Source: https://www.legalcrystal.com/case/87277/mexican-central-ry-co-vs-pinkney
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 05:05:29+00:00

Document:
Appellant Mexican Central Ry. Co.
Sayles' Rev.Civil Stat. Texas, 1223 a .
citing Antoni v. Greenhow, 107 U. S. 769 .
In the case of Southern Pacific Co. v. Denton, 146 U. S. 202 , decided at this term of the Court, questions somewhat similar to those in this case were brought before us. In that case, an action had been brought in the Circuit Court of the United States for the Western District of Texas by a citizen of the Eastern District of that state against a corporation organized under the laws of Kentucky, and therefore a citizen of that state, and which was doing business in said western district. The defendant demurred to the action on the ground that under the first section of the Act of Congress approved March 3, 1887, c. 373, 24 Stat. 552, as corrected by the Act of August 13, 1888, c. 866, 25 Stat. 434, it could not be sued in the Western District of Texas, but, if suable at all in the federal courts of that state, it must be sued in the Eastern District of the state, of which district the plaintiff was a citizen. The demurrer was overruled and exceptions saved by the defendant, after which it filed an answer and went to trial upon the merits of the case, the trial resulting in a verdict and judgment in favor of the plaintiff for the sum of $4,515. The defendant thereupon sued out a writ of error from this Court on the question of jurisdiction, under the Act of Congress approved February 25, 1889, 25 Stat. 693, and the case was decided here on a motion to dismiss that writ of error. The motion was overruled and the judgment of the circuit court reversed, and the cause remanded with directions to render judgment for the defendant upon its demurrer.
"It is further contended on behalf of the defendant in error that the case is controlled by those provisions of the statutes of Texas which make an appearance in behalf of a defendant, although in terms limited to the purpose of objecting to the jurisdiction of the court, a waiver of immunity from the jurisdiction by reason of nonresidence, and which have been held by this Court not to violate the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, forbidding any state to deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. Rev.Stat. Texas, 1879, arts. 1241-1244; York v. State, 73 Tex. 651, nom. York v. Texas, 137 U. S. 15 ; Kauffman v. Wootters, 138 U. S. 285 ; St. Louis &c.; Railway v. Whitley, 77 Tex. 126; Aetna Inc. Co. v. Hanna, 81 Tex. 487."
Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad v. Horst, 93 U. S. 291 , 93 U. S. 300 -301.
"Under this act the circuit courts of the United States follow the practice of the courts of the state in regard to the form and order of pleading, including the manner in which objections may be taken to the jurisdiction, and the question whether objections to the jurisdiction and defenses on the merits shall be pleaded successively or together. Delaware County v. Diebold Safe Co., 133 U. S. 473 , 133 U. S. 488 ; Roberts v. Lewis, 144 U. S. 653 . But the jurisdiction of the circuit courts of the United States has been defined and limited by the acts of Congress, and can be neither restricted nor enlarged by the statutes of a state. Toland v. Sprague, 12 Pet. 300, 37 U. S. 328 ; Cowless v. Mercer County, 7 Wall. 118; Railway Co. v. Whitten, 13 Wall. 270, 80 U. S. 286 ; Philps v. Oaks, 117 U.S. 236, 117 U. S. 239 . And whenever Congress has legislated upon any matter of practice and prescribed a definite rule for the government of its own courts, it is to that extent exclusive of the legislation of the state upon the same matter. Ex Parte Fisk, 113 U. S. 713 , 113 U. S. 721 ; Whitford v. Clark County, 119 U. S. 522 ."
The words of this section "as near as may be" were intended to qualify what would otherwise have been a mandatory provision, and have the effect to leave the federal courts some degree of discretion in conforming entirely to the state procedure. These words imply that in certain cases, it would not be practicable without injustice or inconvenience to conform literally to the entire practice prescribed for its own courts by a state in which federal courts might be sitting. This qualification is indicated in Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad v. Horst, 93 U. S. 291 , 93 U. S. 300 -301.
The effect of the statutes of a state giving such an operation to an appearance for the sole purpose of objecting to the jurisdiction of the court would be practically to defeat the provisions of the federal statutes which entitle a party to the right to have this Court review the question of the jurisdiction of the circuit court. Under well settled principles, this could not and should not be permitted, for wherever Congress has legislated on or in reference to a particular subject involving practice or procedure, the state statutes are never held to be controlling. In Harkness v. Hyde, 98 U. S. 476 , it was held by this Court that illegality in the service of process by which jurisdiction is to be obtained is not waived by the special appearance of the defendant to move that the service be set aside, nor after such motion is denied by his answering to the merits. Such illegality is considered as waived only when he, without having insisted upon it, pleads in the first instance to the merits. We are of opinion that under the statutes of the United States, the jurisdiction of the federal courts sitting in Texas is not to be controlled by the statutes of that state above referred to. Jurisdiction is acquired as against the person by service of process, but as against property within the jurisdiction of the court, personal service is not required. Boswell v. Otis, 9 How. 336; Pennoyer v. Neff, 95 U. S. 714 . But it is well settled that no court can exercise at common law jurisdiction over a party unless he is served with the process within the territorial jurisdiction of the court or voluntarily appears. Kendall v. United States, 12 Pet. 524; Harris v. Hardeman, 14 How. 334.

References: v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v.