Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAE AU87’IN Honorable J. Watt Page, page 2 Article 6l& Revised Civil Statutea of Texaa,~l925, warioriginallyparned by the Thirty-fifthLegislatureat its Third Called Seesiou in 1917. Aa oodified said article reads 88 rollowB: Whenever a stste oi war shsll exlat between the United States and another fiatlOuthere may be 0rgagized au4 nalntalnedwithout expense to this State, with the ooumnt and under the directlou of the oouuty judge of any oouuty, a Houe Guard oomposed of adult oitizeus of the United States ,andof,such aouatp. Suoh Guaxdshall be organized to oo&onn aa nearly .as praotidalili$to the orgauicatloa of military units, and ohall at all times be subjeot to 0101 to duty am3 to ardsrs of the sha2iff of suoh Oouaty. Eaoh Guard &mll.be authorisedto oarrg ;onand about his person pistols end other weapons as may be.neoessarywhan called to aotual duty by the shoriffi Couaties, cities and towns may through their lawful governing bodior appro- priate tram thair public treasuriesmoneys to pzoride aran and asmunitionfor suoh Guard under, ruah~ruleaas thsyw presoribe,and those reoeiving arti~fronthe county shall return all 'xunsand ammunition to the eouuty Jud6te rheu not on autyr~ 8~ah'oroard may engage in drill it Guoh tills Ma plaoe.ar the oontuuuity offloers rpa~prescribe, stud may be uniforrued 80 as not .tooonfllot.rithSeotlon 125, Aot of Cougress~, approYed Juno :3,~916,," The Texae D&sues Guard kot of &Ls found ~3.n Vernon*sAnnotnted Clvih Statutes as Artiole 589la. It la oiiioially'publishedas Chapter.9,p.'l7 of the Gsusral and Speoial Laws of the Forty-aeventli Legislature, Regular Sesriou, 104.l. We'wi~ll not here quote at length' from the aotrlncre that part ahmu l.uyour letter 18 deemed sufrioieut to mm~ife#t the purpose and authority of the Texas Def+ie Guard, but will oonteut ourselves tith a potion of the emargeaoy olauser ~931staot that'the regularly ocmrtitute'd Rational Guard of the Stats of ~Texasla ~uewin aotiye Federal ssrrioe by presldsutlalorder, mud the Sta,$ei(lMthout adequate orgtxtized troopa that may be uaa@.~fm $hs pre- vention of oitil distmfbanees,riots, sabetags, aud other forms or dl6turbauoen~aud.furCher thst;ths National Defense A6t has been amended by Gongread.authoriziugthe creationof Defe e Guards in the various States, and the Seoretary o*.WarT B :isaulug neoeimary,regulati~s pertaining their&o; and the furthar faot that nit$out this Ast th4 State of Texaa la .mable to aeaura emus, eqUipant,,aad other itam or gorernmqt property for Defsnaa Guard without the passagd of~this ambling legislation, qrsata an amer~aaoy~~ etc. Honorable J. Watt Page, page 2 It Is a gsseral rule of statutory osnstruotionthat a general repealing slausb suoh as is ooltainsd in Ssotiou 14 0r the Texas rmrt3n80Guard Aot or 194l will not opsrats to afreot a prior-statute unless there axe pro~ialons that are inoousiatentwith, or rqmgnent to, the tams of the later statuts. See 39 Tex. Jam. 131, 800. 681 Oaddes Y. Terrell, 101 Tex. 574, 110 S.W. 429; Johnson Y. Fer&umn, (Tsx.Gi~. App., writ dississsd) 55 S.W. (2dw)153. The Home Guard, authorissdby Art1 c 6l44, aupra, is a oounty unit, subfeot to the orders of thT'iishssitt of thr . It is striotly a losal organiestion,dependent upon ootlnty sounties,oitiss ssd towus tm sustenanoe and support. The Texas Defense Guard is essentiallya State orgaul- ration; subject to the oomand of the Gooeruru:~otthe State, and ssrves in lisuof the Texas National Guar&rhile that orgaui- sation Is in Federal servioe. We respeotiullysuswsr your.questiouis the negative. Yours very truly . ATTORNBY GENERAL OF TEXAS BY (SignMa)B~J~s~~~ @PROVED JASL t5,19&2 (Sigmd)~GROVE.?? SELLERS FIRSTASSISTANTATTORREYGERblUL BWrGO APPROVED OPIRIOR coMmTTx By B.W.B. Chaimnas