Wisconsin tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1847-1854, 1853-04-14
BIZ .4tlihorifu.l

By .4uhhoTafY-)
AN ACT TO prohibit the circulation of unau-
thorized bank paper.
The people Of the STATE Of Wisconsin repre-
senfed IN Senate and assembly, do enact as fol-
i0t0s:
Section 1. No person or persons shall issue.
pay out or pass, and no body corporate shall
issue, pay out, pass, or receive in this state
as money, OF as an equivalent for money. any
promissory note. draft, order, bill of exchange,
certificate of deposit, or other paper of any
form Whatever in the similitude of bank paper,
circulating or intended to circulate as money
or banking currency, that is not at the time
Of such issuing, paying out. passing or reeeiv-
ing, expressly authorized by some positive
law of the United States, or one of the Unit
ed States. or of Canada, and redeemabIe in
current gold and silver coin at the place where
II purpOTts to have been issued and the bur
den of proving the existence of such law. and
the redemption nf the promisSorY note, bill Of
exchange, draft. order certificate of deposit
as aforesaid. at The place Of issue, shall resi-
upon the person or body corporate paying out,
passing, receiving or issuing the same.
Sec. 2 From and after the first day of Jan
uary, A. ID. 1854. no person or persons. or
body corporate, shall. pay. give or receive in
payment, OF IN any way circulate money
any bank bill. p unissury note. check, draft.
or other evidence Of debt, which shall purpart
TO be for the payment Of a less sum than five
dollars, and which may have been issued by
any banking association or corporation out OF
this state, and any person or persons, or body
corporate offending against any of the provls-
ions of This section. shall 70 felt and pay for
every such offence not less than five nor more
than one hundred dollars, 20 be recovered by
any person sHeing therefor as debts of the like
amount are by law recoverable, one-half for
his own ase, and The other half 10 be paid in
TO the county treasury.
Sec. 3. Any person who shall knowingly
violate the provisions of the first section OF
this act, shall be deemed guilty Of misde-
meanor, and shall, upon conviction, be punish
ed bv fine Of not less than ten nor more than
one hundred dollars, or imprisonment in the
county iasI for term of not les than one nor
more than six months, or by such fine and
imprisonment, in the discretion Of the court.
See. Any body corporate that shall vio-
late the provisions contained in the first sec
tion of this act. shall forfeit all the rights,
privileges and franchises conferred By the
charter OF act of incorporation of such body
corporate, and shall also forfeit and pay for
every such violation, for the use of the school
fund of this state, the sum of five hundred
dollars, to be recovered by an action Of debt
In any court of competent jurisdiction in the
name of the state Of Wisconsin, on the rela-
ton Of any person who may see fit to prose-
cute the same. And any officer, director, stock
holder or agent of such body corporate WHO
shall in The name Of such corporation or 9th
erwise, violate any of the provisions of said
first section, shall be subject TO all the pains
and penalties prescribed in the second section
of this act, the same if said violation had
been committed in his Individual capacity
3 and Cffa tod Nv
son named il this section, may be prosecuted
in any county of this state where any of said
paper may be found in circulation.
/ Sec. 8. Any person who shall inform against.
and cause to be prosecuted 10 conviction, any
person, or who shall on his own relation cause
TO be prosecuted to judgment any body corpo-
rate, for violating the provisions contained in
/ the first section Of this act, shall be entitled
/ 10 receive oae-half of the fine or forfeiture i'm
posed for such violation when collected.
Sec. 6. Justices Of the Peace shall have
full power and concurrent jurisdiction to try
and determine all misdemeanors arising under
the provisions Of this act upon complaint on
oath being made for that purpose, by any
person, in the same manner and with the same
. privilege Of trial by jury to the accused, as
provided in chapter eighty nine of the revised
statutes OF Wisconsin.
/ Sec. !. All contracts that shall be made OF
entered into Of any kind whatever, the con.
sideartion Of which. in whole or in part, shall
consist Of any such circulating paper as is
prohibited by the first and secund sections o
this act, and all payments made in any sucl
Unauthorized paper, shall be null and void
for any purposes whatever.
Sec. s. Tie certificate Of the Secretary o
State Of any Of the several states Of the Uni
ted States, and Lunderl his hand and seal
shall be legal evidence of the corporate exis
tence Of any and all banking corporations
within such stale.
Sec. 9. This act shall be Immediately pub
lished by the Secretary Of State. and take ef
feet and be in force from and ter the fir
day Of July. 1853. The ecretary Of Stat
shall cause This act to be published in every
newspaper in this state.
j II. l.. PALMER,
Speaker of the Assembly.
u. C. REED,
4 President pro. tenn. Of the Senate.
Approved April ,, 1853.
i l.. J. EABWELL.
Il STATE Of WISCONSIN,.
i ~rCR-lAHf's Orr C..