Court Opinion

ID: 9810271
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 21:45:08.800438+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:39:32.477986
License: Public Domain

AlleN, J.
I dissent from the opinion of the Court on the plaintiff’s appeal, and concur on the defendant’s appeal, but do not care to do more than note the difference in the facts, and to state, without discussion, my view of the law.
On the plaintiff’s appeal, the question is presented of the admissibility of a paper, purporting to be a grant, which was signed by the Governor and the great seal attached, but which had no signature of any officer or clerk on the page which the Governor signed. On the back of this paper appear the words, “Secretary’s office, February 3, 1869. H. J. Menninger, Secretary of State,” but no evidence was introduced that this in-dorsement was in the handwriting of H. J. Menninger, or that it was on the paper when it came from the office of Secretary of State.
The Constitution, Art. Ill, sec. 16, says: “All grants and commissions shall be issued in the name and by the authority *60of tbe State of North Carolina, sealed with tbe great seal of tbe State, signed by tbe Governor and countersigned by tbe Secretary of State.” Tbis language was construed in 1820 in Hunter v. Williams, 8 N. C., 221, a part of it, at tbat time, being.in tbe Constitution, and a part in a legislative act, and tbe Court there says: “Tbe Constitution, sec. 36, declares tbat all grants shall run in tbe name of tbe State and bear test and be signed by tbe Governor. Tbe year after tbe adoption of tbe Constitution, tbe Legislature, at their November session, declares tbat tbe Secretary shall make out grants for all surveys returned to bis office, which grants shall be authenticated by tbe Governor and countersigned by tbe Secretary. Act of Assembly 1 111, cb. 1, sec. 11. Tbis is tbe only mode pointed out by tbe Legislature whereby individuals can acquire a right to tbe unappropriated lands; and if it be not pursued, no right can be acquired in any other way, sooner than if no mode at all bad been pointed out. Nothing,.therefore, passed by tbis instrument, as it is not pretended tbat Mr. Martin bad title individually.”
' When tbe Constitution says a grant shall be issued under tbe great seal, and shall be signed by tbe Governor, and countersigned by tbe Secretary of State, I think w;e may dispense with tbe seal or tbe signature of tbe Governor, if we can bold tbat it is not necessary for tbe Secretary of State to countersign.
If evidence of tbe bandwriting on tbe back of tbe paper bad been introduced, I do not think it would amount to more than an office entry, and it would not be countersigning j but the paper when offered at tbe trial did not come from tbe office of Secretary of State, but was produced by tbe plaintiff, and be offered no evidence of bandwriting or as to tbe time when tbe indorsement first appeared on tbe paper. So far as we can see, it may have been written after tbe paper left tbe office of Secretary of State.
On tbe defendant’s appeal, it appears tbat tbe defendant claimed under a paper purporting to be Grant No. 3083, under tbe great seal, which was signed by tbe Governor and countersigned, “H. J". Menninger, Secretary of State, per T. Gt'. Men-*61ninger, Chief Clerk.” The defendant also offered in evidence a certified copy, from the office of Secretary of State, of the abstract of Grant No. 3083, which was signed by the Governor and countersigned by the Secretary of State. I think the paper was incompetent under the 'authority of Beam v. Jennings, 96 N. C., 83, holding that “The clerk of the Secretary of State has no power to certify to and affix the great seal of the State to copies of grants and other papers from the Secretary of State’s office, to be used in evidence. The statute contemplates that this officer should do all official acts himself, and does not permit any of them to be done by a deputy,” and that the certified copy was competent by virtue of section 1596 of the Ee-visal, which reads .as follows: “Copies of the plats and certificates of survey, or their accompanying warrants, and all abstracts of grants, which may be filed in the office of the Secretary of State, certified by him as true copies, shall be as good evidence in any court as the original.”
I therefore conclude that the judgment ought to be affirmed on the plaintiff’s appeal and reversed on the defendant’s appeal.
Justice WaleeR concurs in.this opinion.