Page:North Dakota Reports (vol. 3).pdf/181

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.
WASHBURN MILL COMPANY v. BARTLETT.
141

this territory, or acquire, hold, and dispose property, real, personal, or mixed, within this territory, until such corporation shall have filed in the office of the secretary of the territory a duly authenticated copy of its charter or articles of incorporation, and shall have complied with the provisions of this article: provided, that the provisions of this act shall not apply to corporations or associations created for religious or charitable purposes only.” Section 3192: “Such corporation shall appoint an agent, who shall reside at some accessible point in this territory, in the county where the principal business of said corporation shall be carried on, duly authorized to accept service of process, and upon whom service of process may be made in any action in which said corporation may be a party; and service upon such agent shall be taken and held as due service upon such corporation. A duly authenticated copy of the appointment or commission of such agent shall be filed and recorded in the offices of the secretary of the territory and register of deeds of the county where said agent resides, and a certified copy thereof by the secretary or register of deeds shall be conclusive evidence of the appointment and authority of such agent.” Three errors are assigned and argued: First, the answer does not state facts sufficient to show noncompliance with said statutes: Second, said statutes do not make contracts made in violation of the provisions thereof void or unenforceable as between the parties thereto, or in any way affect their rights or remedies. Third, said statutes, as applied to the case at bar, are unconstitutional, in that they interfere with interstate commerce.

As to the first point, without setting forth the allegations in detail, we have to say that a careful consideration of them leaves no doubt in our minds that the allegations fairly show noncompliance with the statute, and the trial court committed no error in so holding.

The second point is difficult, and involved in much confusion. While these provisions have been upon our statute books for years, appearing as § § 567, 569 in the Civil Code of 1877, yet they are now, for the first time, to be passed upon by the court of