OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
tes.aade thsrwundmr for
oaaer roll lainual *
elm8 or SWtiOB 8 Ot 3OQ6e BfU 373,
wal Ast does not amly to suah appl:-
to field notwn ar *bra filed in the
Land orfioe QrlOP to iwnwuy 7, 1939, but in oon-
aidering the teadun for illIn& made dnae aaid
date several.qwMons are prsacmttldupon uhiob I
would R&q~OiatO the beBefit Of pO.0 OOBStEUOtiOB
Hon. Baaocm
of the dth&aral &a’ and year opinion a8 to it8 -
erreot upon the operation of thiprs8ent taoraoy *
8tier, law (Chapter 871) u~~der whlah sald tllinw
TUO oomiuenosd, as fol.lows~
j
mether or not aald withdrawal A8t
dUPi$ita erreOtiV@ ps~lod, pZ63OiU608 tha &.ng
In thin Ds~artaent ior any pwpoae of my’and all
applioatiozw for mrvep and field gteatitoo~ohaae f,j
01 1aa8e 8UpQO8ed taOiUlt tPaOtllr
OpiniOna this QU68tiOB roald be W&ad f5 the
affiEMtiVe, then. tb l’sPaining q\re8tfoXl8 horeln
g&y nooeamary to bo mBUdUed) but if aegatite,
*ra, Where applfoatioa for marvry was tiled
with the aouqt
fors Tebnluy
"3. ahue the a@tor;tiOB hr 8UZ'Vey -8
flied with the oauntJ runeyq b
8urva.y made &Q&Tebruary 7, 1dif%d%:~pu~ y
'with i,. t8fa rsoelved iB tb# Land Oifies after
raid dateand withinth8 1M) dap from original
ill. date, shouldthey be riled in the Land
fiiim3 ior any ~UrQO809
4. Ii, under either or the above oonditlons,
your oplnioa 8k~uI.d be th a f&at lpplioant 'aould hare
, fixed a legal right to take the rurther rteps prr '-
tuwlbed in the present r~w~~oy lam regardless of
the wg8age of tha withdrawal Aat, and auoh appli-
bent*6 original flu with the aowty 8WY@yW
war nade less than 1B 3 da- prior to yabruary 7, 1939,
but no filing ma8 mad. by him iB the LandOtfloedth-
la the I.20 daya, muld woh right or tbt appllaant
to proooed erpizo at the and of ~16 UO-day period
or rpuld the withdrawal 4t uhloh beoema lfioot+ro dux&
ing the UO-day period la anywlar oparato to prolong
he the oristenoe Or swh ri@t or to hold 8ame In
~U~Q~BUOU after the I.80 dap orplrsdTw
ThS AOt misnti0B.d iB FUl' letth, &SO Bu !&, 373,
read8 as roiaow
*seotionl. That all of the publio free
1105. Rasoaa Gllssl Baroh 30, 1939( y6ge 3
8ohoolland6 hiretofore authorlzsd by any law
or thi6 state to bo 8old or leased, are hereby.
wIthdrawn from 8ale or loa tmsr the lffea tlo o
da te 0fthh utwitil mu th Oyraai~tiOr
ninety (90) day8 trar the adjournnon
Regular Ss8810~ of thir Log181aturer j
“sea. The rIth&anlooi ad
tree i
GEol~andsfrcme8le orlwme aEY"
not apply, however, to applloationo to puraha8e
or loam tiled dth the Cami88io5er ot the
General Lqul Off100 prior to the e~teotire
date or this lot .0x to appllaatlonr lhtolrad
la lltI.&otioa BOT w.
or law8 In oon-
‘that put or tha ahova mon~lonr~ Mot hereinafter
rerurad to a8 the 1939 hat, mhloh 1%. i8 neaasauy for u8
to mmtrue in order to dluwoz the qtmtionr propounded
by you, 18 SeatIon 8 above Qnotod.
thatthe appll.ioatiOB8 rbi@hhate bOeB
You rliatS
pPe8eatml k, you fOP filing 8iBoe tobruuy 7, 1939, are for
8~pp080d d 8OhOOlland under. SMtiOB8
un8uma 6 and 8,
Chapbr 371 of t F e *ata or the 4&d Legislaturel 1931,
EgdteP nllured to a8 the 1931 Ant (Vernon II~rtio3.e
SootIon 6 and 8 ef the 1931 4t fill herdnaftu
be i&&y rerurod t0 a8 SOOtiOn 6 end &OtiOB 8. '2hi8
then,leaver u0 t6 oonslder only the.0rr0Ot or Emotion B
or the 1939 set oa lpplioatlonr fllsdaub4tn amion 8
and 8 of the 1931 Aot, whioh 8eotlonr Involve only ummr-
reyed 8ohoolland.
Tho h&a or loa
dthdramn f’ropl8alo under
Se&ion 1 or the 1939 hot an "publio trs0 8Ohool landr",
Sbotion t or that rat exempts fro!ui dthdraual onl those
landaOB whloh6@iMtiO58 to ~UPahs80 OX l&am E TO been
filed with the Land Commfulonu prior to tho lffootin
dateot the 4tl or to applloatIoa6 InvolYodin UtQation
BOWpond&& Tho Mt door not m&e my dl8tinotIoa
between
-arveyad landa.
and un8urvey.d Under the pre8ent lam, or
the lau8 im exf8teBoe at the tfmo of the pa88a&8 of t&e
1939 4t, thus am no ha$utory rorido~ ror tiling
dth tho Laad ,Somi8~8&4mu aa ap Pp ieatloa to pUPahUe or
leak &umurvew -hoal-lk.nd8. Aa a matter or pnotloe,
Hon. Basoon~ Gilea, Uamh 80, 1939, P@qo 4 r
the applioationa flied dth thr, oouaty mu~o r uu&p
hOtfOB 6 Bnds Ue tl.lWilly roturnod
t0 the En
~~$i$el,notea, but m know of 50 authorICy p&!Fnctg:”
, It i8 83.80 trw, a8 a m&tSr or praoti$o, that
the Lund Com6iaaIonor requlros tho l pplieaat for 0 purahaao
of unsunsyed lend to rile a fonaal applieatloncC r or the rleld
note8 two approved and fho land has boen veluc& und olaadfled.
This lo the prooedure providedfor under Artl@a 5S;as (now
repealed), but tho present 8tatotrs do not reqplra w&i pr~(Wdur~.
Al80, we de not bollote that luoh appliaatiana era the appli-
oatlons Intended b the 1939 Aat. In oompllanao with Artisle
3300, the field 501 as returned by tha rtlneyor ala, mtuto that
the mum f8 udo by thr authority or a oertah
filed tid the murboyor. It i8 8.bo to bo B&trod
tiled dth tho oounty mrvopr und.ox8ooUojia
r0ato that they UPOap lloatloas for a mrvey
jmrahaaa the ltnd’or uPth a view to. puraha4
a mfnorul leaao. 330 fIUng 0r an l ppllaatloa ror a muvoy
SonEtftUtSS~ thS tiPSt w t0 bS t8kOB by Ona dO81ring to -
purohu8e land undu SeetIoB 6 or to 8e4mra a p~profu4moa
right to p?is+ha6o a ninaal loaoe undac Sootion 8.
It ocaur8 80 um that tho L~n&i&kRrre, or &t lOa8t
the author of tha bill probabl had In raiad that all
applloations of those $esirfBg lo nw3hame or lease a&o01
lands, uheth9z eurvetywd or uneumo~d are filed In the
Land Otttee a8 no prwiaioa lathe blil or e!mergeno elm&
ahor that it ~66 tho IutatIoa of the I&i&atUW &
any dlstlaotlon between aurvo ed and unmtrveyed land, In
other m~rda, It appears that r hm Leglalature intended that
the 1939 Aat ly to UpplIaations nhioh had been
logully and dul tho propu autlmrlt~. In ~JOIK-
lq of a.pplisat the Land Canal88 onu,
rholp thSy must bi tiled for the pnrohaw cc survopd aohool lai;
.$@I@, wo believe that the Logielaturo mdant that the Aot
ahciula wt apply to appliaatioae uhioh had been lognlly and
prcpcsly rlleb for the purahaw or loans of rahovl landa,
md It ua6 not lntennded that the dot 8houl.daffeot 8uah
lpplioatlona.
If n 8hould m8ko thla wnstruotlon of. the 1939
.4t, TO will marely ba f&p the well knoun prinolpla
or state0 QonutruQtloli, rtrtUtO8 8hould, ii pomiblo,
be mll8tTtlS ‘x 80 (u to uphold their SDB8tftUtiOndlitj,
At the tlma of the onaotaent or the 1939 AN, and
oularly &&Ion 3 thafoof, tin Lsgl8laturo oriden t?-y knew
that applloatlona migbc be oa ii10 for tho purohaso or
loaao of ta5dr lhiah Q0ul4 ~aot be aHSated ‘by any Sat It
might pa88, and It uaa Intondea to &OVI $hat it was not the
purporroof the Legi&.ature, to deprire My porron of my Pfgbt
J.f, howrcr, 111)are &bta!cez~ in n6 abow eon-
8tzuation of the 1939 Aot uud Seation 8 or. Scne i& to be
RS not
Oonstrrisd q~pl@.!it~ t0
County 3urwgor for
OP lbuing
6 and 8, nnloss mid
LRnd -10ur lor ta Tobnmry t 19SQs tho &ra9tlro
aRta or the Aot, t& tbs Quoation 8&u a0 to d&&u
raid 88atioa a of the 1959 Ut is willd 88 wltbdrm&~ tar
ulo or lean lands on rhiah applioationa ham been riled
with Ml. 40ult.y WrYa r under ?ootfons 6 alla 8 bbroro
the enaotal8nt ot.thb 31"9s A8t but alob RppuaRtun8 &Rd not
boon ftl*b with the Lad draia~ kfaw tl+t 4at.b
It 18 tell rrettlad that if nt the tlm of the
8~68 8nd elctsotirr data Or tkr 1939 Act. sty plieuxt.
r ad uoursd a vostoc xl@ to purohRs8~or lmso 'f: nd8 under
18 d80 WOli 8Otthd thst if the liar8 Of '%TkM
It
ba~0 ma8 M Off82 t0 Ebu Or ib41~3 hk~bP t0 RIIy poTEOn,
whlah offer ha.6 been aaaeptcd by SCIWI psraon, the wlthdxmml
oi thy Offer to ti or 18lU40 bfter thr aeWDtUN0 a' the
orfer 18 ot no riteoh s&&z; RohaAeo_s, ii9 Tti. SOB,
SO se we (ad), 998.
.
%li8, than, 1awW ub to daoide (1) mhstkmr a
w8tOd ri$ht t0 ptmh~0 Or ~hk~43 hIa8 UI&W motion8 6
or 8 vu waured,.or the statd8 orrfu to 80ll og lea80
ws aooepted, upon the fil& ai the applioation with the
COUUtJ3UrYbpr 98 RrOYiaea in said tU0 8QOtiOnS, Or (8)
.ahathorthe.Ywtaa rl@ttopuroh8Eau lea8e,orthoorfer
to 8aor loim hadbwaambptad, Oti~VhXlth~a~~ibs-
t&On UUI -04 Uitb the hd ‘&BlRiEOiOA8~.
or louo mao aeaured, or
JW’&UW or laaae.=a8 Oada, at that
th
le
Ii thb V136ted
aoygrm;
the ii- of the plhation wit& the Count ~desthea
-A8 prari8ioll8 Of 2 a US9 iat ~ithdaxwing t&
8alo or lU8a 18 larifeetlto a8 to w iatiOXl8 fllrd with
tha Cmnt7 3urvbyvr beiorb tha *ifeet date of the Aot
i
Eon. Baaoom Gllee, laxoh 20, 1939, P-6 6
ragardlea8 oi the OOllStN6tiOll plaoed Upon Seation B of
said. AOt. _
Seotlon 6 oi the 1951 A6t (Vernon’s Artlols~64Zlol
proviaee, in pert, 61 rollor8r
..I
*An nb desiringto buy any of the une&epd
'landkina E dad In this Aot not 8itUtitaa uithln five
miles of a prodming oil or @as well 8hak.l file with
tb aount 8urveyor or the eouaty in ahloh the land
may be 8i t uated, an QQllOatiOn SOr SnWep &erorfb-
lq the land In rnaohmanner a8 ulll &able the mm-
ared *a twnty (180) by8 ma the riling or the
applleatlon uith the MIXV~~X~ Ii the uea ia round