Case Information

*1 I , . 714 c, OFFICE OF THE All-ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS

AUSTIN

~01~Lable N, a. 3aney

Dlstrlct Attorney

aox 778

Center, Tarae

ty Chapter Chalr- cnn i-ted cross.

om this department hapter Chairman OS edCross. Iam iatriot Attorney. apaoltle8, in view torney General?* be aooo&ed as a oorreot horitp of The ~~eri0~ pprored by Ron. Norman R.

on and Authority.-The Ameriaan 1s ohar tered under the aot o? Con- ary 5, 1905 (33 Stat. 599; 38 D.j.C.l), ot appoved irebruary 27, 1917 (39 Stat. *Purpo3e.- The pur osea of The American

:<atlonal ,7ed cross are to furn sh volUIkteer aid to P the sick and wounded of amiss Fn tine of war, to pertarm all duelas rith whloh the national soofety of eaoh nation *2 ii. B. Bailey, page B Tonorable

socedlnq to tie Treaty of Seneva 13 o?.areel, to sot in matters of voluntary relief, azd to serve, ln aocord aith mllltary aad naval authorltleo, aa a medium of oomnunloatlon between the ~eo;le of the iinlted ;tat.ss and their Amp nr:d Xavy. it 1s furt!mr charged alth Frorlding eyrtm of national and inter- relief to mitigate the suffering national oauJed by pestilence, farr.lr.e, fire, flood, e?d other :ro=t mtlonal colamltles, azd t.'? dcol3e .masures for their prevention.

vOrganlzation.- The 1acor;orstors do ers npzed la the Act of f&oorporatlon, ar.d their successors, con3 t: tut a a psrwaaant body. Y:ey elect elx aexbers of t\-e Central Co,x9ittee azd t:le z.e.;b&r'Y or the aoard of Trutew of 23 Xudownent Yund,

Yhe officers are a zrsoident (0s iresident

0C +,he ';nit>! .;tstea is prcsidcnt uyo~hl3 ~aooeptauce or t!~ 0::losj 2nd Ue foll.oninr: eleotive oriicers: three vice ~re3idents, a counselor, a treasurer, aad a socr~t3zy, all of W!IOX are sleoted by the Central Coimittee. The oixlman of the Cmtral Co.mxlttee 1s FQpOiuted by the 3esident of ttz 5tatea. Tte ‘Jnltod vice chairmen are appointed by Me Central Comlttce.

aThe Central Committee ocn;liste of 10 mmbera,

6 a?psiatad by the Trealdent of t:se YnlteC Statea, 6 cleatad by the incorporators, aad 6 eleoted by the delegate8 oi the chaptera. iileoted i.:ezbbers serve for 3 pears, The Congremional Charter ve3tr in the Central Conmittee the entire control, nanogewmt, a;ld a&lni3- tratlon of the affair8 of The Pzerloa:l Xatlonal Zed Cr 098. The Central Comnlttsa appoints a 9-raezbar erecu- tlve coamlttse, 3 members of uhloh oonstitute 'a quorm. The seoutive Conxalttee map exdrofse all poxera of the Central Comittee when ttRt body 13 not in ses3ion. One cbair,-.an serves both co mlttees and, under the adrlas end dlrectlon of Central Corrmfttee, 13 exeoutive head Gnder %3 etalrnan Bpe 4 rloa chalr- of t;le corporotlon. Zen, in aharge of doreestio oparetlow, rlnaaoe, iarnlar OperatlOW, and t!:e Zunlor Red Cross. and forei.

.

:-onorablo X. B. Bailey, pa?e 3

*The ohapter, usually coverin? a single county, I3 the looal unit of t!:e :?ed Croa3 and Is responsible tor all Red Cross aotlvltles and servioea within Ita aubjeot to the policies a?3 regulations of territory, the natl;.aal or~anIzatlon,* (V. .2.Govcrn.zent Kanual, ?a11 1942, bureau of i’ubllo InquIrIea of tLe Office of .:ar Iniornatlon, page 358)

It3 rarrlunz aotIvltIe3, wIt9out CoInC Into detail under each head , may be grouped as follow3r Tlr3t, aervioe to armed foroea; seoond, olrlllan war aid; third, disaster rellei; fourth, blood donor service; birth, nurslne sarrloe; sixth, nutrition; seventh, first ald, vater- safety axI ocoident prevention; cICSth, volunteer 3pecIal service; ninth, linerloan Junior Zcd Cross; snd tenth, inter- national Zed Cross.

%a FerthIent prOvi3iOn of our ConStitUtim neoeauary for us to bonslder fin an;irerlnC your -quustIon la JoOtios 33 or Artiole xvi, read131 as rollowa:

Vhe aooountIn:: officers oi tAl3 State shall naltber draw nor gay s rarrgnt upon the treasury In favor o,f any p8r30n, for salary or oon.pensstlon as agent, orfloc,r or appointee, a:10 hold3 at the same tine soy other o:iIoe or posltlon of honor, trust or profit, under thi3 itate or t:le :Jnitedtea, except, . . .* ( %Qhaais ours)

.3imply 3tsted, tha que3tIon 13: Is the ohalrnan-

aLip of the looal ohaptor of The &erIoan iTatione1 ;Ied Cross an 0rrI0e or ~o3Itlon of &ni, trust or 2rofI.t under the United itates? Zor the rea3on3 iter fclly 3et out we think the snarer Is In the neQstIve.

It 13 true that Che .Lqerlcan Xatlonal Red Cross lo by the terms of its Congressional Charter subjoot to 3ome quasi-governmental (Federal) aupurvI3lon In that 1 te eocounts are audited by tile ‘Tar De;art.!ent; the Central Comlttee, In which la rested antlre control of its affaira under Its charter, rake3 an annual report to tke Congress of the Unl ted Gtatea.

Flowever, t’-~ls by no -Icans oon3tltute3 the ohalrman 0: a local ohapter an offloer or holder of a $osItlon under tA8 Unlited Theoan Xaticnal ked Cross- la, as noted above, ;tntca.

supported by voluntary coal trlbutions, Its fund3 are not

Fionorable 2. 9. BallOY, paSo 4

deposited In the United .;tatea Tremury, but In deposltorles asleoted by the Contra1 Committee - the exoluslve governin:!

bodr, dlrbursed sraluslvoly by oirlolals of the oorporrtlon, and not by any ofilolal of the United 5tates or by virtue of the Conereae of the Vnitad Xatas,

of any law or direotlon Its paid employeaa are raid by the oorporaticn, not by the United Jtatsai they are not subjeot to 01~11 service; and are not responeiblr to any ofilolal of the Gnlted itatar.

“‘0 will not take tke to consider xhsther or not the loos1 ohalrmanshlp of a ohapter of The Amerioan Xatlonal !led cross is an orrio or poaltlon. .Ye will assume, aithout waoludlnq, that it is an oriloe or ;:osItlon, and oonoede, without arpant, Cat it It is an offloe or coal- tlon, It la one of honor or trust. In no event Is It one or profit, hen08 this thought I3 d13mlasad to ?xve It out 0r th3 amy. L3ut la such chalrman3hlp an ortlce or position under t,4e United Xates I3 #a purview of the zcmlng 0r~ ~~~ t2st term as xwd in t%i above r,rovi3Ion 0: our Constitution?

Unls~s It 13 azi orfloe or position of honor cr trls t ucder %e United Antes, suoh ohalrman of a local chapter -may at the 3ame tl.,ne draw his ealary as dlatrlot attorney for the obvkua reason that t!ie Comptroller i3 only rorbldden to issue ZIJ %arrmt in ease he holds at tbc 3ane tlm an office or ;osi:Ion of honor, trull:, or profit under th3 !;nItod .itatos,

This brIn:-s us to consider zore 1.1 detail xkat 1~ an office or goAtIon under the G‘nited As&s. .;e do not deem lt neoassary So-aaalizo i.ho ime distinction that =aY 3ometlm8.3 exist bet-on an orrloe and a poaltlon. The orrloa or position must be under f>e expreer lanwge of the Coastltu- tlon under the United -;tatea in order to oonatltate a dlsquall- ricatlon from at the dame time raoslvlng hi; salary from the ;tate as a Xate crri00r, In your ease that of Xstrlot Lttornep.

In othirr words, rbaterer si&Si~an&. ghould be attaohed to the term *posltioa*, as dietln.:ulshed Crola “ofrice”, as used In our Constitution, is not naterlal unless by force ol thr dIatinotIon~ that one Is under tho United States and the other Is not. The plain-language of the Constitution yreol*Jdes tF& conatruotion.

As used In our Constitution, *office under the Unltcd :;tatcs* aaans that tht holder thereof must exerolse som ;overn,rental fun0 tlon, be the depsltory of soae soverolgnty of th3 United Statoa (redoral Covernr;ent) berore It rises to tta dignity of an *offloe” under United states. Thara r.u;lt *5 Yonoreble x. a. zvilley, pace

be deleteted to the perixon holdlne auo'r VVofflce* aoze of the soverelg funotlons of the Unit& .itatea "nvmment.

There are sevrrel perJuaslYe, thow:h not concluSlva,

oharaoteristlea of 2lmt con&itutes a pbllo oftloo;

or to expew it in another way, ivhat ccnatltUte3 holdlnz

Woffioa under tke i:nitsd States*, ;a ::ontim a fear znure and duration, oath of offloe, offloial bond, eto. But ;ae lndla~onaable c>xmactrriatlo, eo the oases hsre- g;T;y;oted affirn, la that the dutlea Forforzmd a.hall

tko exoroiac or 3ovorelgi po:cer, w%tAer geat or mall. Our 0-m iqrone Court, In a conpcratlvel~

oarly oam, KLbrou::h 7, 2arnett, 93 Texas 301, 55 3. ?.

120, a;~uote4 wit> ap:~rovOl Yeohm on Pub110 Otfloer3, aa ro11or3:

"A pubXo offloe 1s the rlFbt, euthorlty, and daty orcat8.l and conferred by law, by &ioh, for a ;lvan pcrlod, eithr fixed by law or endtiring at the pleasure of tko orostiq Cower, an ln4lvldual is

lnv?sted :rit\ sona portton of t'~e JovereirJn Cunotions nf x33 ~ovmxmnf, to be exarolsed by hLz for Gi:a

bonefit of cbc p!lblia."

In t% oaae of Garrett 7. C3mS~3loner3 Court of Iineatae County, 230 -5, 2. 1013, by tha ?alloe Co*zrt of Civil Appeals, ie find;

"58 tor2 ~of?loe~ lz.rl133 a ~is:e~.stio~ ot a portion of t::r, 2ovaxl~m Forar to, xl:! >03303310-. of, it by fh per.:on :lllln,~ t.Le orfice; a public office balc;s'an azeacy for t:e ata:e, an4 t2.a person whore duty It 1s to perform agenoy bekg pub110 OffiOW.

i?ze tam ezbraoes tke idea of tenure, duratloc, eaolu- nont and duties, and >as reapJot to a peramont pblic trust .to be exercised in behalf al ~~vernceat, and not to a mrely tracslact, oooaelonal or lr;ofden+~l enploy- 2lcnt. Ia pram in the service of tta ~overnmfit who derives his Leeltion $'rorz a duly am3 lesallp aut!!orlxed election a~~.olnL-.ent, &oae Autlos are continuous in fiat nature ard deflaed by rulea proscribed by govern- .nant, am cot by contrJOt, oi the ererol3e oo3eietiz?

or Iqortmt gubllo porars t.rmts, or dLtla3, a.e a part of :he re:;ul:ir adi2inistratJon of .qovorcramit, t::e place ro-=.akitnJi:, tho:l*a the lnombent dies or a.13 tha Zutlea 1~ o?.ani:ed, evary orfi00 in t!:o oonstltutlonal neanln2 02 the torn'iqlyln~ BLI authority to exerol3e sota por- tlm of %a 3ovarai.m powor, either in inakin&, executing or adoln*~terln~ the lam. * r.eohas on iubllo tfrlcers, 0 l-9."

:oiorable ;J, 3, Bailey, page 6

A ir:r cas*s iron otl;er jurlsdlotlons are noted. Lat oon3titutar an ‘ofI’loa* or *po~3ltloa” under the r;tate or ibited Sates has -any t121e3 been before our oourte. In tke oa38 of United .jtatej V. David tiouat, ‘J. ‘3, 465, 463, she Xpreae Cowt of the United ;tatea,by 21 I. 3.

Ju3tioe Aller, said: to constitute pmson an

*;hat 13 neoessery officer of tii United jtatza, in any of the varloue bran&as of its aervloe, has boon verv fully considered by t!:la oourt 13 United .jtatas v, Germaine, 99 YJ. 3. 508.

In that oasa it *as distinctly pointed out that, under t’:e Co,astitution ot’ 5ho United ;tatas, all lt3 offloers ?;ere appointad by t:-,a Trejident, by n-id :rith ;he consent of the Tenato, by a court of lnw, or the head of a derartaent ; and the heade of the departzenta were defined in that opinion tc be what are :io’J oalled t:l.e rtexbera of the cabinet. Unlcas a sarson ~ln t?!e 3ervlce of the Coverzmnt, therefore, holds ‘213 place by virtue of an appolnt:.:eot by t:?a Zroaiden?,, or of orle of t&o courts of ju3tlca or heads of de:sart?lenta au:horizad by law to nske 3~oh an ac;oln%ment, !le 1s sot, strict17 ~peokltq, an officer of tha rlnited States.*

In an early ca3e, ‘reople er rel Attorney General

v, Leonard, 14 r . 6521, t?..o -kprere court of California had oocasioa under t;:e facta of that oa3e to oon.sider what conatl- tutos an ofilce under the United SxGes. :“:?c Comtitutlon of Cailfornln ha3 in it %e r0n0-ffin~ crovislcna

*30 perron holding any Iucrstive ottloo under the ?Xlted ;tatzs, or an:: other poT.%m, ahall be ellglble to any olvil office of profit under tls 3ta:e: provided t::at officers in t!:e fxilitla, ~20 raocive 50 annusl 3aIary, local feriOer3, or postzmaters tiose oompcn;a- clan does not exceed .>SOO per annum, a>~$1 not bo deened b hold lucrative ofrloes.ti

The oourt aaid:

The nords ‘luoratlve 0fri0t9, v 88 used in tat aeot~&i’ ierer solely to the 0rriOe *unCer the - the ted~eral ottlae, . . .- (EmPha3le United ,;tate&’ supplied 1

iSor.orable 3. 3. aamy, pa30 7

.

In other ::ords the office mder the United -JtaL=es is t!:u Federal orriae.

T?.e Gupoae Cowt of “lscoxaln had a case ‘5-e eons ider quite in pokt: In T.8 Doets ‘Zstate. In Z3e ~.heeler. :Lellory, as iublic Adntr. v. :,??eeler, 13s N. ‘7. 97, in ahlch appllaation was nade by t?.o Iublia EItinfstrator the estate oi John Doe (alias), for adnhistration upon 4eceaaod. John tie was an inaate of the Xatlonal Zome for Disablad Volunteer Soldiers. “ha Xational I!oze 7as lncor- porsfed by Congress, a8 is The Ilterloan Iktlonal 3ed Cross.

?oy 3ealer was the Pavernor of said home. Demnd ras made upon hi-2 to produoe in the state oourt, havisg Jurisdiatiod Of estates, certain personal effeot.3 of J0.h~ 3oe (alias), ?&ic:l tk.l;; tub110 Administrator considered neces3arp in tte ordarly adxlnfstratlon oi said estate. Li3wer was side as 3ov8rnor the Xational Rome, u-on the gart of Sneeler t$at he was an officer oE tho Cnltod Xates and 0011ld ;lot be called upon to answer under state la-3 for ::13 dots an4 that maaage~ent of property and sffects doin~a; furt:;ernore, of iecoaaod soldiers, irdates of the I!aticnal ?one, is exalu- Avsly under t’le control of Con,;resJ and if3 Eoard of Kenagere, Jtrltutes , rules .and rogulatlons zade pursuant under Wler31 tb2reto. The court, upon the Tueation, aald: in ~SCACR

“. , . :?iYeeler was not an Officer Of Unit8d Aatas. As a c,erleral mle, an officer of tha Unltod .;tates ia one .:tio holds his place by virtue of appoint- , mnt by tha Freaident, by ok8 of IA o courts of Jmtice, ‘or by the Leads of departacnts aluthorizod by law to nake suah appointmnt. 3 Cyc. p. 612; Unlted itates v. I~:ouat, 124 0. 3. SO3, & .:up. Ct. 505, 31 L. 34. 463; Xni-&3d itaLes v. Ccrznaine, 99 U. 3. 50E, 25 L. ?A. 482; Labbitt v. ?Aitcd jtotas, 16 Ct. Cl. 202; ‘7ood v. United Aates, 15 Ct. Cl. 151. Cov. ~Zhoeler does not derive 39 appointbent tron t:ie Treaident, from any oourt oi justice, or any head OS the federal dopartzents authorized by law to cake suah a;-wintment. Es ia aTpointed by the board o: mana,Car’s as the local manager or Covarnor of the oorgoration in \;uestloa. fIe reports to the board an3 the board of rsaasgcrs annually reports of :xinn=cx :o Ccn:Ge;a: * *8 Ycnornble N. 5. Balle7, page 8

In the ease of Patton Y. killer, 6 5. :il. (26)

757, the ~juppe31e Court of &?Or&ia, in jms3in5 upon the eli~ibillty of a aeaber of the Z??ghway 3oard of that state to mrvo at the 9ar.e tine as a ner;.ber of the \dvi3ory Cm- aittce 0r the xtlanta ngenop of the Zeconstruction Finance Coqoratlon, said:

*As to ineli2ibillt~ bsaax3e of holdirq a Yedersl oftioe, t:!e Code provides as follous: ‘The folksin,5 persons are h.old and deemed laollgiblo to hold any alvil office, and ths eslstenae OS any of the folUxvin5 3tates of Paots shsll be a suffiolent reason for vaaatlq an:; office keld by sua‘l person, but the sots of 3uoh person, Mile holding a aom133ion, shall be valid ad the aoF of an offloer de facto, viz.: * * * 4. Cersons holding any offioe of proSit trust under the ~ovcrnncnt of the United Xatas (other than t?rt oE yostcmter md officers of the Xeserve Corps or’ the United Ztatoa Army, l!avy, or I..arlne Corps),-or of either of the ~oversl ‘Statzs, or of any foreign 3tate.”

The cowt further said: :!~,a alleged offloe of *a anbar of the II ,1dvlsory &m,k~tee or the Atlanta >genoy of the ileoon- atruotion i%mnce Corporation’ is no; an office of groflt or trust under the Covormant of the Enited Xatos, within the nenninz oP Co3e, ssation 89-101 (4). The F7eoona truotion Finanoe Coq?oration is a ~overnmantal oor>oration, created by Congess, but it Is not the ~ororn~ent (Cf. Kelfor % ‘telfer v. EGSiiZruo- tion ?lnanne Cor;oratlon, 306 V. 3. 561, 363, 59 5. Ct. 516, E3 L. 36. 764); and it k:as.boel held that mmbsrship in one of its advisory aosmltteer 1s 3ot an offioe of tru3t or profit under tt.e Covarnnor,t of the United ;tates. Kington Assooiates Y, La Guardia, 156 L’%a. 116, 261 2.Y.S. 390.”

722 .Fonorable ?i. 3. Tlalley, pa54 ?

53 follor:np le rrom -210 caao of mrtlqon v. Board 0r i&gsnt3 of 74st Vlr5inla Unlverslty, (;uprc;?e Court Of i* 7.) 3.5 3. ‘:r 698:

* . . It at onoe struck ~8, in reading the wlldorasss’of law upon slinple but dlffloult question rhat IS a pub110 offloe? that the rsqulmxent to make oai a pub110 orricer to should e~oralse 3onlsthLng that oan fitly bs oalled a part of the aoveraf~$ty xas a taut.

This test 1s approved as an Lqportant or 0::let one in 57 Ohio 3t. 415, 49 J. 3. 404, 63 3tate T. JOM&l,34, 24~. 725. It ie stated to be the trus teat in. .&T. 3. xia3on Y. Cole-mn, e6 x, c. 236. It has been orten

ay,?rovod a8 a rJtron-; index, Xyh, :ktr. ;1e3. 1625; Joyle v. Aldermn, eto., 53 J!. C. IX, 45 ~‘a. ;lep. 677; Opinion of Judcaa, 3 Qrosnl. 477; 2. :;. v. Lockwood, 1 fh. 359; .;ta:e v. tails, 41 i:o. 31; Xate v, Yooker, 39 71s. 477, 2.2 South. 721, 63 A.n. X. iep. 174. . , ,” _~

In the case of klngton 3aoolatas v. La Guardia,

I 221 i.J. Y. :;upp. 390, a taxpayer sued to daolaxe the offloe or

i:ayor of the Clty of :iuw York vaoant under a Frovlalon or the charter ol’ tha: olt,~, whlo% provides ln effect aa follows: ‘Any 3zr>:.n holdin.:. &rice, ybether by

cleotlon 0; ;p~olnt:!ent, who shall, durinc his terra or offloe, aocept, hold, or retala any o:her‘olvll Office or’ honor, tm.A , or sr,olment under the ;ozermezit 0r the %lted ;tates,* * * or o? the a tato, * or v&o shrill hold or aocept any other office oxmsoted *At!i the Govern- cent of The City of iJe# York, or ivho shall aooept aeat In the 14513latur4, atall be dewwd thereby to have moated any office buld by hti uniier tha olty 5overol;entl *

It was contended that beoauss Xayor La Guardia hed accepted .P;mber$Np oil th4 Addrisory Comlttee on hllotnents, oreated by ereoutlY4 order of the Reeldent of the United States to ald In a&alci3terlng energenoy rollof a?proprlatlons, he had under the term of the abovo Imovlolon of the otarter of the City of N&v York vaoatcd hlo office aa Liayor. This cam dl s- ousaes at len3th the neoesaary prorequlaltes of a pub110 offloe, but iv4 doe;1 it eufflolsnt it we nots the followln6:

723 Zonorublo T;. 3, aalley, ~4.34 10

Vlcarly, t:-e menbor3 of tke AdvSQory Con-

titter on Allotmontr posseas ncne cf t44 Forera ot tha 3otoroign. They perform no independent !;otarn- mental iunotlon, 3uoh funotlon in general is either le~lslatlve, judlolal, or meoutlve. It la too plain to require dlsousslon that. the tivl1ory Ccalttee oxeroisss no logIslatIv4 or judlola1 prerogatlvea. It arF4ars to be rairly evident that it 1Ikewl:e possesses no powers of the executive. . . , The oom- nittee thus laoks the most lm:ortant charaoteristlo or attrlbuto aeoooiated with the idea of publio office, namely, tb,s right to 4xeroIae GOad cart of the roxer of the sovoreI~,*

The court, In T?Irsohiold v. Commonwealth ex rel -Attorney Gene:al, 76 3. :.‘. (2d) 47, (Court or %ppFeals, :;y.) quoted zvIth scproval tho rollG.r:na, 3tate;;lent rrorj th4 0r State 0x rel. v. Eawkins. 257 T. 411. 55 :I. L. X. 383 ) (Tuprene Court of :fGntana) : _

n ‘Ii (the public po;ltlGn) zu3t po3ses3 a del*gatlin’oi a portion 0r tho ?ovarel;:21 power 0r government, to bo ereroizd (by the incumbent) for benefit of tk4 public.’ Later in t%e 03lnIon, In statIn? our final conoluslcn ircn t::e case3 and authorl- tie3 tk:ereln zeforred Co, :ve 3nld: ‘It wI:l 54 peroelvcd, nnci w;.lor! xa are convlnoed 1s true, t?.at a publio sorvioe ~osltlon, in oldor to be ~JI o?i”lce ao as to aako its incumbent ac oftlcer, .m.nt be creased by t?.e Constltutfzn, or the Legl3laturo or a munlolpal.ity under au%horitp con- ferred by t:la Led4lature. It must :oasos3 or oontaln delegation of a rortiou 0 I t’lu soverel,?n zowor of th4 rovsrnment to be sxerclaed by the lnouzbent for the benefit oP the publlo, and the porere and duties must bb derlned by .ths authority are-tin?, ths position, and mu& be performed by the lncu3bePt Independently end without oontrol of any suy.erior pub110 pcwar or authority other then that oontainsd in the la-* oreatin:: the position.‘* 34 oome now to apply mom deflnltely the gsaeral _ _ rules &athered fro!8 the abovo d4OIslGnS to the present lnqulry,

whloh w4 ~I11 do In ths light or the rooo&zed rule, well stated in the oaso of Feople GInera v. Leonard, ex rel, Attx3ey rupra : *11 ?I. 3. Dailey, pa;e 11

fknorable

*In seckln.~ to lnter$rst the .rreanln: of a oonstltutloaal Drovlslon, it 13 proper alway that the intent of tke framera of auoh an if13trumntrhoul3, if poaslble, be,asoertalned and carried ou:. . . .'I

Apglyla.~ this rule to the provl3ic.r.s 3: O‘JT own Constitution with %hlch ve are Lere ooncerned, it is obvious that the naln objsot mmt have bean to prsvat a junotloa or 8 7ederal and Xata 0f:ioa of tionor, tru3t or profit lo the saa~a per30n, an4 thu3 'Jr& about an undesir- able oondltion oi divided loyalty aud alle~lance. To what extent, we ask, are the dutlse and responslbllltle~ of the offioe of Dietrict Attorney in oonfllot with and lncompetlbla to :he dutico and obligation@-of the ohairman of t5a 10~31 chapter oi ?Xe ,iaerloan ::a:ional 3ed Cross? T>e &lswsr, wa think, la none. It is true that under the common law only inoompatibllity wa>3 a bar to dual office holding, and we think it may be oorroctly said that when the oo.m_?lon law %as supplanted by mitten constitutlonnl nnd stntctory laPr;-t':~e-~-~ que3tlon of incomDatlbllity b;ltcones Ia33 zatcrial, but the reaaol: be!ilnd ths cozc?on law :s zot lost sii:ht of in oon- 3truFn.T t&e written laar.

A holdin- that the pblio sglrltsd, ?atriotio czduct of a 313trict ,:t.or~ey in aoesyting th nonrenunera- tive ohaizmsbip of a local ohapter of The American Xatlonal D.ed Cross, x;-.ether It be In peace or 'war, deprives hfi of his right to receive ::ia salnry as Cistriot Attorney la one whioh should 50 reached, if at all, ozlg tiith tho :-raatcst reluctance, and solely beosuae the zrdln~ of the Ccnvtitutlon psrmits oi no other determination. .;uot purF~oae, we think, was not even remotely la tile .mladr, of the frmar3 of oilr Conatltutlon zvhen they -&ote t1.o provi3lon !lare under oonslderntlon.

2:oreovsr what cart of tt..ct sovereiyl power of the United ;tatea, an indlogensable prerequisite, under the authorities *nre ‘;\avc cited, does tbe cLalr%a% of tbc local ohapter of The &erlcan Satlonal XZed Cross nave, either exeou- tlve, lagislatlva or judioial, that constitutes hi.? the holder of an oftloe or poaltlon under the United Gtatea? To atate the question is to answer it - clearly none, The mere raot that the obarter of T>e Amorioan !!atlonnl Red Cross emanates from Conqross of the Unit4 States is not, in our vleer, of -oat tigortanoe upon the hr.odists question here involved. True, under the charter pov?ora <rant05 to tha lnoorporstors and their

.

!ionorable :r, i3. ?alley, pa.38 12

3~~00033013, they an-a-d in the hi&mat type of patriot10 ~;erv?oe; The kXriOWmXation31 3ed CrO33 ia nevertheless an independent corporate body and -fucc tlcins as suoh a?d not as sn adjunct OP t,:e ~~verment oi the Unltod .itateo,

::e sag vri th equal wphasls, ss was safd Ln t;le case ot ratton v, Lilllur, aupra, ln apeskins oP the Seco~atructlon Ficanoa Corporatiozi, that while it is laoor- poreted by Coq-gess, *it 1s not the goverment.U Likewlal! , while The &aaurloan National Xed Cross is inoorpaated by Cmgress, it is not t&e ~overnmnt, and-$a norise is owned, controlled, operated or direated by the governz.at.

7ro.n the tore<oin.z :ve reaoh f+e csnolueloa t!riat ohairmnship of the local ohapter oP The tilsrican Xational

:‘red Cross in naitl?er an office or Fositio*, under tha United itat33, a?d hence there la no oonatltutional barrier preolud- fns YOU, 33 Nstrlot Attorney, from reaeivinq youx 8 alary Mile at thz saze ti:le aervitig as chalmlsn oP t!ie ~looal~~~ohapter oP “he .:merioan :latlonal 3ed Crxm, aM you are acoordiogly SO advizod.

-forl.rs very truly . . . Loilar 3y RJ

ASSiS tant