OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN I1
Hoxmrrbla Raaar Qll.08, Comla8iettor
QattalmlLaad OSfia* OS Toxaa
Austin, Taaa
Dur atrt opiniastlo&B66
Ret Applleablllt~of Artlalaa5388,
lt 8.q. to unsold hoe1 latta8.
if
the rffl.mativo,
ha bavo bwi.1wtoa
hvo boon fllod in
aubatanaaaof
Ch8Dt.rah11 b8 lubjoot t0 dW.l~~ollt, St10 Urd
patentinga8 prwlded in thin lubdlvlaion. (mfqJbaalr
ours)
HanorabloBuaam 01108,page 2
Artlaloa5388 lt seq., whlab axu too lengthyto aopf hero, pra-
ridadl aamprohoaalva moth& of davolop~ *IaorU~, othor tb8n
011, natural gas, ca@lutdlIgnlto, br l ttkS$igaut lmallmlalag
a la lma
th o nfo rl,
ocatrlng %lno~lrvwda to tho lame,and
fl.nall~preaurlnga patent to luohmIa~rala.
Tha LmgIalstun, In 1925, plaaodArtlaloa5588 lt wq.
ln Chagtor5 of tit10 86 of the kviaod Clrll 8tatutoa. B-20
%ttda inaludodIn that ahaptorare doaarlbodIn Art10105383
R. 0. 8. te inclu4a,among lthora,both sold aad uw 016 school
lands. Vhanion, tho Legislature&on tthtArt1
zt loq. vora lppllorbleta wuold u=ll as sold %:ol
. Thoao ltatutoa still apply to .bothlald and unsold
*oh801landa unloaa they have baan wholly or partlell~rapaaletl
alnao lg25.
We ara urrblo to Iliaduy rot )nwoaal~ npaalIng Ar-
tlaloa 5388 lt loq. la uholoor in part. Rowvor, wo ballova
thoaorota wora lo& @taofar aa mraolb lahool
rWL~ta4~Lolbt
lahhaa boon pWa&*amiS~
v. R. c. 8. uo &am it llrd--
blo to quok tha rollwing portiaho or uld Ohaptor27lt
"8eatlata1. All lutda hentofon sot rpart to tho
mblla fxw lahool futitla uuder the Oaatltutlon md
l8ua af 4ur8, and rll af tho uttappreprlatod antItnt-
sold publladaaltt ruinlag ln this Stat0 of what-
aver ahmaator, oxaopt river boda, utd ahatutola, sad
lal8nda,l8koa radb~a, and othor arae8 vlthin tldo
vrtor lImita,l ra subfootto arntnluad lele uudor
the prevlalaaa or this Act. .
'0.0
"kc. 8. ,J&ulaSubject to Luao.--All lalantla,
ult vator labs, bars, Inlots,urahoa end -ofa
awml bJ fiho St&o vlthin tldo mtor lirita,and that
portlaaof t&a Oulf of &axle0 rltbin tbo furladlotlett
of Texas,and all muold publla irrr school laz&,
both aurvewd and unauwomd, ah11 ba rub oat to ~~
luao by tha CanIaal~r to any poraa, fim or
corporationior the roduatlonof tha lIna~l8, ox-
co~l~oldthallvar pfatlntm, olntsbar and other
t may 68 therolnor thonuttdor, la ac-
oar&& vlth tho prevIsIonaof this hat and aub-
dlvlslen 2, Chapter 4, Title 86, Reviaod 8tatutaa
Htmorrrblo
Raaoac !411os,pago 3
of 1925, rolc@lng to loaaing public areas, in so far
aa aama la n+ iu aonfllat horoulth.
'o** I
%oo. 12: Auy panan lr corporationtJa*lr
pmolpocta trot of l8ad ora part of8 tmotbai"pq- ta
w to tb-rS*$atofor Bold, silver, platlau, olaaabar
and othor metallla lroa and raaloua *ton08may ill0
(UIlppllcatlaawith tha Cotufsalonor of tho bttd Of-
fice doalgnUlag the araa ta ba proapaatad,and luoh
rpplleant shall have a polrledof eaa year fra data
of flllnga no hlppllaatlonvithln tilch to pmpect
tho lru daaigaatod. Ulthin tbo perhd of said prr
ho may file an appllo8tlon to lo880 tho ama doalg-
nrtsd for the purpoa* of I gold, silver, platl-
ntnn,alnttabarutdothorwklYf c.eras md pncluue
lt8maa and rpmlt fifty oonta aa aima 88 first amu
paqaant ef mtal on the 18~0 rod amtlnuo to make
luah paywntd fmm year to year for a porlod of five
(5) Y-l-0 unless some of the mlasmlr prentlenodbore-
in shall kt'dlaoovored soonor in paylug quantltlos.
On tha dlaaovary of any of auuh rlnenla, the pay-
ments of auoh ranfal shall eoaao. On the tvontloth
(2O'day of oaah aoath the owner of the mine or mlnoi
shall pay the oyrlty duo the State, vhlah shall bo
eno-•lxteenthfl/16) of the value of tho Wnorala
sold or revad off the pmala~a. . . .* (lhphaal8
-1
YQU will obaemro that this 1931 Aot pravldod a 001PplatS
iotheclfor dovolepiu& all the mlnomla corored by Artleloa 5586 et
a.~., insofar u unsold lehool landa are aonaornad. Yot the Act
800 *not gxwaa~~~ ropaal ArtLaloa 5388 lt seq. in whole or La
The quaa on la, did the 1931 Act lmpllodly row1 them?
Eaporla by impliartlon are not favored, partloularlyin
rolatleota lava aaacocningpubllo landa, anda
nanao is ordinarilyroqulnd boforo luoh a lav
-boon repaalad b iPpllaotlaa (W.I.t;En;
8. Y. (28) 167. 104 2;.Y. (28) 4).
botvootttha 1933 Act aa& &tlclea 5388 at 800.
la a l~y
stand togothor 8s altornatlvo methoda 0
minorrlu in unrold publia aohool landa.
But the pr&~lom la not ae oaelly solved. Them lm mother
appllcoblo awl0 of 8tatutoay oonstruotlw, moat aptly quoted in
Eonorrblo&wan Olloa, paga 4
OnlvoatoaH. 8. R. Co. vs. Anderson, 229 8. Ii. 998 aq rollavst
l
xt i8 in lfr00t h0ia iD rii th0 0~0rl cited
th a t, the lm doaa not favor au-1 by irpllcr-
‘v&i.
tio tt,
itmwtb o h0ia that8 lubaoquontatatutok0-
vising th a rub lotuttor o f l fomor oae, &ad lTI-
adiy ink Raoi aa a lubatltute tbnhr, lltbonghit
eo nta la
DOaa x p r orao ar da
te thkt lrr00t, $ 00
lpomto
8
to rapaaltho fomorj thettbm&a *Mb8 auoatak t-
ta a fomr one, yet i ? it vaa
roaarlba the aaly r&o8 vhloh
shouldgavom. it renaalathe prior statute. . . .’
(R*aIa ouri) -
We balletstha 1931 Act vaa a orplotiaubatltuta for
Articles5388 lt leq uru0ia a&m01 landa am oottaomoa.
Tha8upruoCourtof *l-v
oma,vm lpwklng of that 19)l Act in Short
lt al vs. N. 9. Olrkr & Rmthor lt rl, I.26a. w. (ed) 953, 957,
8816 t
l
. l'huait18 rpparottt that the Aat Ie a ca-
prohoiaivolktuto, ltttharlalng tlw aalo and the lrs-
ing for miaomla as alI woia publlo *ah001 land,
both lurvoyodand uaa~rveyod,and prescribingthe
tom8 md aondltlwm of uloa and lwaoa. It la I
atatuk aamplotola ltaolr,ox00 t that by r0r0nn00
it lttoorporatoa amma agtho pro*f*leas oftha B8vlaed
Civil Statutoa. . . .
Again, a page 960 or the 8-o oplalmn,tho Court ulat
" . ¶‘ho Aet of lgjrl,
U hu baaa mid, pro-
vidoa’f~rubd ro Utu the ulo uxl lu8ing 0s
all publloaahoor land, lurveyodanauaaurv0yaa,ind
la arplota in lta~lfucept that it lnoorporatoaby
roraraao eerWla OS the lrtlaleaof tho Rovlaed
Clvll Bt&uha. . . .*
81noo the 1931 Aat la samplota rlthla ltaolfand fur-
nl.ahoa a aamploto a)rtam for donlopmoat of rlaerrla la unsold
aohaolland, It la our oplnloathat it la a lubatltutofar Ar-
tloloa5388 lt seq. laaofar as uttaeld a&o01 lands l ra cenaomod
and lapllodlyroperlodtha mm0 to tbat~utont.
8oatlon 8 of the 1931 Aot, relating to nen-metallla
winorals,was uanaoa in 1939 and la now knavn aa Article5421~
” .
limorrbloRaaar Qlloa,w&a 5
la lta r o r a d‘a o .,
Yo ur fir st qttoatloa 8tta this makes
It ummooeaaaryto answer yotW a*oonbmd tblrd~woatlwa.
We da m& wish to ba undorsted to uy tbt Artlclas
,