11 Kan. 218 | Kan. | 1873
The opinion of the court was delivered' by
Two questions are raised by counsel for plaintiff in error in their brief. The first grows out of these facts: The action is one for the foreclosure of a mortgage. The mortgagor failing to pay the taxes, the mortgagee paid them. The amount so paid was included in the judgment, and for it, as well as the principal debt, the premises were ordered sold. Was this error? The mortgage contains no other stipulation in reference to this matter than that upon a failure to pay the taxes when due, the entire mortgage debt should become due and the mortgagee at once entitled to recover. But the law. in force at the date of the execution of this mortgage, and
The other question arises on a demurrer to the defense stated in the answer. The time for which the note and mortgage were given had not expired when this action was brought. The only default alleged in the petition was a failure to pay the taxes when due, a sale for nonpayment, and a redemption therefrom by the mortgagee. Plaintiff claimed judgment and foreclosure for the full amount of the notes and the taxes. In their fourth defense the defendants alleged that since the filing of the petition herein, they had tendered to plaintiff the full amount of the taxes and penalty, and all costs accrued in the action, which tender was refused, and further' that they now repeated the tender and brought the money into court. To this defense a demurrer was interposed and sustained. Was this error ? We think not. By the express terms of the contract the entire amount of the debt was to become due upon a failure of the mortgagor to pay the taxes. There is nothing to vitiate such a contract. It is not prohibited by statute, nor against public policy. Nor is it a hard contract, one which it would be unconscionable to enforce. The lender of money may well insist that the security be kept intact, or the loan mature. This is but parallel to the case of a stipulation that upon a failure to pay interest promptly the principal shall become due. Such stipulations have almost invariably been sustained.;The Contributors, &c., v. Gibson,