OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Eonorable Earl B. Btinwon
county Attommy
Rookwall county
Rookwal1, Texa5 A
329
B#4orablc Earl B. Stlmaou, Page Iz
iwtiale 331, Vernon*8 Annotated Civil Statutea,
read8 aa followa:
Vounty attornega, by oonaant OS the
aommlaaionera aourt, ahell have power to
agpolnt in wrltlnng oae or more as8Istant8,
not to exceed three, Sor their reapeotlvo
ooutiee who shall hate the eame purera.
authority and gualIfIcatIona aa their prin-
clpala, at whose will they ahall hold ofiioe.
Before entering on the dutiea of their officea,
t&y ahell eooh take the otrlolal oath which
shell be Indorsed upon their appointment, which
oaths an6 appointments ahell be raoorded and
depoalted In the county clerk’8 offIce.”
krtlcle 3691, Vernon*8 &uW.afed Clvll Statutea,
aa amsnded, reads in part se followa:
%ech ofrIcer maed In this Chapter shall
fir8t QUt Or thO OwrWt raea Or hi8 Off108
pay or be paid the &mouat allowed. him under
the provIeIona of rlrtlole SEM33,together with
the aalari~a 0r hfa aaalatan8a aab asputha,
and authorlsod lxpnaqa %uMar A&lelo ,5899,
aadthe amount na6aa8ary to cover ooata of
gmlwm on whatnor eurety boatl may be l~qulre~
If the uurrent r0438 0r each orfloe
oollec;ed In any year be more then the amou&i
needed to pay the eauuata above l paoliiad, 8ama
shall be deemad orceaa~ reo8, end shell be die-
poaetl of in the mamer hereiaafter pxvvI6d.
“In eoantlea eoatalnlng tw~ty-five thou-
sand (ZiS,O’OO)or lea8 inhabiteat+, Dfatrist
aad county 0rrioore. 1~34 harela ahall main
one-thlrb of eueh ezoeaa tw:a ant11 auoh oae-
thI.rd, together with the a~~tmta apeaftled In
hrtiule 3883 abwunte to Three .Thouaan~ pil-
lara ( s,ooof . Praolnot oitlcara ahal& retain
one-t& 8rrd until uuch one-third, togeWnr with
the amount 8~0irhi In Artkle 5883, aaounta
to Fourtaen Xundred Dollar8 ($WXJ].
*The oompenaetIonau l%m.itatIona end maxi-
330
&*.orabls Eerl B. StIaaoa, Page 3
mums herein rixttd In thla Aat~ far orriaera
shall lnolud4 end apply to all 0rti042-8
mentioned herein In taoh and every oouaty
or thle state, and It Ia hereby deolared
to be the Iatentloa of the LegIalature that
the provIaIona of thla kot ahall apply to
eaoh of said ofricere, nnd any lp4eIal or
general law inormslstent with the provIaIona
herwr Is hereby expnaaly repealed la w
far aa t.h8 same mey be iaooaaistant with
thla Aat.
“The u0mgenaatIon, limitat lone aad mexi-
stuw herein fixed shell alao apply to all
roes end oompenaetlon whataoev’er oolleetad
by safd of~Ic4re In their 0rff0ial oapeoltg,
whether accountable as tee8 of ofiloe under
the present law, and any law, general or
epeolal, to the oontrary La hereby expmealy
repealed. The only kind and charaoter of
ooxpanaatloq exempt fro5 the -g.rovIaIona of
this Act ahell be reward8 reoelved br BherIii8
ror aP~reh4naIon of orlarinala or rugutivea
troa juetloe and ror tM roe&very of ltolea
property aad poaeya reoelved by County~Jodgaa
and Jpe&a or the Pea04 for p4rioraIr&aer-
.riagr oeremonlea, ahIah aom ahell not be ao-
oountable ror end not required to be reported
as reea 0r orriee.*
drtlole 3908, Vernon*8 Annotated CIvIl Statutea,
reada in part aa foU.owa:
Whene~ver any dlatrfot, oounty or preoinot
orricer ahall require the aervioea bf deputies,
aaaIatenta or olerka ti the performehoe ot hia
dutlee he ahall agply to the County ConevIa-
sIoaeru* Court of his aounty ior authority to
appoint auuh deputlea, aeaiatanta or olerka,
stating by sworn applloatloh the allarbor neptled,
the position to be filled aad’the aimaht to be
paid. Said applleatlon ahall be aoeompanled
by Y atatemant ahowiagthe probable reoeIpta
irozn tees, oommisalons and ooslpeneetlon to be
oolleoted by said office durlag the fiscal yesr
and the probable dIsbursementa whIah a&all isi-
elude all aalariea and expenaea ai ataid Offi&S~
anor;;ible
Earl B. &timon, iage 4
crnb saidcourt shall ;=ke its order authorlz-
ingthe apaointrnent ot such deputies, esslst-
ants and clerks and fix the oonpeneationto be
?ald them within the lI.titstIonsherein pre-
scribed and determine the ruzber to be ap-
pointed as In the diooretionof said Court
ZJ be proper; provided that In no case shall
the Co~lssloner~s Court or any smaber there-
of attempt.to Inrluenoethe appointzaent of
any person as deputy, assistant or clerk in
any ofrice. Uson the entry of such order the
orrlcers applying for such assistants,depu-
ties or clerks shall be authorlxedto appoint
them; provided that said compensationshall
not exoeed the maxlr~~ amount hereinafterset
out. The ooiaDenaatlon which pay be allowed
to the deQutIes, assistanta or clerks above
nazaedror their sarvfces shall be a reasonable
one, not to exceed the rollowIng amounts:
"1. In counties having a populationor
twenty-fivethousand (25,000)or less Inhablt-
ante, ifrot.assistant or chief deputy not to
exteed Elghtwn Hundred ($1600.00)Dollars per
annum; other assistants,deputlea or olerks
not to exoeed Fiiteen andred ~($1500.00) Dol-
lars per annum each.”
It is to be noted that article 3902, supra, which
Is a later enact-at of the Legislature,doe8 not expressly
repeal ,rtIcle 331, sUpra; however the two atatutes under
oonaIderatIonherein, are in,par1 materla, end their provl-
elons in suoh respeat cannot be reconalled. In s~tioh olr-
oumstancea,"the older statute will be held to be repealed
by ImplIoatIonto the extent of the conrlIct* * *. It la
presumedthat the Legislature Intended to repeal all lava
and phrts or laws olearly inoonslstentwith Its later Aot8.v
39 Texas Jurls. p. 145, sec. 77.
In thfs connectionwe quote from the case oi Meek
v. bheelar County, 125 S. I,.(2d) 331, as follews:
*Ia the case ai Srysn v. Sundberg, 6 Tex.
418, 424, the Supreme Court of this State
announced the rule whiah, we think, Ie decisive
of the Issue before us. Suoh rule Is in the
332
IIonorable &arl 3. Stlmon, Page 5
r0iloring language: *It undoubtedly la true
that n oomatruotlonwhloh repeals rormer
stntutea, by lmplloatlon, la not to be la- :
rored; and it is aleo trus that statutea in
par1 materla, and related to the sama aubjeot,
are to be takea and conetrued together; be-
oausa It le to ba i&erred that they bad one
object in flaw, and were Intended to be oon-
eldered ~II oonotituting one entire, and har-
monious ayotem. But when the new statute,
in iteeli, ooaprehende the entire aubjeot,
and oreatea a new, entire, and lndewndent
eyoteo, raspeotlng that subjeot matter, it
10 unlveraallg held to repeal and supercede
all previous systems and lawn reapacting the
subjeot matter.‘”
ire think that srtlole 3908, aupra, is aontrvlllng
in the appolntiuant 0r assistant oounty lttarney8, and ll.aite
their aompenmatlon as stated therein. Said Artlole rrpeoif-
ioally pmvlden that the W eompeneation that oan ba
allawad a first asolatant or a deputy In counties having a
population oi lea8 than twanfy-five thouaaad inhabitants
Vhallmnot lxoee4 Eighteen Hundred Dollars ()l8OO.00) par
The maximum oompensation provided ror other deputleu,
szianto and aleskm shall aot exoeed Fliteon -red DOI-
lars (#MOO.OO) per 8iukum.
A8 above Indicated, Rmzkwall County has a popala-
tion of under twenty-five thowmnd hhabitate; therefore
the maxlam oonrpensatlon that could be allowed the first
assl6tant ooanty attorney would be eighteen wnd dollara
($1800.90) per annum. iiald aaslstant served as the aselrt-
ant oounty attorney ror only one Bonth aa6 oould not be
entltJ,ed to more than #lbO.OO an oompematlon for hlr rran-
loea. The ttounty attorney 18 entitled to dedttet the 8alarl.ea
OS hla asblstanta"and deputies and authwlzed expenses under
wtlale 3899, and the amoaat naoessary to oover ooet at pre-
aiua on whatever oar&y bond pray be required by&a% under
Article 3891, SaQra.
In view of ths ?oreg&ng authorltlso, you are r'mpeot-
rully advimd that,lt is ths opinloa of this department tht
the oounty attoraay oan legally deduot the BPP of One liurulred
333
-orable Earl B. Stllllson, Page 6
and Fifty ($liiO.OO) Dollars paid the afmiatant aoanty attor-
ney in arriving at hlrr nuximm aompenaatlon allowed by AT-
tialeo 5883 and 3891, rupra.
Trustin& that the foregoing fully a.aaweps your
inquiry, we remain
Your0 very truly
A?%%3