Whitney v. City of Madison

23 Ind. 331
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 15, 1864
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 23 Ind. 331 (Whitney v. City of Madison) 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
Whitney v. City of Madison, 23 Ind. 331 (Ind. 1864).

Opinion

G-begoby, J.

Whitney seeks to enjoin tbe City of Madison and ber Treasurer and Collector from assessing and collecting certain taxes for municipal purposes.

The complaint avers that the plaintiff and others are, [332]*332and for more than ten years last past have been, associated together and organized as a hanking association, under the general hanking laws passed by the legislature in 1852, and subsequent acts amendatory thereof, and as such association have been and are doing a banking business at Madison, under the name and style of the “ Indiana Bank,” where they own and possess a banking-house of the value of $6,000, and on which banking-house the said association has paid to said city a city tax for the year 1863, the same as assessed on all other real estate. That at the time for the assessment of the city tax by said city for said year 1863, to-wit: in May and June of said year, the paid-in capital of said association amounted to $113,000, divided into stock of $50 per share, and that at said time the plaintiff was the owner of $16,500 of said capital and stock, which he'yet owns, and which is of said value.

That at the said time for assessing said city taxes for said year 1863, and before then, and from thence hitherto, the whole of the capital stock, together with all surplus accumulations of said banking association, was and is loaned to the government of the United States; to-wit: invested in the bonds of the United States, issued and sold by the government of the United States, to raise and bor'row money to carry on the now existing war, suppress rebellion, etc., under and by virtue of acts of the Congress of the United States, and all of which bonds were issued by the United States government, and sold in the market subsequent to the act of Congress of February 25, 1862, authorizing a loan for war purposes, etc.

That, by an act of the legislature of Indiana, passed and approved February 14, 1848, entitled “An act to reduce the law incorporating the city of Madison, and the several acts amendatory thereto, into one act, and to amend the same,” it is provided that, “ for the purpose of revenue, the common council shall have power to levy an ad valorem tax not exceeding one-half of one per centum upon all real estate, including improvements, situated within [333]*333the corporate limits of said city; and also a like tax upon all personal property belonging to the residents of said city, or that may be in the possession of the said residents, including merchandise, bank stock, insurance stock, railroad stock, steamboats, household furniture, horses and carriages, money at interest, and all other kinds of personal property, whether in possession or in action.”

That, by an act entitled “An act to amend an act entitled £An act to reduce the law incorporating the city of Madison, and the several acts amendatory thereto, into one act, and to amend the same/ approved February 14, 184§,” (approved January 15, 1849,) it is farther provided, “ That the assessor or collector, as the case may be, shall receive lists of taxable property from the persons owning the same, as directed in the 23d and 33d sections of the act to which this is an amendment, which shall set forth the real estate owned in the city, by its number or other-.-, ■description, and value thereof; stocks or interest in battik,railroads, steamboats, insurance offices, or other stohk 'ahsolutely paid for, or the amount paid thereon; the value of goods and produce, not for export or in transit, or in possession of any inhabitant of the city, an<| the^ value of all ordinary personal property, together \yifts money at interest; as also dogs, bitches, hogs, and other.', property named in the act of incorporation; all of which shall be subject to taxation by the order of the common council. And such owner of such property, moneys, or effects, or the agent thereof, shall sign h-is or her name to such list, and swear or affirm that it is a just and true list of all the property which they understand to be taxable for city purposes, and that the value put thereon by them is a fair and proper value, to the best of their knowledge and belief.”

That, by the constitution of the state, it is provided that “the General Assembly shall provide by law for a uniform and equal rate of assessment and taxation, and shall prescribe such regulations as shall secure a just valuation for. [334]*334taxation of all property, both, real and personal, excepting such only, for municipal, educational, literary, scientific, religious, or charitable purposes, as may be specially exempted by law.” (Art. 10, sec. 1.)

That, at said time for assessing said city taxes for said year 1863, the plaintiff claimed that said stock, so owned and held by him in said banking association, was not taxable by said city for city purposes, though it was of the, nominal par value, because the whole capital and stock of said association was so, as aforesaid, loaned to the United States government, and invested in said bonds; nevertheless, said city proceeded to assess him with a tax thereon of eighty-hundredths per cent, as and for so much stock held by him in said “Indiana Bank;” and placed said tax upon her tax duplicate assessment roll for said year, and delivered said duplicate to her said collector, with a precept commanding him (said collector) to collect the said tax by distress, and sale of the property, goods, and chattels of the persons therein named, charged, and assessed.

That the plaintiff has paid to said city all other taxes by her assessed against him for said year; that said tax on said stock is illegal and void, under the constitution and laws of the United States, for the reason aforesaid. Yet the said collector has levied upon his goods to make the same, and is about to and will proceed to sell the same, unless restrained by injunction from this court, to the great and irreparable injury of plaintiff; and inasmuch as the plaintiff is without any complete and adequate remedy herein, except by process of injunction of this court, he prays the court to grant a temporary restraining order herein, restraining said city and her collector from sale of said property levied on until the final hearing hereof, and on such final hearing to grant him a perpetual injunction restraining said city and her officers from the collection of said tax, to set aside said assessment and levy, and for general relief.

The complaint was verified by the affidavit of the [335]*335plaintiff. The defendants demurred to the complaint upon the ground that it does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action. The demurrer was sustained, and the plaintiff excepted. Einal judgment on demurrer. This presents the only question in the case.

This is not the court of last resort as to this question. By the constitution and laws of the United States, the Supreme Court thereof has jurisdiction hy writ of error in this case.

It is provided hy the statute under which the Indiana Bank is organized, that the circulation thereof must be based on “ stocks or bonds,” consisting of any portion of the public debt then created, or thereafter to be created, by the United States or by this state, and chargeable on the treasury, or such other states of the Union as pay interest semi-annually, or at any less period, on their public debt. 1 G.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
23 Ind. 331, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/whitney-v-city-of-madison-ind-1864.