OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
ITon+J. P. Bryan
county Attorney
*3ec. 8, Provided however that thiu A&
shall not apply to publ.idati~awhloh have
been publiehed an8 olroulated,f~emrall fblr
et least twelve (U) montha nezctprseexing
the accep%anoe of such akwdising: ?OP oth-
er than purely politiaal gurgoees illQorm la-
aality otber than that in whioh it iS low&d
and published at the time ofaooepting such
poJ.ltioal
advertisingfromnore thanone oan-
dldete.
Veo. 36 md provide4 furtherthatSea-
tiOn 1 Of thie Aat'6hall net apply t0 publi-
oations whZoh have, prior ta the aoqclptanoe
of pclitical a8rertisingfmm more than on6
~candldete,been publlahed and oiraulatedaen-
arall for a period of less than one year
insedktely praoeding the acrospUanoe af suoh
adrartieingin the event that euch aPplior
tion can showewnerehipofits physiaa;Lplanf
and that its advertisingrateu are in pro-
portlon to the amomt and kind of its elrou-
lationI
T3eo. 4. Whos~ar violatar thmprwi~ions
of this bet shallbe finednotless than fin
RumIre Dollars ( 506) nor more than One
Thousaud Dcllass t$l,OOO), or be latprisoned
in jail not lea0 than three (8) months nor _
storethan si% (6) months, or both, Each *lo-:
latlon Of this Aot shall be a separate of-
iwlEB*~
House &Ill 700 ~ervt36out of the reeognined
busineso ofpublishin a nearpaper,magaxAn60~0th~
publloaticm a eeTtafh olass and pxohiblts thcso Ln
such olaae imm selling politloal at'ivertleingtomore
than ona candidate fcr any public office, leaving un-
abridged the right of the others within the general
olassifieatfonto do so+ The prohibitionagainst the
forbidden publicationfrom aeliine politioal advcartis-
izigllkewiae, of oouree, precludes the oandidatasfrar
purchasing suoh advertising,notwlthstandfngthwir
desire to do so. Xn other words, the aot deetroys fha
befcre ezisting right of the prohibitedpublication to
con';ractfor the sale of its advertising space and as
a nempssearyoorrelativedestroys the right of oandl-
datetito contract with the forbidden publioaticnfB
such advertisingspace.
A further anaigaie'oftheAOt reveal8 that ft
321
rzm. J. P. Brytmb pace 3
was not designedto, and could not Inherently protect,
the publia fkontanythinginlmloaltothe pub& health,
~morals,safety,orwelfare. no one mapserioualy main-
tain, petrticutilythe members ofthe LsSialoturewho.
emoted thislaw,'that under guise Of the police power,
the publia should ba proteotedtimreading politioal
advertteements. Or that political advertisementlua
newspaper09 less tAbanLB monthsinexistenae is harm-
ful to the peogle;,wiisreas;ina publication of more
than 18 months of:existence,it is not 804
Burthermore,H. B. 700 may not be deemed to
have been enaotedtoprotsot the oandidatefor offioe
themselves in any way;otwhioh the law may take oog-
niience, that aid not, prlortothe enactment of this
&v, exist under the absolute right of the oandidats
to oontraot for or refuse tooontraot for, the adver-
tising offarad by the partioularpubllaation.
ObvlOuSly,alSO,%hi8 l13WWeS not oa&;attlabd
to proteotthepublioationaffeoted) ratheritaurtails
and Limits their .frea arduntr&mmelsdright to sell a
typeat'oon&oditym0et luorativsto the pub-
pe.rtif33lar
lie&ion business.
braythe Aot, ther'efore,
be upheld under Sea.
19o$ &I%. loftha ConstitutionOfTexas, whloh reads!
970 oitizenof this state &.a11 be d6-
.privedof Ilfe, liberty, property, privi-
lages or immunities,~,or in any manner d%s-
franchised,except by the due course of law
of the.land;*
m-under Sco. 3 of Artiole 1 Of the Uonatitutionof Tex-
&is, whioh
maagl
*A11 free men, -:'nenthey fom a social
oapact, have equal rights and no man oraet
of men, is entitled to eXciuSiV* 00parat43
2ubli.oenolment, or privilac;ee, but in con-
e&derationof :mblia ssrvioes~*
or unEe!cSm. 1 of the 14th Amendment of the Constitu-
F
322
Ron. J. F. Dryan, pset,e
4
tion Of the Unit& St&tee, whioh reads:
“Allpersons born or naturalized l.ntha
United St&es, and aubjeotto the jurisdlo-
tion thcraol:,me oitizena of ths United
Staten end of the Stats wherein they resi%s.
RO stnt.eShall .mke or 2nfOrO8 any IaN whioh
shall r~brid+yz+
the privileSeror irmmltiea
or cith3s 0r the unitfdi statei3) GOT 6iku
any state Oepriva any person of life,,Uber-
ty, Or prOpeTty, WithOUt dua pcOO825 Or 1aW;
nor Cecy to any Fsrsoz within its juris%lo-
tfoa the equal protaotioa of the laws+*
Touohin6ths ~_uestion0r veXi% olreelrit3ation
and arbitrary disorlmination, i&s United 8Rntee5uproms
Court 2n the’oese of FROST V. CORFORATrTIOI6
OO:J&, S78 U.
3. 515, 522, emounce% them prinoipLleer
* * * * In either aasa; ths olaesSriaa-
tlon, in order to be atall%,‘must rest upon
some .goun% or %iirersnoehaving a fair an&
substmtial~relation to the ~objeatof the
legislation,so t.hetall parsons similarly
oiroumstancodshall be treated aliks** Roy-
ster Guano Co. v. Vir&xla,~ 253,U.S. 418,
4131 Ai.r~~~oy
1;orporat1.onV. DQ~, 266 U. 9.
71;55; Schlesingerv. Wisconsin 270 U. S,
830, 240. That is tc say, mere dlfferenos
fs not ano~ghr thd ~ttempteu olaeairiaation
*mmt almya rest upon some difrersnoewhich
beers a rensoneblo en% dust relation to tha
act Izzrsapect to whioS the olaesiriouti6n
is prcpooed, snd uan never be made arbitrari-
ly ~2~2vrithoutuny such b~is;* Qillr,Solar-
;@ 8: Santa I% Rye VI Elliott, 165 B.S. 158,
u . Lo’.:imillo Gr.e‘20”V. COl.esran, supra,
P* L-57
(277 u. s. 32).”
It WCS liiewise dechre% by theSupreme Court
323
Hon. J. P. Bryan, page S
relied a, osn only interferewhen it is nado
clearly to appesr thatian atteapted olnse-
ifioationhua no reasonablebasi5.h the ne-
ture of ths businessesoleasified,end that
the law operatee unequally upon aubjoats be-
tween ~hfah there is no real Ufierenoe to
justify the @operate treatment of them undsr-
taken by the Legfslature. Thie is th5 rule
in a?plytig both the &ate and Xedmxl, otm-
stitutlone,an% it hss bees 80 often Istate%
astO rander uuneoeasaryfurther di0ouseion
or it. * * * *
.In the aase of LCSSING T. KUGmS, 244 8.W,
556, 559, 560, the oourt vigorously dsno*moe% the ar-
bitrary exero$se of governmentalpower by tha &I&&S-
tulv in oreatinga purported alaasifiaationwith po-re-
tdonel bnsls thorefm. We quote as follwS irax thio
opinionL
* * * a W5 reaognfge the well-establiah-
ad prinalgle that in the exeraise of poliae
power th0 Legi8letureIaay.xakedistlnotton~
base% upon elassifioation,proviUed the eh86-
ifiaationreste upon R rational uirrer8nos
whioh neaeaaarilydietingulahesal3 those a$
partioular alaseea fsoa those of other olaeese.
Xtwever, it 25 vttal to tAe validity of smh
legislationthat such ratkonal baeie must QX-
WI. The Legisletu--e cannot by its arbitrary
riat oraati such elm3siiioatlon. xi in the
nature oi't::ingathere la 1~)rational dls-
tinotion up011ahiah it ia base% In reletion
to the subjeot-mvttorof the legislation an%
the pur,noseesought to be attained, then tha
law omnot survive!the ehellenge of the ait-
izen or olass or altlzana Ulsariminate%atqAsat+
Under such olroumtancee, a law whleh warks
the %pOliatiOn Or ths prop8rty Or oertah aft-
izens and subjeots them to an exercise oi’gw-
erumentelpeer whloh la purely arbitrary,
branding thelas% oriqfnals for comaitting~aots
which are lawful when oomltted by othe e
ve think, oleurly mu alt8g*thervithout
. bu;:’
.
A
324
Ron. J. 3'.Bmm, page 6
port in the theory that It affeota equally
and alike all the individualaof the alass
to which it pertains. Without indloatlng
any reason fox it, the Leglulaturaby the
provlsfons of this lau lta;goseeppsnaltiesard
re~trlotiOn8upon the property riBhts which
inhere in the cwnerahip and operatim ofeo+n-
maroial notor vshlolect,and exempts motor
vehlalea uaed In agrloulturalpursuitlrfrost
such penalties and restrlationa$and, equal-
ly without lndioatingany raeaen for it,,malam
orimlnalthe usa ot aartainVmotorvehioler .
fox ocnunaraialpurposes and, at the sametlme,
raakeslawful the use of the aenw vehioles’for
agrioulturalpurpoaee n on the @a&M road&
X0 reasan auggesta itse E to u6 as a justi-
iioaticrn-ofsuoh dd.sorlminatione.In these :,,.
respeota, as well EC)in othex yaapeotr sppar-
%nt at a ghme, th8 O%aers and UEIQTlOf OaoQ-
meroial motor vebiolee are made the viatizne
of eeprlal0usdiUoriIPinat.tiOn.*
*In the aasb Of EX PARTE DREIBZ.J3IS,103 pi.a.
(&I) 470 the GourtofGriaiki Ap?eeleofT%xar 8truOk
dOwn a o!t,yordinance aa being diaurj.~&neborjend M-
oonetitutlonalwhich requirad e lioenae fee Of all t6m-
porary merohante aod execqting all parsone who had been
engaged in oertaln designatedbueine8~1eetd a period
of am year ox mubb4 The aourt deolaredr
*An OrdlnenoewhFoh atteznpteto d&Otia-
&leh between parsons engaged in the e(uneor
like buelnaaaae,meraly on the basislof the
lan@h of time eaoh ie eneged in the buti-
ne)ss,is in oontraventionof seotlxms 9 and
19 of Artiole I of the Oonstitutlon.”
See ala0 thefoll~ing 0~11888 by the Court Of
OrirainalAppeals of Taxaa$
325
we rsgnrd It 8s 01-r that R. B. 900, In its
dlrorlnloatlon between ;tublleatlOn818 alaci~~ lagialatlon
and offend8 ngelnst the Quoted provlslon8 of the utcrteand
f8a0m c0mdtutih8. No lew mep, upon aon8iaeretlon8 6n-
aotod into ?f. E. 900, dsnr the ordinary rl&t or oontruot
88 Is done by this Aot. Raduoad to its ultlnmta eftsat
this otatute forbldm thors publication8 in tha srbltrarily
a08ignmd 01.~8 ima rpeU,lnft,polltiaalsdvertlsin~ to inor0
than oncroandldate; ~Wreaa, othar publiaatlon8 may me11
rush with lmmunlty, ratwlthatandlng the faot that all are
swiged ln the aanm buslnaas with the general pub110 and to
the ~~043ena, noaeiy, th8t of neping profit. It produo*
a alnasltioetlonwhloh 8ubjeot.none to a burden from whloh
tha other le rolleveed,and 18 eMally arblWary baoawo
baasd upon no real or rubrtantlal dlifermoss having ree8b~-
able reLetIon to the rubjaet dealt with by the iktutm. The
pub110 health, morala, safety or rnlfero is not Involved;
there lo lnvolvrd the unabridged right, under the oommo~ law
and In a free wuutry, of a oltlam to publlmh a newmpa~er,
magaelno or other publloatlonr, aa to sol1 a reoognlred eon-
aodlty ln aonacratlonthezxmlth, toeether with the oorroapond-
1% right 0r M Individual to purch~ae or retws rush 0rr0red
OoPe?scraity, Suoh right8 are unoonstitutlonslly invaded by
thl8 law.
a1oo point out that th18 8tatute le mbjeot to
P.ls
oOn8tltutloMl arltloirn, e8 a penal 8tatutos ~WILUO of the
lndetlnlteneee and unoartalntp of various of its terma. The
meaalng of the language nunle88 ruoh publloatlon shall hero
been published and dlstributad generally* lr la.alclng ln
deilnltlonand oertalnty. Llkewl8e, the meanirigof the lnn-
$ua#ytIn Saotlon S of the Act "ln the eveat that suoh eppll-
eatlon oen show ownershIp OS ltu physloal plant and that it8
advertisingrataa ara in poportion to the mount and kind
at 1La tlrculatlon* le f33drmi.t suroeptfble sr rarlow mean-
NV. It la wall rattlw3 that a panal offanee mu8t be alearly
defined by the statute aroatlng It othsrwlra, the 8tatute
aunt fall und6C tha roquironuite o4 the Donetftution.
HoraOver, H. D. 900 aylp not be oumtw&mdunder the
of rmwdom or the prsro.
(ronetltutlonal ~ucgrttnteea he de-
alarad by ths~ljkt0d statw
.~ suprafw Court In the aatie0r
OROS~AIO V. &di@Mr?luo
PRESS CO., EB9 9. 5. P33, the ?radoaklaLn-
ant purpose 0r ths grant 4r imnunltp la the bonstftutlbml
guaranty Of rra6dam of the p~a88, waasto:!preewva en untram-
326
nen. s. P. Bryan, page 8
meled pre84. "To allow lt to be t4ttsreU 1s to fetter our-
relre8.* In thir,ease, the United StsteseSupreaa Court
.struokdorm a rtatute of the State ot Laulrlan4 whioh under-
took to tax nempapen, p4riodfoal8,eragaaln48or other pub-
Lloationrrhnvlng a 0Lroulatlonof mor4 thnn tw4nty thoueana
ooplelrper week, 88 riolativ4 ol the due proo484 of law
olaure of the United State8 Oonrtitutlonbeoauea the rtatute
8bridged Iraldoa of the m-888, In oonaarntina; on this b&r-
latlre enaotment, Mr. Stmtioe 8uthorland. In deliverlag tha
OpidOa Of the 00Ur?~, 84idt
"The toFlPin whioh the t41 18 bEpO84d i8 in
itself 4U8piOiOU4. It i8 llOtncH8UT4d Or limitad
by the volume OS sdvertiraaent4. It ir measure8
alons by the extent of the olroulatlon or the pub-
li88tiOA ia whioh th4 abvartl84aents are ocrried,
with the lain urpo44 of penalizingthe publlmhen
aa ourtai! liag e h4 alrW.atlon or 4 aeleat44 ~rt+up
oi new8pap4r8.*
FMsdom of the p1-484~ guaranteed by the United Stator
oon8tittltionan4 b the oon8titution at T8x88, VOUOb88i48t8
eaoh and 4vvcry pubz lartlon of our land the right oi due pro-
4488 In any ola44lfl4ationlap44lng upon it r48tT8illt8 ln It8
OrdiMI7 0Oul.48 Of bUli~888. In abrld@.g the right8 4t thO88
pUblloatitm8In th4 d481@8td Oh88, B. B* PO0 otfenA8 agaln8t
the86 UOMtftUtiOMl 84f4gU4d4.
YOU 8f4, 8OtMtrdiZi&~~ r88p44tfUuY 8dPi88d that it
18 the oglnioa OS thir Departaent that HO B. 900 of the 46th
L4girlatm4, above 88t but, eontraren48 thr oon8tltut:on or
T8rar an4 of the United Btat48, sad is* theniore, unooa8t~ta-
tlonal and void.
A’lTORWUY cBMW,L OZf TBKAB
APPRQVED J-lJL6. 1940