been made.” And he cites many cases in support of his statement.

The reason for the exception is well stated in Leftley v. Milla, 4 Durntord and East, 170, 174. Buller, J , says: “The 'i -iifnr’s undertaking is to pay the bill on demand

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21 Ohio C.C. 80, 11 Ohio Cir. Dec. 543, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/evans-v-lumber-co-ohiocirct-1901.