Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Iionorabls hanala Q. Markls, Chalrr~on
cr:eeittce on Con6tibutlo&ull Alxendwntr
tath &~.aloturo
Austin. Tsrm
Deer I.%. Marklo:
our request im opI::lon r es 10114118:
UpGQ abar. , hss inotruotrd ma pinion on 8. J, R. lb. I em enolo8lng.
sirea to know whothor., lY a part our Coartltutlon, requlro bha consolidation o? an4 cbunty olerka Ia rll
dbtrfot 81 than 30,000 peraon#, or whotber ~36th the inaiviauai 00mie8. ,ptmm t be naor5sary lar thr Lo&8latun neblina ePfeat the aon- Aut to put into stltutional provl8,lon?
*In this sosneotion, tbs CWmittee OS116 your littcntlon to %o. 20 of i&t. 5 OS the Con8titution,
on the aubjoot of iiouatp end to 3ea. 9 of Clrrks, the mm8 brtiale, on the mbJe,ot oi Distrlat Clerks. :'e noto thet the lrttapr ~~eotloil doa* not oontain eraeption oaritdlnsa ia ttifi fornar, WI th mgrra
tQ OOlutti,e8 Of WW3ll ~O~Ul~tiOfi.” *2 Thr rcsolutloa saritlrned omsnds .%ctlon 20 o?
krtlalo V, c? tho Conotituticrn, ao 45 to reed as ?t;llowsr m%Otlon 20. Than shell be calacted ror eeab oounty, the quauriea voters, a oounty olerk,
who 4hsll hold h18 oftioe two earn’, who 8k411
bm olsrk oitha Bounty rnd cram%48 onem* i aowt8 ma reoorder o? t&4 aountf, who84 duties perqul-
sit04 ana r-4 or ori s&811 ba prr4oribea br
the trglslrture, 0na a voaonoy in whose 0rri00
rhall be ?lllOa by the 001PPi8410Dbr8' Oourt, until
the next eoaeral al*otlon ?or oou4t ana 4t4tr oi-
floarr: provlaaa, In oountlea L vlng 9 pops- that 0r 1let38 th- tm44*a
tm thirty (30,000) p~40fi4, to k detormlnea st rng the 184t preoedlng tlm by or a Federal oen4u8, thbre sly k 80 ale4tlon
4inglle olork, uho shall pU?Orm the duti48 o? Din-
trlot tuba County Clorkm.*
%tatlon 20 o? Artlols V of th6 "tata Constltutlon, as It now rxlsts, la on ?oll4w4r ?or uah ao&mty, bl 4h811 b4 &8oted *‘lhere
th0 gU8iifi~a VQtU4. II OOUUtY OiUk, Who 4h4ii
ho14 t?i4 Orrio r0r tu0 yoera, who 4hal.l b4 the
olork o? the oounty oamml4#lorAu4* oourto end
rooortlu of the oount$, u&one dutlrs, porqul8ltar
saa re64 or orriae shall b0 prosorlbd lo~i~l~two, end 4 veaona~ in rho40 o??tfoe a*11 by tibrr
bs ~.fUlcd by the ooti841ts&er8* OOU?~, th4
next gencrrel elooticn ror oo4z~t7 and 8tok orrioer4;
provided, in oounti44 troving popuhtloo or that ba en aleotion ietw than 6,000 percPo::r, tbsre may of a single alrrk, wbo @hall par'tom thci dutle8
G? dl8triat and acunty ale**.* 0r oonatl tution 1s a raroglng m3 pmmimioa
pert or Comstltutlon 1876 a@ ho8 not Baea 8mendad. The
Ron. Doneld Lf. Uerkle, paga 3
4e.74 ie tri.4 OS ':satlcn 9 , !wtlole V,of the ftete Conatitu- '4ction 9, Art1414 v, of tha
eon. State Conatltutlan 88
it now &late, providea:
*There ate11 be a olork the dlatrlot oourt of eaoh c ounty, who 8ha 1 1 k l laotttd by th e queli- ,voterr oi the atatb and ocmntg oftioera, who
fled
ahell hold hfa otfloo ior two yeera, 8ubJeot k, re-
moval by infonmtion, by innblotamnt of thy #and
Jury, and oonvlotiou by 0 p&It Jury. In oaae of
vrroenoy, tbr Judge Of the 418triOt ah011 have court the pomr to appoint dlork, *ho uhall hold until
the oiiioo oen be ill104 by l leotion. *
Art&ales 189&, 1903, 1935, Vsmonsa &mutated prevlde a8 iollowa~ Civil Stetutea, . 189b. The crlerk of the blatriot aour o? *.Art
l aoh oounty ahell be 01eo~4 et eaoh gOrural eleotlon
for e tars! o? 2 yeara. Blob auoh alerk aball hero
powor to edmial8t~r oaths sad atfinn irauwme required the dlroharge Or their OfilOIal Uutiea, $0 take tb
bepoaition8 of wItneeao8, 4nU gaturally to p~rforsl all
rruah Uutloa aa em or met be irap upon hla by law.
“Art. 1903. Xn oountlea harIng a populetloa oi than 8,000 peracm, leas aooordiag the preaOdir?g to Federal Conaua, OZQJ one clerk a&e11 ba eIooto4. Re t.be bun4 requirra of
*haSi teka oath an4 glvr end county court*, em4
olerka of both the Ulstrlot
shell have the porora en4 parform the 4utImr of awh
olorka r(lapeotlvely.w k 014rk or th0 43arnty 0Olirt 0r l a0h
*Art. 1935. muntr aha11 be leotsd at l Ooh general l leotlon ror
a term or two yeera. Xaoh auo)? clerk ahe bo cut hor- to adainiater
Iacd to issue all mrrirge LIalill~eS, oaths and rffirmationa, take erri4mlta On4 en4 to he use4 88 protic depoaItIon8 law In any of 0abrta.*
The s&y matsrlal ohange the propoaad amendment makea ir ‘eotloa 20 ir thet It raiaw8 llmlt OY the population
Hon. Ikaald 1. Markle, page 4
or those oountlea In whloh %here may be an l leotlon of a to a1eaa than
single clerk” rrau *leas then 8,000 persOnam
30,000 pera0na.~
Artlole 1158, Revised Statutes of lq9, provided: of leas than “Qi eountiea haviag l population IS.000 persona, ohly one elork shall be eleete4,who
ahall take the oath an4 bond required of elerka of oounty eourta
both aZ the 4latrlot an4 rho ahal&
have the. powara ad perfern all the duties of au& alerka roapeetivelg.w
The provIaIcma ab said Artlolo have ken brought tor- the amae ~lengumge In a11 mbaeqa*nt re- war4 In l abatantlally TJie pnaonb 1903,
rlafona of the statutes. Is Artiole statute
quote4 above.
B y th e l ~otmant of Ad&. llSg, short r the tire d Oonatitutlon ml adopted, the 18gfalature eon#trueU’the;,. onatl- gemI aIon wader eoMid4rBtiOa not l 4lf-auou$l.i&. tutlonal guoh
has been the eonatruotlon of a11 leglalaturea whloh hare oon-
~,ened alnoe 1879 for the statute has not been materially e’hmged. stated’ In Texas furIrpru4rnoe, Vol. 9, pega 423:
It While e oonatltutI0~ la tamally a me19 deolrretlon of 0rganIe an4 tuadamental law, In au* of prlnoiplra proriaion my be ortab- that a oonatltutlonrl
raahion forae or l otivity lIahe4, an4 yet remain wIthoist
the 'adoption cb l~gislatlon whiuh sarrlea it into ei- ft Is entirely wItbIn
ieat, yet poarra ot wople
adopt provIsiona whleh are ~aelf-ex~outlngl whloh
are operative wIthout legl@LatIon.
*A oonatltutlonal provlaion may be aaI4 to k. #elf- ir It supplies m44n4 or exaoutlpl e auifieient rule a right given mey be enjoy04 end proteeteb m a
tiloh imposed way be nfcxee4; duty It la not aelWexeeuting
where It merely indiaate a prinoiple, without ley%ng
down eagr rules by mama of whIuh the prInolple may b4 A provision wbiob dedlarea
given the fores of law.
thet *eaoh shore holder . . . . ahell be paraamlly
liable all the debts of woh 4orporst4 body . ...* ror I* *elf-oreouting. gut a oonatItutIoaa1 Inhibition *5 ,..A,
8t Ron. Donald Y. garkls, Peg6 5
against usury condemning *sll 00ntreot.s ror a
greater ret4 of Interset than ten psr oentum
p4r annum’ aa uaurloua, Is self-exeoutlng only
to the extent of rendering usurious oontraota
Illegal. The power end duty of fixing penal-
ties vlai~on ior vIolatIona of the oonetitutlonal to the pro-
is delegeted legialeture.a Art4r oarefully oonaIderIng the toregoing proposed amendment to S4otIon SO, Art1016 V, at the State Constitution,
It our oplnlon that said provlaI0n la not eelt-ex4outIng
in that It merely IadIoat4a the principle, without leying down
any foroe of law. The proposed emendment la e mere dealan-
tlon of prlnolples of orgenlo end fundementel law end remeina
without foroe or aotlvity the edo tion of leg5aletion into 0rr40t. st4t4a d iterontly, whloh oarrlee it It 58 our
opinion that In the event propoard ammdment to raid e part of UonatItut5an,
SgetIon,zO la adopted en4 boo-8 otITe, that before said provlalon b&owes ot iOr It
would be necessary for legialeture to enact proper legIa- k, oarry said provIaIon Into eiieot.
latlon (See Corpus Jurla tiger 100-110 and authorities
Seoundum, Vol. 16, oited therein).
??a believe t&et-th6 foregoing statement disposer 0f both
qu4atIona under oona5deratlon.
Xoura vefy truly, ATTOBaBYOEiTlZRAL OP TFZAS