23 Kan. 119 | Kan. | 1879
The opinion of the court was delivered by
This was an action brought by the Weed Sewing Machine Company against James B. McGonigal as. principal, and T. C. Henry, T. L. Bond, S. M. Palmer and C. W. Jones as sureties) on a certain penal bond, previously given by the defendants to the plaintiff. Judgment was rendered in the court below in favor of the plaintiff for $196.30- and costs, and three of the defendants, to wit, T. L. Bond,, S. M. Palmer and C. W. Jones, now bring the case to this court, making the plaintiff below and the other defendants below, defendants in error.
The only question presented to this court by the plaintiffs in error is, whether the petition below states more than one cause of action, or not. It purports to state only one cause of action, but the parties differ in opinion as to whether it states-only one or more than one. The question was properly raised in the court below, and the court below held that it stated only one cause of action. The plaintiffs in error say in their brief that “the allegations objected to are that the defendant McGonigal received from the sewing machine company divers sewing machines, and divers sums of money and notes (which he guaranteed and indorsed to them), for machines, and repairs furnished, etc., and thereby became indebted,” etc.
The petition with its exhibits states and shows substantially as follows: McGonigal was the agent of the plaintiff below at Salina, to sell and lease sewing machines and to collect and pay over to the plaintiff all moneys due on such sales-
“In respect to contracts, express or implied, each contract affords one and only one cause of action. The case of a contract containing several stipulations, to be performed at different times, is no exception. Although an action may be maintained upon each stipulation as it is broken, before the time for the performance of the others, the ground of action is the stipulation which is in the nature of a several contract. Where there is an account for goods sold or labor performed, where money has been lent to or paid for the use of a party .at different times, whether one only or separate rights of action exist will in each case depend upon whether the case is covered by one or by separate contracts. The several items may have their origin in one contract, as on an agreement to ■sell and deliver goods, or perform work, or advance money; and usually in the case of a running account, it may be fairly implied that it is in pursuance of an agreement that an account may be opened and continued, either for a definite period or at the pleasure of one or both of the parties.” (16 N. Y. 558.)
The judgment of the court below will be affirmed.