77
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Iionorablshanala Q. Markls, Chalrr~on
cr:eeittceon Con6tibutlo&ullAlxendwntr
tath &~.aloturo
Austin. Tsrm
Deer I.%.Marklo:
our request for im opI::lon
UpGQ the abar. r es 10114118:
, hss inotruotrd ma
pinion on 8. J, R. lb.
I em enolo8lng.
sirea to know whothor., lY
a part or our Coartltutlon,
requlro bha consolidation o?
dbtrfot an4 cbunty olerka Ia rll
81 than 30,000 peraon#, or whotber
,ptmm ~36th the inaiviauai 00mie8.
t be naor5sary lar thr Lo&8latun to
neblina Aut to put into ePfeat the aon-
stltutional provl8,lon?
*In this sosneotion, tbs CWmittee OS116 your
littcntlon to %o. 20 of i&t. 5 OS the Con8titution,
on the aubjoot of iiouatp Clrrks, end to 3ea. 9 of
the mm8 brtiale, on the mbJe,ot oi Distrlat Clerks.
:'enoto thet the lrttapr~~eotloil doa* not oontain
the eraeption oaritdlnsa ia ttifi fornar, WI th mgrra
tQ OOlutti,e8 Of WW3ll ~O~Ul~tiOfi.”
78
Thr rcsolutloasaritlrned omsnds .%ctlon 20 o?
krtlalo V, c? tho Conotituticrn, ao 45 to reed as ?t;llowsr
m%Otlon 20. Than shell be calactedror eeab
oounty, by the quauriea voters, a oounty olerk,
who 4hsll hold h18 oftioe for two earn’, who 8k411
bm olsrk oitha Bounty rnd cram%48i onem* aowt8
ma reoorder o? t&4 aountf, who84 duties perqul-
sit04 ana r-4 or ori s&811 ba prr4oribea br
the trglslrture, 0na a voaonoy in whose 0rri00
rhall be ?lllOa by the 001PPi8410Dbr8' Oourt, until
the next eoaeral al*otlon ?or oou4t ana 4t4tr oi-
floarr: provlaaa, that In oountlea L vlng 9 pops-
tm 0r 1let38 th- thirty tm44*a (30,000) p~40fi4,
to k detormlnea st rng tlm by the 184t preoedlng
Federal oen4u8, thbre sly k 80 ale4tlon or a
4inglle olork, uho shall pU?Orm the duti48 o? Din-
trlot tuba County Clorkm.*
%tatlon 20 o? Artlols V of th6 "tata Constltutlon,
as It now rxlsts, la on ?oll4w4r
*‘lhere 4h811 b4 &8oted ?or uah ao&mty, bl
th0 gU8iifi~a VQtU4. II OOUUtY OiUk, Who 4h4ii
ho14 t?i4 Orrio r0r tu0 yoera, who 4hal.l b4 the
olork o? the oounty and oamml4#lorAu4* oourto end
rooortlu of the oount$, u&one dutlrs, porqul8ltar
saa re64 or orriae shall b0 prosorlbd by tibrr
lo~i~l~two, end 4 veaona~ in rho40 o??tfoea*11
bs ~.fUlcdby the ooti841ts&er8* OOU?~, until th4
next gencrrel elooticn ror oo4z~t7 and 8tok orrioer4;
provided, that in oounti44 troving a popuhtloo or
ietw than 6,000 percPo::r, tbsre may ba en aleotion
of a single alrrk, wbo @hall par'tom thcidutle8
G? dl8triat and acunty ale**.*
m3 raroglng pmmimioa 0r the oonatltution 1s a
pert or the Comstltutlon or 1876 a@ ho8 not Baea 8mendad. The
Ron. Doneld Lf. Uerkle, paga 3
4e.74ie tri.4OS ':satlcn9 , !wtlole V,of the ftete Conatitu-
eon. '4ction 9, Art1414 v, of tha State Conatltutlan 88
it now &late, providea:
*There ate11 be a olork for the dlatrlot oourt
o f ea o h wh o 8ha 1 1k llaotttd
c o unty, by th equeli-
fled ,voterr oi the atatb and ocmntg oftioera, who
ahell hold hfa otfloo ior two yeera, 8ubJeot k, re-
moval by infonmtion, or by innblotamnt of thy #and
Jury, and oonvlotiou by 0 p&It Jury. In oaae of
vrroenoy, tbr Judge Of the 418triOt court ah011 have
the pomr to appoint a dlork, *ho uhall hold until
the oiiioo oen be ill104 b y lleotion. *
Art&ales 189&, 1903, and 1935, Vsmonsa &mutated
Civil Stetutea, prevlde a8 iollowa~
*.Art . 189b.
The crlerk of the blatriot aour o?
laoh oountyahell be 01eo~4 et eaoh gOrural eleotlon
for e tars!o? 2 yeara. Blob auoh alerk aball hero
powor to edmial8t~r oaths sad atfinn irauwme required
la the dlroharge Or their OfilOIal Uutiea, $0 take tb
bepoaition8 of wItneeao8, 4nU gaturally to p~rforsl all
rruah Uutloa aa em or met be irap upon hla by law.
“Art. 1903. Xn oountlea harIng a populetloa oi
leas than 8,000 peracm, aooordiag to the preaOdir?g
Federal Conaua, OZQJ one clerk a&e11 ba eIooto4. Re
*haSi teka the oath an4 glvr t.be bun4 requirraof
olerka of both the Ulstrlot end county court*,em4
shell have the porora en4 parform the 4utImr of awh
olorka r(lapeotlvely.w
*Art. 1935. k 014rk or th 0 43arnty0Olirt 0r la0h
muntr aha11 be lleotsd at lOoh general lleotlon ror
a term or two yeera. Xaoh auo)? clerk ahe bo cut hor-
Iacd to issue all mrrirge LIalill~eS, to adainiater 411
oaths and rffirmationa, en4 to take erri4mlta On4
depoaItIon8 to he use4 88 protic by law In any of
the 0abrta.*
The s&y matsrlal ohange the propoaad amendment makea
ir ‘eotloa 20 ir thet It raiaw8 the llmlt OY the population
Hon. Ikaald 1. Markle, page 4
or those oountlea In whloh %here may be an lleotlon of a
single clerk” rrau *leas then 8,000 persOnam to a1eaa than
30,000 pera0na.~
Artlole 1158, Revised Statutes of lq9, provided:
“Qi eountiea haviag l population of leas than
IS.000 persona, ohly one elork shall be eleete4,who
ahall take the oath an4 bond required of elerka of
both aZ the 4latrlot and oounty eourta an4 rho ahal&
have the. powara ad perfern all the duties of au&
alerka roapeetivelg.w
The provIaIcma ab said Artlolo have ken brought tor-
war4 In labatantlally the amae ~lengumge In a11 mbaeqa*nt re-
rlafona of the statutes. TJie pnaonb statute Is Artiole 1903,
quote4 above.
B yth el~otmant of Ad&. llSg, a short tire d r the
Oonatitutlon ml adopted, the 18gfalature eon#trueU’the;,. 8 onatl-
tutlonal gemI aIon wader eoMid4rBtiOa not l 4lf-auou$l.i&. guoh
has been the eonatruotlon of a11 leglalaturea whloh hare oon-
~,ened alnoe 1879 for the statute has not been materially e’hmged.
It la stated’ In Texas furIrpru4rnoe, Vol. 9, pega 423:
While e oonatltutI0~ la tamally a me19 deolrretlon
of prlnoiplra of 0rganIe an4 tuadamentallaw, In au*
raahion that a oonatltutlonrl proriaion my be ortab-
lIahe4, an4 yet remain wIthoist forae or lotivity until
the 'adoption cb l~gislatlon whiuh sarrlea it into ei-
ieat, yet ft Is entirely wItbIn the poarra ot wople to
adopt provIsiona whleh are ~aelf-ex~outlngl or whloh
are operative wIthout legl@LatIon.
*A oonatltutlonal provlaion may be aaI4 to k. #elf-
exaoutlpl ir It supplies e auifieient rule by m44n4 or
tiloh a right given mey be enjoy04 end proteeteb m a
duty imposed way be lnfcxee4; It la not aelWexeeuting
where It merely indiaate a prinoiple, without ley%ng
down eagr rules by mama of whIuh the prInolple may b4
given the fores of law. A provision wbiob dedlarea
thet *eaoh shore holder . . . . ahell be paraamlly
liable ror all the debts of woh 4orporst4 body . ...*
I* *elf-oreouting. gut a oonatItutIoaa1 Inhibition
1
,..A,
8t
Ron. Donald Y. garkls, Peg6 5
against usury condemning *sll 00ntreot.s ror a
greater ret4 of Interset than ten psr oentum
p4r annum’ aa uaurloua, Is self-exeoutlng only
to the extent of rendering usurious oontraota
Illegal. The power end duty of fixing penal-
ties ior vIolatIona of the oonetitutlonal pro-
vlai~on is delegeted to the legialeture.a
Art4r oarefully oonaIderIng the toregoing proposed
amendment to S4otIon SO, Art1016 V, at the State Constitution,
It la our oplnlon that said provlaI0n la not eelt-ex4outIng
in that It merely IadIoat4a the principle, without leying down
any foroe of law. The proposed emendment la e mere dealan-
tlon of prlnolples of orgenlo end fundementel law end remeina
without foroe or aotlvity until the edo tion of leg5aletion
whloh oarrlee it into 0rr40t. st4t4a d iterontly, It 58 our
opinion that In the event the propoard ammdment to raid
SgetIon,zO la adopted en4 boo-8 e part of the UonatItut5an,
that before said provlalon b&owes ot iOr or lotITe, It
would be necessary for the legialeture to enact proper legIa-
latlon k, oarry said provIaIon Into eiieot. (See Corpus Jurla
Seoundum, Vol. 16, tiger 100-110 and authorities oited therein).
??a believe t&et-th6 foregoing statement disposer 0f both
qu4atIona under oona5deratlon.
Xoura vefy truly,
OP TFZAS
ATTOBaBYOEiTlZRAL