4’73
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Eonorable L. Y:.Van08
County Attorney, Titus County
Etountr'leaaant,Mxa8
Dear sir: 0pinlon No. O-6704
20: L;tooklaw elaotl
(1) chore two 110
requerrtlng an el
event%n~ dif-
took iron run-
e Coarainslonern~
t the gueatloru atated
above date be answered by
telegram, we ae on July 18, 19451
! ELECTIOPrS MAY
EIXCTXOK OFFISEE
'D POLLO'~~
SmLOcx
L30 l.mx!l v. ?nYs, z93
E6~LIPAWE EEA11A?D POL
MAY 8E DO?!EXP
8 for loos1 option stook law eleotionm under
ate are contained in chaptera 5 and 6 of Title
Civil Stetutee of'Texae. Artiole 093G and
in ahepter 5 oonteln the spplioeble law with
g such eleotione to prohibit tba running st
large of hogs, nheep or goate, while Artlola 6951 and following
artiolea ln ohapter 0 relate to euoh prohibition ~6 to hormss, mules,
jeoke, jennets and cattle. 'r;ith rnferenoe to the first olaea-
ltloutlon, the petition for a oounty-wide eleotion must be
signed by *fifty irseholderew of the ownty; 88 to tla
I:onorableL. ~:.Vanoe - page 8
aeoond, the petition muot be elt-medby "one hundred (lOC) free-
holders." For sub-dlvfslono of the oounty 8 different numbe,r
of petitionera are remlred to Inetitute the elsatl~.
-p.;ith
referwiocato par ilrst question, the oese of
%ourlook f. G1nffat.e
(Tax. Clr. ~pp., EeaunrOat)&a3 8. :zi.
~7,
oontcina the follow&g statomntr
*The nourt further found that tl.eeleot!on was
'50 irreguiar in the .xanmr of holdln(rand oo:rduOtifig
th@ aaCe na to render the result thereof dlffloult,,
if not doubtful, of aaoerta?nmnt and that,lad $5
end 8hould be decrleredilleRa and roiQ.* Just r&at
mettera and thi,agaoonnaotad wltr: th, holding of s@fd
eleatlon the oourt desrwd *lrr*gular ia the ~slmer
of holding and omduotinp the sane’ we era notodrlaed,
but YO think it my be fairly implied from his rind-
lnga OS hot (1) that one set of lleotion otZf.oora
oonduotad and hali%the two lleotloaa at the eema
the and plaoa; sad (8) that Only One fora Of ballot
wae uaad for the two eleOtlon8, ware regarded aa
irre&arltlea and iarmed the basis of the oourt'a
hold in& Itla lbown that the order ior t& llmeblon
appointed the aame person to hold laoh alootlon, an4
that two balld)ax~8 wmro provided and awd la rrhioh
to doposIt the baalOt. The ballota voted fn deter-
tintng whetter hmaas, MAO., and thoao rote6 to deter-
mlam whothor ho&a, oto., should ba yermltted to run
at lsrge, were dag08itea in leperete box05 - not In
any mm&or mixad - v*re oo::ntadoaparately, and ylaoed
in sepcrate return envelopes, am3 saob ddentlfi*d aad
pointed out ugca t&s twfel. It is not oonhnded thot
any oo::rr;elon erase in the matter nor is them any
dfaputi aa to the oorraot tabuladon and report of
tto vote. me ballot umd, it Is true, wes l5 Iox%
the ~UKWJfor each eleotion, but the atetuta8, ArtiOLO
7~18~ greiorlbing the forlaof the ballot to be u-d
in toting to determine whether hogs, ehaep, and e=tS
should be permitted to run at large, and artlole 7E45,
preaorlbln~ ths form of the brrllotto be uaed 10 VotinC,
to dst.intlnewhettieror not horses, Rides, Jaoka, j*nneta,
end cattlb should ba psrm?nitt@d to J‘UDat l,aWe, aaob
prasoribea that -
"*Votern deslrinq to prevbst the aaixMfS deei&-
nated fn the order frum tunnfq kitl,aree~~11 alto*
upon thbfr bel]ots the ~~:orba,"For the atook law",
aridtrioe In favor of alLowin@ suoh animals to Pun
at &are* shall gleoe upon thair bal.:utzthe words,
F?onorsble&. :Y:Canoe - ps~e 3
wA@ztnst the etook lawrM*
"The aourt found that thme rorda wre on all
the ballots. So the ballots aozplied with the 16~.
The undimputed feats do not su;:portthe oourt~a
holding that from the mmner of holdIn and OOD-
duotlng tha lleotlon tbe result warndlffloult or
doubtful of a80ertaInmnt.g
It will bi noted that the srtiolos or the atetute
referred to In the oourt*8 oplnlon awry the number or t4a 1911
reri6ion of the mtetufe; they wre brought forwsrd in the 1925
revision unohclnged,aa Artiols# 6935 and 595C, Rsriaed Civil
stetutefl, In the oaae of Lyle8 v. t&yer (Tsr. Cir. App., 38n
Antonio) 293 S. ‘i;'.
295, the oaurt aaids
"The pro+isIOaS a8 to preventing ho&s, 6h#p,
and poets from running at lcr@ are oontafnsd in
obapter 5, wfiI3et4oee applyIn& to home8 muleo,
jaoks, j.nnets, and oettlo we aet forth in ohaptor
0 of the Stook Law. In most reapeots they oo:.tein
tha @am reQutiezent8, and In Article 6943 of Chapbm
5 injury ti treqmralng borres, mules, jonnets, jrcke,
and oattle arc le~i~latud againat; hog@, sheep and
&oat8 net boln@ nmotioned. Article 8044 return8 to
the latter lnlml8. Chapter 5 requlmo a potitlon
of 2Q freeholdern to obtain an rleotion in 0 sub-
dIrIaIon of 8 oountg *Bile ohapter 0 rOQuIrea bC
frerholdersi The two obaptera Heie enacted et
dIi.;erenttiaes. C'esee no reason ubp the two e&o-
tions provided tor oould not be combined 60 as to
permit the freeholders to exyren8 tbelr desire6 a6
to all olrseee of @took nrcmtlonedIn the two chspters.w
In view of the excerpts above quoted, it Iraour Opinion
that your first queetitxa should be, an4 It la aaswred in the
efTlr:mtire. xt t3houia be notad, howmr, th0t In the rirot
cam afted and caoted the Oourt took aaie to point Out th5t
there were two sepsrste beliots with ihe bsl:ots on the dl.f-
rerent hsueo huvlne been depomltad in eagereta bO&eo, thus
;3ekin~alear and qerbia the result 86 to the two CLi~tInOt
Hoaarable L. Ii. Vanoe - page 4
almmtlonr bming held by t5e mmme alaotlon orf~oImla at tbo
~ma!Ea
tilae. Xn your omae, therefore,thoma holdin& the
eleotionm mhould rxaroIse oar8 to avoid error or Ooniualon.
NtR raieranma to your laoond pummtlon the iol-
lowing Is t&an WOE t5e oais ot O-ham v. i&a, 119 ?wx.
Or. R. 578, 44 8. W. La TS9t
“lb r o o lla tr a dtIo
o r oah sltewl$ ullder
a o o n*I68r -
rtlol'Ibrt* @PILO,R. or 8. 19&s) will sot permitUS
to 8uStaln the oontontioa oi the ltmta that on. pub-
li6Stlon of the nbfloe mat8 tba doman Of the law.
Xn~aduptlngtlm oonmtruationof tJimjrOdiolS1rarm4anta
te uhiuh r~feeou6 ha8 beeliamae,,I$ Bust be gild Plmt
the qaaing of t&o &abrrW 18 that She aotlae 8hall be
pubiiab4 awing et lmt ~tblrtydayr before th8 ait
or d80,ti0a. st8tbd In r.uliro~nt way, th4 not188
ia ehereroJ~~~~?y~~ olrcn#dlkUW
quamtlon, theti publlomtlonii l wbekll pqar'lm lutfiFP-~
o on ,
prorIde the same Is ountlnwd Sor the nqulrad laagth OS
tiPI. Artioloa 6984 and 6969 Oi thS-,RSviSOd (lilt1SktUka
praaarlk. thi taraS end oonb~tlonr,otpublioStlonno~aamary,
a ndare lubatmatimllyIn the hImntims1 lmn@~S@. The holding
or the oourt In trio ou~~&qomn thermtorb anlwta your
qlleatIon.
Trumtlng thet the lbve la mmtImtaotory,we lra