Foresman v. Johnson

65 Ind. 132
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 15, 1879
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 65 Ind. 132 (Foresman v. Johnson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Foresman v. Johnson, 65 Ind. 132 (Ind. 1879).

Opinion

Niblack, J.

This was a case under the provisions of section 386 of the code, 2 R. S. 1876, p. 190, submitted upon an agreed statement, of the facts, signed by the parties respectively, as follows:

[133]*133“ Said Bennett Eoresman is the duly elected, qualified and acting treasurer of Tippecanoe county, Indiana, and has been such treasurer for more than one year last past; that the said Cyreuius Johnson is the duly elected, qualified and acting auditor of said county, and has been for more than five months last past; that, on the 15th day of December, 1878, the said plaintiff, as such treasurer, received from the defendant, said auditor, the tax duplicate for the year 1878, of said county ; that the whole amount of taxes upon said duplicate, which the plaintiff' was thereby required to collect, was three hundred and seventy-one thousand dollars and upwards; that, of this amount, one hundred and fifty-two thousand dollars, and upwards, were for delinquent taxes, assessed against persons who had failed to pay the April instalment for the year 1878, due on taxes of the year 1877 and previous years, which said delinquent taxes were carried forward against the proper persons and their property, in separate columns provided for that purpose on said duplicate; that, from the time of the receipt of said duplicate by said plaintiff', on the 15th day of December, 1878; as aforesaid, to the third Monday in April, 1879, the plaintiff, as such treasurer, collected from the proper persons, of said delinquent taxes, the sum of twenty thousand dollars and upwards, belonging to said county.
“ The parties further agree, that they are now engaged in making the settlement required by law to be made between t lie plaintiff, as such treasurer, and the defendant, as such auditor, under the provisions of the 180th section of ‘An act to provide for a uniform assessment of property, and for the collection and return of taxes thereon,’ as amended by the act of March, 1877, in the Acts of the Regular Session of 1877, at page 142, and it is necessary for said settlement to be completed on or before the 19th day of May, 1879.
“ The parties further agree, that the said Bennett Fores[134]*134finan, as such treasurer, claims and. insists, in said settlement, that he is entitled to retain from the said delinquent taxes of twenty thousand dollars and upwards, so belonging to said county of Tippecanoe, five per centum, making in all one thousand dollars and upwards, and that said defendant, as such auditor, denies the right of said plaintiff’ to retain from said delinquent taxes, of twenty thousand dollars and upwards, to exceed the amount of allowance by law for the collection of current taxes, which are not 'and never have been delinquent, which allowance can not exceed one per centum upon such collections.
' “ The parties further agree, that the claim of the plaintiff of his legal right, as such treasurer, to retain said five per centum on said delinquent taxes collected as aforesaid, and the denial of said right by the defendant, is a matter in controversy between the parties, and that the same shall be submitted to the circuit court oi said county for its decision upon this agreed statement of facts, and that the court shall render such judgment upon these facts as could be rendered in any legal proceeding that might be instituted by either party for the adjudication of the rights of the parties, and their duties as such officers as aforesaid, 'in the premises, whether such proceedings were instituted upon an application for mandate, or for any other remedy 'authorized by the laws of the State of Indiana.”

This agreed statement of facts was accompanied by the 'affidavit of both parties, stating that the controversy was 'real, and that the proceedings were in good faith, to determine the rights of the parties to such controversy.

Upon the facts, as above presented, the court held, as a 'conclusion of law, that the plaintiff", as such treasurer, was not entitled to receive any greater compensation for collecting delinquent taxes between the 15th day of December, 1878, and the third Monday in April, 1879, than is allowed by law for the collection of current taxes during [135]*135that period, which is one per centum, as above stated, to 'which conclusion of law the plaintiff at the time excepted. Judgment was thereupon- rendered for the defendant, from which the plaintiff has appealed to this court.

■ Under the old law for the assessment of property-and the collection of taxes thereon, as it stood prior to the passage of the act of December 21st, 1872, it was the duty of the county treasurer to receive from the county auditor the tax duplicate, which contained the current taxes and also the delinquent taxes.of the preceding years, whenever presented to him, between the.first Monday in June and the 15th day of October-, in each year. Such treasurer was required to devote one month after his reception of the 'duplicate to visiting at stated times the several townships of the county. After the expiration of such mouth, he had to remain in his office for the collection of such taxes, current as well as delinquent, until the third Monday in March of the next year, when it was his duty to settle with the auditor for all taxes collected by him up to that date. The treasurer was then required, immediately after his annual settlement with the Auditor of State, which followed soon after his settlement with the county auditor, either in person or by deputy, to call upon every delinquent tax-payer in his county, and, if necessary, to distrain property for the collection of taxes shown to be delinquent upon his settlement with the county auditor, together with penalty and interest thereon. Eor making “ such collections,” the treasurer w-as allowed five, afterward eight, per centum, in just proportion out of each fund ''collected, and, in addition, constable’s fees and mileage. 1 G. & H. 97, 98.

In the cases of The Board of Commissioners of Grant County v. Miles, 21 Ind. 438, and of Wells v. Shoemaker, 39 Ind. 115, it was held by this court, that, under the foregoing provisions of the old law, a county treasurer was [136]*136.only entitled to receive the same compensation for collecting delinquent taxes earned forward upon the duplicate after the duplicate was regularly placed in his hands, until the third Monday in March following, -which was allowed . him for collecting current taxes during the same period, and that it was only for delinquent taxes collected after the third Monday of March, for the collection of which'he was required to make an extraordinai’y effort, that he was permitted to charge a* commission of five, afterward eight, per centum, in addition to constable’s fees and mileage.

By the act of December 21st, 1872, 1 R. S. 1876, p.

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Related

Board of Commissioners v. Gregory
74 Ind. 218 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1881)

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Bluebook (online)
65 Ind. 132, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/foresman-v-johnson-ind-1879.