OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable lf.L. %lwards
County Attorney
Victoria County
viotoria, Texlw
near Sir?
Ret Should
This ia lx4reply
which YQ quoter
d Senate Bill
the Luve of
vlthln six
e of the Act. It
0 eislilerlavs
aspect to other
9a, b, u, d and e.
al years there has been
v
e bove brand has been tendered to the
County C erk of Victoria County for re-recording
under the new law, with substantiallythe follow-
ing notations
"'The above brand is to be wed either alone,
or with a bar above, below, to the left, 6~ t0 the
right.'
Honorablek’.L. Edwards, Page 2
"The County Clerk refuses to reoord the
brand so tendered in thla vise, takiag the
position that the notation vith reapeat to the
use of the bar constitutes(~1effort to reoord
in the name of one person five separate and
diBtinCt brands, and that the use by one per-
son of more than one brand is prohibited under
Article 6890, It.9. 1925.
"For your Information,I may add that the
brand has heretofore been carried in the name
of Mr. O'Connor on the Brand Records sketched
five dlfferent~veys.8~ follows:
BO 8~ to indicate the intended use of the bar.
TUB brand hae been oerried m Mr. O*Connor ln
this vise in this and edjolning oountles in
order to prevent any one bent on aattle theft
,~_z;rn lpakinga very elmple altemtlon vlth a
. Se aftered a 10s~ b7 theft aeverel yeeis
ago in euch manner, a bar being placed on one
side o? the main brand bJ the thief.
"As you oan readily Imagine, there is no
ceee law on the aubjeot,Article 6890, in the
regard above mentioned,never having been eon-
etrued by the oourta. I have rdvlred the Qoun-
tg Clerk that the proper prooedure la tor him
to acoept the brand and pleee the ame of re-
cord a8 tendered with the notation with respect
to the Intended uee of the~ber therewith. Will
you kindly give UB the benefit of your beat
judgment ELII
to vhether or not he Is oomec$ in
deolluing to reaord the brand ee tendered.
Upon a careful oonslderetionof Hr. O'Connor's 'main
brand” end the four verletlonsthereof, as subfittedby you, we
are forced to the ooncluslonthat they constitutefive different
~;~~;,,,eaohseparate and d$sttiot from all the other foup. A
es used in the stock-protectionstatutes, is a dlstlnc-
tive figure or device placed upon an animal by burning with a
hot Iron, or other artificialmeans.. Pollock va. Ee~~eesCity
Kanses); 123 P. 985; Churchill vs. Oeorgla Rr. & BankIng Co.
ffa.),33 s. E. 972. That each of the variations of this brand
1s a distinctivedevice In Itself seems to be proved by the fact
that Hr. S’COIUWFhaa nlmadj lo& (I oou by reason of thy chauge
deacrlbed by you. 803 would I&G fact thnt t&e differertce be-
tween the fireHbmad8 LB jfolntodout merely by a II&O under the
record of t&a main brad aske tha proposed recorblr&g any learn
one of five different brands.
Senatr B!.llSo. &=$i,47th LeSlcle~ture,
Ee&ar §eomlton,
to vhlch 73~ rolar, provider aa Z'ollovrt
‘%Ss Act &all apply to VLctor1.e Colnntp
=U. In raid County each ovner of any llro-
stock @ezat$onedfn Chnptor 1 of Pftle 121, QS
the Re*fmd Clrll stetuter of Texan, 0~91925,
shall vlthln rlx (6) month8nftor this Act
tskas effGat,
hwa hf4 msk an6 brand Sor
auoh stock reaorded in tha offLee of the Coior-
tf Clerk of said County. Such owaern e&all
80 TGOQFO such mnrks and bmnds vbethoc the
raw have ken heretofare moor&d 5x3 amt.
ma3 orme rhell hevr the right to have his
mrk aud brsnd noordhd in bir mmq u&e, ao-
oorbing to the prorent vecerds of said Geuaty,
r13Bt m- the 8amo la the Couutyt 03 La
Gvent it GsJnPOt be n~ce3tailud I308 the w-
co* vbo tire 3GGo35e5 ram0 Ia tim coraq,
tbenttmps~cnvhohfi8bmnue~suahmmk
mdbrandt&e~esf shallhavetihotighttc
hnvo the enmo rrootdsd in hfa noma. Mtor the
upiretion ec rir (6) montha rmly the roewas
made efte& thl8 Aat taker &feat shall be ex-
aalaed o* t5n4156re5 in reco3dbg m&8 em3
brenh in ar2.d Couuty. lmediately upon tho
taking effeot of this AoC, the County Clerk
of oatd Cauaty aball have thir Act publlehod
Ln som4 nevrpsper of genmel 61rculntfQnln
the cnunt~ for n perlad of thl.rty (TO) dnyII,
vhzch publication r&&.l be paId for by the
Countp out *f th4 Oeneral fhunty FuoS.”
Article 6890, Revlkad Clvl?. StdtUt4?$, l!$?T, In a8 fd-
love:
WfGFy person vho ha0 Ciltth, hsg8, 5heep
or goats she12 have en ear atarksad bmmd dV-
serlllgfroopthG enr mark tladbrand of hlr xlqb-
bore, vh!cb GM?a~.& and brana rharllbc FMW'ded
by the count clerk of thy crou.uty V&X'@ vuoh
tlULf=~lB I ba. 112, pacaoa &all Us6 EtaPethan
cSh41
OIM brand, but my resorcI hla bmwi ln a# w
aouatleo as ho Ueoms nec*su*.‘*
‘phs U(lb Of HS1y thPn a bnnd in Qr145tMh~ bFbIJdh(j
~&dtls la pro&ibltd w Artiale 1484, Penal Code at 11;3
,51
?ihO~~r hi Origbailf bMIidi#Ig Of MIWk-
tng crrttle~8.8 mom thaa one mark or brand
slur11be fined aot leee tspe twnty-fir* nor
aom thaa oae huadmcldellus tar ee& urtul
so bremiedor mtmk.8."
Th4 Texas oourtshaw held that an ovner of llwetook
8ay for good CAU~O. ~~UBQB hU Ibl?rad. tleChW& VS. 8hmk'r ~1~8,
4 8. W. 552; Dtqat vs. Zltrte, 14% 3. Y. 709. Yet ve bell#e tbat
ths above etatuteralurly prdblblt the veeordirrg a& uee,ofNOW
thanoaabrmabthesameoovratfa~tharamettae.
It l6 uwMson auroPwontbat~aaua?lya&rkws
aormat la mfurlag to noord the brawl Sa the mum- mquertod
by NF. 0’ceawr.
We call to your atteatioa the hat shat ma 0amte 0 1
lo. 4x3918 a 1oee.llav (beg* applieablato YiatorlaCounty 0nLr
3
mplat bmnds, snd lb thereiom governed by the guwirroas of
ArticleT1 , 8eatLon 2s. CanetftutUn of Ihue, v&i& ie ae follovrt
"ma Lyi8ldxLw may pars low rer ah.
mptlatiloa of live ete& ud the pmtbotlon of
sW?k lU~SeZ’,lro ia tha St& Mill%Jl&t &WrtLOllOf
th eEtete,ea alxamglt fmm the ope;nrfwa or
muehlavs other porw3a8, uatians, or fwmwl*r;
aaa dell b&.vegover to paer Mlea4 e$eoirl
law for the tncmatim tie, rboak end
ol crlt-
hide6 cad ior the &-q&l&ion of braad provldal,
thfit w io~ti zsv thus parad ~rhau.b* rubaitt0a
to the fawholdsm of fiherestioato be tireate
themby, raod&~pZ'OVOd w thM, b&OrU i% Sh'll 60
slat0 eff sat. *
This Act dOea not pmvido for its subsllasioat6 t&e freeholderr of
Ylctorib coutttg POF tliew approval;in facet,It attmg7tr to ovw-
ride *be above coaatitutloaril provSsNn, &x14attempts to a)u the
law efteetiveiron en4 aftor its pareegovft!aeut
be* fimt mtl-
tiea by tb fmeblaers or viw3ria County. lfa am ttwe0m of
the optatoathat safd 8en&e Bill Ib. 479 la unacrn6tltut~oael and
themtom void. See A-t *a. Traylor, 33 8. w. 4401 state
,vs. Cartldwry, P5%8. W.-32~ l
Yo ur e ver y tr uly