1841.

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

chap. 321.

CHAPTER 321.

Pained March
10, 1842

An act to prohibit any individual or individuals from issu-
ing any Paper intended to circulate as money or cur-
rency.

Twenty dol-
lars fine for
circulating
paper, etc

Section 1. Be it enacted. by the General Assembly of
Maryland, That no person or association of persons or
corporation, (except the bank of the State, ) shall issue or
put in circulation any promissory note, order, bill, evidence
of debt, or other paper security, and any person so offend-

Fine for pay-
ing out after
1st of June

ing shall forfeit and pay twenty dollars for such offence.
Sec. 2. And be it enacted, That no person or association
of persons shall after the first day of June next, pay out,
pass or circulate any promissory note, bill, order, evidence
of debt or other paper security, and any one so offending
shall forfeit and pay for each offence twenty dollars.

Forfeiture of
license by or-
dinary keep-
ers, etc.

Sec. 3. And be it enacted, That no ordinary keeper,
trader or retailer, or other person or persons who buy and
sell under a license issued under and in virtue of the laws
of this State shall issue, pass, pay out or receive after the
first day of June next, any bill, note, order, evidence of
debt or paper security and any one so offending shall forfeit
his license, and all the courts and officers of this State are
hereby prohibited from granting a new license to any per-
son or persons so offending.

Forfeitures
to be recover-
ed before jus-
tice of the
peace

Sec. 4. And be it enacted, That this act shall receive a
liberal interpretation to suppress the mischief, and any note,
bill, order, or other writing designed or used as money or
currency, shall be held and considered a paper security
within the meaning of this act and the forfeitures under the
first and second sections of this act, shall be recovered in
the name of the State, before a justice of the peace as
small debts are now recovered, and one half of such for-
feitures shall go to the State and the other to the informer.

Not liable
where it is
not to circu-
late

Sec. 5. And be it enacted, That no one shall be liable
to the penalties of this act who can show that the note or
evidence of debt be issued, passed, or received was a real
bona fide evidence of debt and not intended to circulate as
money.

Banks of this
state, etc

Sec. 6. And be it enacted, That the issues of the several
banks of this State shall not he considered as within the
provisions of this act, nor shall the stock orders of the Bal-
timore and Ohio rail road company, the issue of the Anna-
polis and Elk-ridge rail road company or the issues of the

Proviso

Chesapeake and Ohio canal company, be considered as
within the provisions of this act; provided, that no corpora-