OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTlN
on the.quastion
this offlea.
lr of tha bard
unty hospital.*
man eoraisslanerl3oourt shall haTe
the
loquirod a rite for swh hospital and ahall
bake awarded OontrMt8 iOr the neoersar~ build-
Lags and lmpro?amsntrthereon, it ebnllappoint
six realdent property taxpaying oitlzens af the
Eoa:BJa ?. oolmmn, Jr., Pagm 8
eouutywho r&l1 eoaetltutm8 board of m-
g0r6 0s 66id ht76pitti. m0 kmor orrio
o r laoh aabu al said boarb 6hall be two
JJJrJ, UJept #at ln ykim# ths flrrt 8ppolJt-
aat8 dter thlr Act taka offoot three ma-
bare ahall be appointad for one you end three
rembua for tm mm6 Jo that tharoattuthrea
mea&err of said board wl3.l be appointed nary
two ;Jenre. In aase of a tie rote OS said board
the ,deadlook my ba rotod off on. way or the
othir by the oounty judg6 of the oounty. Ap-
pointmoats to illlraoaaele8 ocourrlng by
death, roa~atlon or othu oause 6h~ll be
made for the unexpired term. FallUlv OS any
nagor to attend three oonwoutlve meetings
of the board shall oauae a saoanay in his oftloe,
UJhJJJ said abwnoe i8 6ZOtlJ.d by form1 aotion
oi the board of 8ma6ar6. Th6Mnag.rJ Jhall
roosito no oap6666tlom for their 66rrloe6,
but 6hallbaall~odthelr6atual andnamssa~
'.traveling and othu expenses wlthln thlr State
to bo auditod aad paid by th6 ~orPiarionJr~*
in the sams maa#r as other erpeIure6of
!!F l horpltal. Any v titer kln43 olted
ry at e8y tl88 ?or Oman0%e roaovod tror off100
by aaId wurt.-
&tlJle 4430, Rorl6& Clril Statutes, reads a6
tollarnt
“%I. b o a r odr 8a a a g aJha
r J ll
llestr r a
uoae it6 maber6 6 pmJldJnt, Jad on. or.806%
rlo6-pm6ldwktr urda uontary and 6 treasurer.
It shall appoint a rupuintenbnt of tha hospl-
tal uho &all hold offl~~mt the plaaJur, of
reld board. Said 8up6rfntsadant 6hall zmtb6
a member of the board and shall be a qual3lsd
praotltlozmr of redlo&, or be 8poolally trained
forwork of 6oohoharaotJr.
+he board ahall ala0 appoint a etaff of
<lng ph@elanr who shall 8-e rlthout paf
frcllr
the aounty, ad who aball ridt and treat
hospital patlonte at tha repmet lithu of the
nanager8 or at the superintendark.
Eon. Ta P. Colman, Jr.. M S
%aIdboard &all?lxtha lalarlu o?
the superintendmat and all other o??Ieu~
aad WAplO~J dthb thS 1iMit d the Jppl’Q-
prlatlon rado thenfor by the oLa6fonen
oourt and luoh 6alarIsJ shall be a~pensa-
tion 111?ull for all JUViOeJ rendor.6. ml.
board shall dotoral- the amount of timr, re-
qulred to be sp6nt at the hospital by said
superintendent in the dlaoharge of his dutiaa.
ma board J&All halO tha gamml ana&aent
and control o? the said hoa Ital. grounds,
bUIlding6, OffIJJrJ and np Popea thereof?
of the inmates therein, and ot d.l matters
relatlw to the govennent, dIJoipllne, eon-
traots ard ?iJOa 6on6erna th6r6of: uxd mk~
Juoh rule8 and re@atio&J a6 may -4461tothsm
ILbJJJJJTJ iOr JJrrybg OUt the PlQoJeJ o?
Juoh hospital. may JhJu Mint8iIl ~8 J??Jo-
tire inepeotion o? said hoJplta1 and kew
theawelres Informed o? the attalrs and Jwage-
ment tharoo?; shall meet at ths hospital at
ledat onae In every month, and at Juoh other
times am mar be pr66otib6d in the by-laws;
and 6hall hold an annual meeting at least
thrw WOOkJ prior to the metlw o? the 0-0
6d.ssiorwr6 wurt at which approprlat ions r0r
the onsuing year are to be oonslde~d.a
Artlal642M amd 4SS'of the Penal Code road a6
?ollouJ:
-Art. 468. 100 of? low’ of thi6 Ftate or
any offloer of any distriat, aountp, oity pro-
olnot, J&ho01 dlatrlot, or other mualolpai Sub-
d1r16106'0~ thl8 St&J, or my offlou or member
o? any stat@, dlstrlet, octnty, oitr, sohool
dlstrlot or other munlalpal board, or judge of
any oourt, onatad by or under authority of any
gemxd or rpooiml &w O?.t’hiJ &ate, or UrJ
member oftho tegishttWa, Jhan appoint, or
rote for, or oon?Irm the appointment to any
o??loe, position olerkship, anployment or duty,
of any person rmi at6d within the eeoond degrao
by affinity or within the third degree by
ma. Tom?.colr* Pa@4
o o mmg u lnltf
to th e
person 60
lp p o lmtlng
or
o r to a ny0th ~raber
so vo ting, 0s a nyluoh
board, the Lsfrlalatur8,or court & whloh suoh
peraon 60 appointlag or voting rry be a maw
ber, when t lm salary, few or oompansatlon of
suoh appoiatea 16 to ba paid for, dlreatly or
~lndlraotly, out or or rropl pub110 Bunds or ?beJ
of offloe of any kind or oharaoter whatsower.w
‘Art. us. Tha lnhlbltlons set forth In
thir law rhall apply to and lnolude the Oovemor,
Lieutenant 0ovunor, Speaker 0s the House 0s
RepreJontJtireJ, Railroad Camatsalonere, h d
0s deppnrWenta of the Stntm government, jua0 6
andraberr ti any6ndallBoard6 uid oourt6
e6t6blI6hed br or rrad~r the authorlt7 of lw
goner61 or 6pealel~law of this atate, m-box-a
of the bgiJktuXw, mayors, Owmiasionera,
roaordan, aldamon and mmbbrS Of Johoo& board6
o? Incorporated olties and tam6, pub110 ahhool
twtsos, oftloua and Habers of board9of mma-
ger6.d the State Unirer6lty and of Its 66renl
branahoa 6nd of the rarIous Stat0 eduaatlmal
inatltutlolu~6M 0s the varioti Stat0 81~08~
hJtitUtioll6, and of the pbaikntiariaa. 'Thir
anumemtlon shall not bo held to exolude ?rom the
OpbtiOb Mb OffOOt Of thi 6 h Uv pWJOn in-
hldd Within it6 @llJl-Ihl p~OliJiOllJ.w
'II.quota from ‘hXJ6 Jurlmprudenoo, Vol. 10,
pa&e lCll'86follasr
lContnotr oalaulated to de8tx-O~ or
lntufua with the free axuolae of the
dlsontlon required to be enrolaed br pub-
110 offlaera In the performmoe of their
duties are an intorferenoe with the a&In-
lstratlon 0s government, and hanoe aontmcf
to pub110 pollay.... Contraat whloh glra
a pub110 o?floor a parso& Interoat in the
o??laIal aats to be done by him are contrary
to publlo polloy and void."
.
Bog. To8?.columa,Pa&a s
ThiJ 4mrhJat hol& in aonforrnaa opinion Ho.
lS74, book 80, paga UI, that:
lA ooatraet for th6 ulr 3 J~pli@J
toa JtJtO mnvlsahoolmade (:ya oorpora-
tlon, the praa *at 884 (16noti mnn6pr 0s
whloh I8 prad adent or the atato nonal aahool
Edr&;g PJ@JJ~J is contrary to pub110 polloy
.
*8tJttiJJ pmhIbIt%ag oftioialr troy
Jontntraotlng oa babul? Of the state with t&am-
selves are deolarstory 0s the aaamon law.
Yhot a member of an o??Iolal board did
not aast hi6 vote Ia favor 0s lettiw the
ooatraot to a aorporatioa in rhloh a Jtoak-
holder would not rallsva tha transaotlon trim
the operation of the rule."
The reports abound In Jam6 baasd upon statutes
prohibit- offioiais baooalng interested In OOLbttaotJo?
the ate. Statutar of this olnu-aotar howret, are nothing
more than the adoption of the oamoa iaw ruli to the offeat
that ea. eamlot in hi6 orrioiai aamolty daalwlth hlmsalf
a6 an IadIrIdual. Sea tha oaso 0s Smith 16. hlbuay, 81 RI
a, diJOUJ6ing thf6 -0.
In the aas0 o? the City 0s ?ort Wayna vs. Rosoathal,
73 Ind. ll50,It wq6 hold that an eaploymont'bya board at
health or om or Ita maabus to raoolnate pupils in a puUlosohoo1
was void. '&a wurt Jaidr
-As agad, ho oannot oontrast with him&l?
PzsOgUr. Ha mot buy what ho Is -ployJd
. I? aployad to proow a s6n4&0 to bo
dam, ha 6armot hire hirs6l? to do lt. ‘!!hiJ doa-
-trlno 16 galpsclallylppllaablo to prlrate lg sntu
snd tl=UBtOJJ; but tb6publlo oitio6r6 it 8pplle6
with graatar r0r00, and 60rmd pollay raqulrar
that thera be m mluatloa 0s it6 strlnuenoy
in any aaao whloh Joma within it6 maJon.a
I+. ?a P'.colu, Jr., Pa(E 0
xath use 0rUaM' n.Pmsll, 108 In&
p3,-tbf oour) In ho!dly void a eontraot bstweon the
- -.
ware or aounry oc6uss~0~r6 ana ona u mm ~wus,
Slid:
'%a law rrin not pomitpub110 JJT-
rants to plaos thsmsslves in a Jitaatiall
whers t&y ~7 be t-ted to do wron& and
thi6 it 8oOOmp~iJhhr8 by hold- ti1 JWh
6aployasnt8, whether mda dlnatly or in-
dlreJtly, utterly rold4w
Uo’quote fra the aaw of dhoney VS. Unroe,
lad Ind. 550, as Sollama
*It 16 mll JJtabllshsd asd Jalatary
dootrlna....that ha who i6 sntru6t.d with
the buslassm o? othora aannot bo allosad
to m&o mah businemaa objoot o? peounlary
pwit t0 hb~a. ThiJ lUb dOJ6 not de-
pond on raawrnlng toohnloal lo its oharaotsr,
and It 16 sot looal In Its l pplloatlon. It
16 baJd 011. priIlUipli6Of I%%JOn, Of MI'dity,
aad 0s publla pollo7. It ha6 it6 fOUUdati0ih
ia the 10~~ JOBIJtibItiOFA Of OUT EJtU?J, ?Or
lt has authorItatlvolybasodsslardthata
Ban OlUlUOt 66-O tW0 RlJtm6, ad i6 IrOt@-
alaed and eaforaod whanovsr a mll regulated
aystr 0s jurlapru6amJ prevails.*
The Suprae Court 0s Texas Umueaetd tha ruu
in willi VS. Abbey, m TJX. w)& Wying:
“p-0 PO1107 FJqUi?JJ that the O??i-
oera ohasan to looata and JPrrJ7 the pub110
lands should not be psmittsd to swoulats
In them, or to aoqulre lnterart in them,
whloh would present to auoh o??loer the fomp-
tatlca to take adwant- a? the lnronmtlon
whloh their posltlom lx k a b#am
ls
to lo q ulrtoo , strlmant o? the holdus
of
.
,
Ban. 'Ibrt. Colrra, Jr., -8.7
C7e. 4e8 aa r0iw6t
,A people oan have no hlghor pub110 in-
tera8t;exoept the pnaonatlon e their ll-
beTtIas, than Integrity Fa tha ldwlnlstmtlo n
Of tholr ~verxmont I6 all it6 dJpmtmnt6.
1t is therefore a prlnoIpU o? the ooramonlaw
that It will not lend Its aid to enforce a
oontraot to do an aot Which tmds to oorrupt
or oontamlnate, by Improper and slnI6ter
In?lwmaa, the Integrity of our soolal or
politlaal lnstItutIon8. Pub110 otfloers should
aot tra high sonslderatlon Of pub110 duty amd
every lgrsemnt whose tendanoy or'objeot 16
to sully the purity or tielead the Judgment
of those to wti the higher trust 16 oonflded
Is oondomned by the oourts. The o??ioer rmy
be an exeoutlre admlnI8tratIre,'lagIslat$va
or judlalal officer. The prfnolpld Is the
8amo in lltlur 0ae.e..
In view p? the r0rsgbing authoritIeJ, you are
r&peot?ully a&vie&d that It 16 the opinion of this di-
partaentthattha boardo? ma M Of 8 OOlUltf hOJpitti
would w rlolats the wpotI@mT m OS the 8tat6 by a--
lng a oontmot for the hospital lsundry work to a laundry
whonono cfthoamra of the l~uadryl~ a dootor and
a member a? the botm of unagor8 of the aounty hospital.
Youan ?urthorrdvlmd that suoha oontraat wouidbo
oontrary to publlo polIay amd void.
Trustingthatthe rorogofiy an8wers your laquiry,
we rentala
?ery truly yours
Ardell William8
APPROVXD JUL 6, 1939