Rae v. Homestead Loan & Guaranty Co. ( 1900 )

176 U.S. 121 (1900)

RAE
v.
HOMESTEAD LOAN AND GUARANTY COMPANY.

No. 261.

Supreme Court of United States.

Submitted December 18, 1899. Decided January 22, 1900. ERROR TO THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.

Mr. John P. Wilson, Mr. William B. McIlvaine and Mr. Frederic D. McKenney for the motion.

Mr. Robert Rae opposing.

MR. CHIEF JUSTICE FULLER, after stating the case, delivered the opinion of the court.

The Circuit Court of Cook County did not find the sums due as due, nor decree their payment, in gold coin of the United States. The record does not show that when the instalments matured any demand was made for their payment in gold, nor that a tender of money other than gold was made, or, if made, that such tender would not have been accepted. The presumptions are entirely to the contrary. The Circuit Court decreed that the liability be discharged in any lawful money of the United States, and the Supreme Court held that defendants below could not be heard to complain of a decree by which they were not prejudiced. This was a ground broad enough to sustain the judgment without reference to any Federal question supposed to be involved.

According to the terms of section 709 of the Revised Statutes, we exercise jurisdiction over the final judgments and decrees of state courts, where the validity of a treaty or statute of, or authority exercised under, the United States, is drawn in question and the decision is against their validity; or where the validity of a statute of, or an authority exercised under, any State, is drawn in question on the ground of repugnancy to the Constitution, treaties or laws of the United States, and the decision is in favor of their validity; or where any title, right, privilege or immunity is claimed under the Constitution, or any treaty or statute of or commission held, or authority exercised under, the United States, and the decision is against the title, right, privilege or immunity specially set up or claimed by either party, under such Constitution, treaty, statute, commission or authority.

The decision of the Supreme Court of Illinois was not against the validity of a treaty or statute of, or authority exercised under, the United States; nor was it in favor of the validity of any statute of, or authority exercised under, the State of Illinois, asserted to be repugnant to the Constitution or laws of the United States; nor was it against any title, right, privilege or immunity specially set up or claimed by plaintiffs in error.

The validity of part of the act of Congress of February 28, 1878, c. 20, 20 Stat. 25, was questioned, but plaintiffs in error cannot bring the case here on the objection that that contention was not sustained.

The benefit of clause five, section eight, of article one, of the Constitution, empowering Congress to coin money and regulate the value thereof, and of clause one, section ten, of article one, providing that no State shall coin money, emit bills of credit, or make anything but gold and silver coin a tender for the payment of debts, was claimed; but the state courts did not deny to Congress any power granted, nor assert in respect of the State any power prohibited, and it did not appear that plaintiffs in error were deprived of any benefit secured by either of those provisions.

Plaintiffs in error pointed out no provision of the Constitution, or of any law of the United States, forbidding the making of contracts payable in gold coin of the United States, but contended that contracts so made payable were void because opposed to public policy. The state Circuit Court, however, simply held plaintiffs in error to respond in lawful money, and entered its decree accordingly, and the Supreme Court decided that plaintiffs in error could not complain of that decree, because not prejudiced thereby. This was not a decision against any right secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States specially set up or claimed by plaintiffs in error in those courts.

Writ of error dismissed.