State v. Union Bank

17 Tenn. 119
Tennessee Supreme Court·Decided March 15, 1836·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

GREEN J.

delivered the opinion of the court.

This is a bill filed by the attorney general, in the name of the State, to recover of the Union Bank, the bonus agreed, by the eleventh section of the charter, to be paid, and also, the dividends which have accrued on the stock, owned by the State, in the bank.

The bank resists the payment of these moneys, alleging, that by the seventh section of the charter, these funds were [162]*162appropriated for the extinguishment of the bonds of the State after which, they are to go to the use of common schools, and that they avo to remain in the bank, in trust for the accomplishment of these objects. That until the State’s bonds shall be -paid, the funds cannot rightfully bo withdrawn from the custody of the bank. The sixth section of the charter directs, that whenever there shall have been five thousand shares of the capital stock of said bank subscribed, and the commissioners appointed in Nashville, shall certify that fact in writing to tho governor, be shall be authorized, and required to subscribe on behalf of the State, for five thousand shares of tho capital stock of said bank; and shall forthwith make and execute on behalf of the State, five hundred thousand dollars in bonds of one thousand dollars each, signed by him officially, and countersigned by the secretary of state, and under the seal of the Stale, hearing five per cent interest; which bonds were to be made payable at New York or Philadelphia, or at such place as the president and directors might direct, to the president, directors and company of the Union Bank, of the State of Tennessee, or assigns, at the periods and in tho proportions following: that is to say, one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars at tho end of fifteen years; one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars at the end of twenty years; one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars at the end of twenty-five years; and one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars at tho end of thirty years, and the interest upon said bonds to be paid half yearly; which bonds the governor shall hand over, and deliver to tire president, directors, and company of the Union Bank, of the State of Tennessee, in full payments of said stock. The governor was to hayo the power to appoint five directors for the management of said hank, annually, on tho first Monday of January, in each and everj year.

On the 1st day of January, 1833, after the individual subscriptions of stock had been made, as provided for in the charter, the bonds of the State were executed, as directed, and delivered to the Union Bank, and received by it in payment for five thousand shares of stock.

By the eleventh section of the charter, it is enacted, [163]*163“That in consideration of the privileges granted by , r ° ° ^ tire tank agrees to pay to the State annually, one ilia, on die a: ;tai stocic charte half of one per ceamm, on die amount of ¿lie paid in by stockholders other than the State.”

By the fundamental article in the charter, it is provided, that “half-yearly dividends shall be made of so much of the profits as shall appear to the directors advisable.”

This bonus, and these profits, the State insists it has a right to receive and dispose of at pleasure. The right thus claimed unquestionably exists, unless it has been relinquished by some other provisions of the charter,

The hank contends, that the seventh section contains such relinquishment. It is in these words; “Be it enacted, that the profits which may arise from the stocic, owned by the State, in the Union Bank, of the Stale’of Tennessee, after the bonds of the State shall have been paid, and also the bonus agreed to be paid by the bank to the State, for the privileges conferred by the charter, and also the interest, whicn may, from time to time accrue- upon the deposites of public money, by the treasurers of the State, shall be, and they are hereby appropriated to the use of common schools in this State,” &c.

It is insisted by the bank, that the words in the above section, “After the bonds of the State shall have been paid,” constitute a surrender of the right of the State to control the funds mentioned in the seventh section, until, out of them the principal and interest of the bonds are satisfied. Does this construction arise, by necessaiy implication, from tfre use of these words? In answering this question, we are to take the words employed by the legislature, in their obvious sense. We cannot be governed by the rule contended for by one of die counsel for the bank, “that the words are to be taken in the sense in which the promissor apprehended, at the time, that the promissee understood them.” The bank was not in existence at the time the legislature used the words. The charter was an offer, on the part of the State, of a contract, with the terms and stipulations in it, to those who might choose to become subscribers for stock. There could, therefore, be no knowledge, on the part of the legis[164]*164lature, as to the sense in which any of the terms of the contract would be understood by subscribers for stock; and it necessarily follows, that there can be no obligation, on the part of the State, arising from the above principle, to yield its construction of the charter, because the bank has put a different one on this section.

As it is a rule of law, and of common sense, that what a man does not expressly part with, he retains; (Preston, 191, 192,) it follows, that unless the words used in the seventh section of the charter, contain an express relinquishment of the right of the State, to control the funds in controversy, or unless this relinquishment arises, by necessary implication from the language employed, the State still has the right to their control.

There is an express dedication of these funds for the use of common schools, after the bonds of the State shall have been paid, but it is not contended, that there is any express appropriation of them for the payment of the bonds, much less, is there an express relinquishment of their control; but it is urged, that by necessary implication, a trust is raised for the payment of the bonds out of their funds, and that the bank, is constituted a trustee to carry this design into effect.

In order to a clear understanding of this question, let us inquire what is meant by necessary implication? In the case of Wilkinson vs. Adams, (1 Vez. and Beams, 466,) the Lord Chancellor says, “necessary implication means, not natural necessity, but so strong a probability of intention, that an intention, contrary to that which is imputed to the testator, cannot be supposed.” Taking this natural, and just definition, let us apply it to the case in hand.

The seventh section of. the charter says, “that the profits which may arise from the stock, owned by the State, in the Union Bank, of the State of Tennessee, after the bonds of the State shall have been paid, and also the bonus agreed to be paid by the bank, for the privileges conferred by the charter, and also the interest which may, from time to time, accrue upon the deposites of public money, by the treasurers of the State, shall be, and they are hereby appropriated to the use of common schools in this State.”

[165]*165Plainly, the interest of common schools was in the minds of the legislature, and was intended to be secured by the m-troduction of this section. We, therefore, see an express appropriation of these funds for that object.

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State v. Union Bank, 17 Tenn. 119 (Tenn. 1836).

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