155 Mich. 277 | Mich. | 1908
(after stating the facts). 1. That the defendants intended by thoir telegram to accept a definite
“We accept or will accept one of your two propositions.”
Such a telegram would have been absurd. They said:
“We accept your bid for cut stone for court-house and jail here.”
That telegram of acceptance referred only to one proposition, and was clearly intended to be so understood by the plaintiff. Both understood the proposition to which it referred. This is evidenced by the terms of the letter of plaintiff and the telegram of defendant and letter sent by them just after the telegram was sent. There was no room for misunderstanding. If defendants had intended to leave a doubt as to which proposition their telegram referred, they would have used language appropriate to express that purpose. They knew from plaintiff’s letters the importance of haste in the matter, and the necessity urged by plaintiff for a determination at once. The proposition in the letter of August 25th proposed to furnish stone for the court-house and jail, two separate buildings. ' It was the only letter of the two using the terms “court-house and jail.” The telegram used the same words. That proposition included the carving. Four days later defendants asked a proposition to furnish the cut stone without the carving for the Genesee courthouse, not the court-house and jail. The first proposition referred to two buildings, the latter to one. There being no doubt what proposition the defendants accepted, the minds of the parties met and the contract was fully executed.
2. Was the contract made by the proposal and acceptance sufficiently definite and clear in its terms to make a binding contract? It contained all the essentials of a complete contract, to wit, the amount “all cut stone for court-house and sheriff’s residence and jail.” It fixed the price and place of delivery. It omitted to specify the
The judgment is reversed, and new trial ordered.