Shields v. Bennett

8 W. Va. 74, 1874 W. Va. LEXIS 57
CourtWest Virginia Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 20, 1874
StatusPublished
Cited by49 cases

This text of 8 W. Va. 74 (Shields v. Bennett) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Shields v. Bennett, 8 W. Va. 74, 1874 W. Va. LEXIS 57 (W. Va. 1874).

Opinion

Hofemau, Judge,

delivering the opinion of the Court:

On the 20th day of January, 1874, Shields and Preston filed their petition in this Court, in which they represent ;

That, by an act passed by the Legislature on the 7th day of April, 1873, an appropriation of $10,000 was [77]*77made for the civil contingent fund for the fiscal year ending on the 30th day of September 1874; and an ap-“ propriation of $600 was made to insure the capítol building and State library, to be paid out of the civil contingent fund : That on the loth day of November, 1873, the appropriation for insurance had not been exhausted: That the capítol building is owned by a body corporate, known as the State House Company, and occupied by the State, under a license by the Company : That ever since the building has been so occupied, the legislature has made provision for its insurance : That in November, 1873, Laidley, the secretary of the State House Company, made application to the petitioners, on behalf of the Company, to obtain policies of insurance on the capítol building, in the insurance companies represented by the petitioners — in the Fire and Marine Insurance Company of 'Wheeling, $5,000 ; in the Underwriters’ Company of New York, $12,500; and in the Franklin Insurance Company, $12,500: That, in consequence of this application, the petitioners procured policies of insurance to be issued by the several insurance companies mentioned, for the respective amounts stated, on the capí-tol building, and delivered them to the Governor, who accepted and approved them, and, therefore, on the 15th day of November, 1873, made an order on the Auditor to pay out of the contingent fund, to thepe-tioners, as agents of the companies mentioned, the sum of $229.50, the amount of premiums and costs due on the policies : That on the same day, the petitioners presented the order to the Auditor and applied to him for his warrant on the Treasurer for the sum last mentioned but he refused to issue his warrant, and endorsed on the order that it was presented for payment, and he declined to issue his warrant for the amount, because by law, the Janitor was charged with the proper care .and preservation of the capítol building, and bills for its insurance are required to be paid out of the civil contingent fund upon the requisition of the officers having those matters [78]*78in charge; and that, consequen tly, payment on this ac'count should be made only upon the order of the Jani-^01, . That the policies of insurance still remain with the Governor, and the petitioners have, out of their own moneys, paid to the insurance companies the sums due them respectively on the policies; and these sums are now their property, and the several insurance companies are not interested in the money. The petitioners, therefore, pray that a writ of mandamus be awarded, directed to the Auditor, commanding him to issue his warrant for $229.50 upon the Treasurer, payable to the order of the petitioner's agents, out of the appropriation for the civil contingent fund, on account of the policies.

It was ordered that a mandamus nisi issue to the Auditor, returnable on the 26th day of .January, 1874.

The Auditor made return in which he states :

That the petitioners contracted for the insurance of the capitol buildings, with the State House Company, which was not the agent of the State, and had no authority to act in behalf of the State, and that the petitioners have no demand against the State:

That if the contract for the insurance of the capitol building, made between the petitioners and the State House Company, was approved by the Governor, he had no authority to approve and ratify it in behalf of the State, and the Auditor had no authority to issue his warrant on the Treasurer, upon the requisition presented by the petitioners :

That the Janitor is the only officer authorized by law to contract for the insurance of the capitol building:

That on the 17th day of November, 1873, the Janitor procured from Moore, (from whom policies of insurance on the building for the year ending on the 21st day of November, 1873, had theretofore been obtained, that had not then expired), policies of insurance for the year ending on the 21st ofNovember, 1874, as follows: In the Union company of Baltimore, $5.000; the Peabody, in Wheeling, $5,-[79]*79'000; Continental, New York, 10,000; Franklin, Wheeling, ■$10,000; America Central, New York' $5,000 ; Homo," New York, $10,000; North British and Mercantile, $5,000; Nail City, Wheeling, $5,000: That on the 17th of November, 1873, he made a requisition on the Auditor, in favor of Moore for $387, the amount of the premiums due for these policies, for which sum the Auditor issued his warrant on the Treasurer, payable out of the appropriation, for the civil contingent fund for the year 1874.

He prays the judgment of the Court whether he can be compelled to issue his warrant in favor of the petitioners upon the Treasurer for the sum of $229.50.

The petitioners demurred to the return.

The Code enacted in 1868, in chapter 14, containsthis section :

“25. Out of the sum annually appropriated as a civil contingentfund there may be paid all the expenses incurred in the execution of any law for which there is no special appropriation, and any other sums which the Governor may deem necessary or proper. No payment shall be made out of the civil contingent fund, except on the requisition of the Governor directed to the Auditor.”

Counsel for the petitioners argue that this section yet remains in force, and applies to that part of the act passed in February, 1873, appropriating the public money, which appropriates $600 to pay for the insurance of the ■capitol building and State library.

Chapter 2, of the Acts of 1872, contains this provision :

“There shall be a Janitor annually elected (at each annual session of the Legislature, by the joint vote of the two houses), whose, term of office shall be for one year, and until his successor is elected or appointed, and •qualified. It shall be his duty to properly guard and take care of the capitol buildings, with all the apartments therein, or therewith connected, as also the capi[80]*80tol grounds, and havo the same kept clean, warm and “comfortable. He'shall also, during the session of the Legislature, have charge of the halls and committee rooms of the two houses, and keep the same properly cleaned, warmed, and in good order, and shall do and perform such other duties in relation to his office of Janitor as either house or the Board of Public Works may require.”

Chapter 111 of the Acts of the Legislature of 1872-3, entitled “An act making appropriations of the public money to pay general charges on the Treasury,” approved April 7, 1873, contains these provisions :

“1. So much of the public taxes, and arrears of taxes, and all other sources of revenue, which have been received into the public treasury since the first day of October, 1872, and which may be received therein prior to the first day of October, 1874, which may be necessary to pay claims and charges upon the treasury, other than salaries of the officers of government, and pay of members and officers of the Legislature, shall constitute a fund for that purpose. No money belonging to any fund shall be taken for any other purpose than that for which it has been, or may be, appropriated or provided.

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Bluebook (online)
8 W. Va. 74, 1874 W. Va. LEXIS 57, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/shields-v-bennett-wva-1874.