Case Information
*1 OFFICE. OF THE’ATTORNEY GENERAL qF TEXAS
AUSTIN
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Dear Governor Sevensona
htia lmd, the Qoveiaor would her, under the .ltva OS vexes, ion.can be granted, Aoco~@anyleg your let+ ~1; a; ,ghotostetic :oopy. of a lease ot cc+,aln described Lend froai the ‘City *2 Ilo?. Coke R. Stevenson - Page 2 .
. . of Amarillo; Texae, to the United Strttcre, of America end also a letter fron F.dvard C. Block, C6lonelAlr Corps, to Governor Steoe~son requesting 8 Deed of Ccselon covorlng the @mm dsacribcd in the lease fron vhlch letter ve quote 88 r0ii0uS; :
“The. United States hm under lease rmm the.Citp 0r ~iiii~iii0, fmai~, tv0 (2)
-parcels of. land: one is knoyl aa Amarillo
Field,. the site of the Avietion. &echenlcs
School,,‘compr&sing 1@6.14~e~ms,, end $he other . ;knoUn +!I Et@ish Air Field, cqnpris~ 677.47
acres. ;. .::, :. . . “There is enolosed herevltb’photo- .’
. static Copy or the one lease -oovering both. areas, :together.vith plans of &oh ame.. .Y’ . : . :....: “There 16 contained in the att&hed
lease ns required. br Article 947, Yornon's AnllOtated Revised’Civil St8tll$eS Or the Stat8 : or Texas, en accurate description .by metes
” and bounds or the land over.vhioh~ Constltutlousl
. . SurisdIction and Exclusive Juvisdiotion la .
&quested~ by this letter to-be ceded to the . ’ 7.. United States; .’ . . . . _._ .I. .: .: . . %a accrordance vlth p~oviaioua or- Article5247, supre, application is hereby
msde to you to cede to the United States con- stltutionsl Jurisdiation and Exolusive Jurla- fitt,‘“rt the lsnds covered by ths attnohed . . .: : 1, . ‘.
The mathor& vel non of the Oovekor to gr8lik oppllcatlon.oP colonel Slack for n Deed of Cession, cover- lng the are6 in qusstion, deponds upon the .applionble pro- - vlslogs or the Conbtltutlod of the Ux&ted states end of the ., i . Conetltutlon and statutes or Texse.
The %elevfmt~ part or’ Articie I, Se&on VIII, *3 IRm. Coke ,R. Stevens& - page 3
clause 17 0r the cbnetitution Or the united states rqadsr ' "Aud to exercise like authorltg over.
all places puxchaasod by the conso?& of ths Le@- lature of the State in uhlch the Mae shell be, for the erectI? OS Sorts, rm~azine&, crc;encla, tJook yards, .and other needful bulldlngsF.y ._ : .I
'i$rticle 3, section 32, Patagrech 35 of t<
Conotitution or the state or Texas reads: ,_ . . ., ?
%o bilk, (except general epptioprla- . tlon bills, vhich mey oubmoe.the y.zrloue sub-. jects snd accounts, for and on account of vhicti .' '. moaep are cp&opriattid) shall oontaln mom thsn one subj&ct., vhich shall be express&d Ig ~lts. .: . title. But if eny oubject shall be ,cmbraced Ln 'an act, which shall not be expresasd'ln the title, euch act shall be void wily aa to so much -thereor, OS 0b8U. not be SO' 8%pl?888ed,9' ..; ” ., ;_ .Y :. ._. ‘. Article 52&i, 0ernont8 A&tated cfvu' atattites 0r .fik3xes vas enacted -by the Leglalatiure ef the state or Texas in 1905. Ths relevant psragrephr of thIe Aat,~ including the * :,:'. .; : caption, readsr *in Act to authorize the government 0r lJnitsd~'Stdtes to obtaIxi title to land rtw ell pub- .lic lup~ovements herein namsd, 8ud to condemn 8~~8, and %o dePIne the proo&dtme r0r 8uc.h aotid8maatlon.
"Be It enaoted'by the Leglalature of the . : .~- .: * :. .-. . '._ :i::':-
state 0r Toxaet .: YSeation 1, That the United Stc.tes Qovern- ment may pXlrChBSe, ~cquir8, hold, ovn, docupg and posseav such lead8 Vlthln the limit8 OS the Stste of". Texas as they ebooll deem ax@odient cud w.y anek to occupy end hold AS rrittre on which to erect dud ma%ntein lfght houses, Sorts, mllltarg atatfons, nsgazines, araemln, dock y-rda, custom'houses, ~postofffccr, and all other neocWql public. bulldZngs .~
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and for the purpose OS ewctlnff aad construotlng dmm, locks md.~dmns, for th6 atmt,7ht6ntng~oS Etrcens by lzpxl.a~ outorrt, buLM~n~ lovlts, or: fOl’ th3 6S’@Ct~OZl’Of *Ii? Oth6lr StZ’UOtW6S Or &P proveleenta that my bqCom nectfkkfg7 in dkvelop- fng cr tmproviIq tno waterwsp3, rfvero nad harbors OS TG%Q)J, 8ii th6 COa86nt Of the, Legid.aturb Or the Strata of 4qtns it8 heroby' expreaaly given to nay cuch pu&cro or acqtisltion rJade ti accordance ulth the p~avlafonr OS thii’blll. :
“sootfan 2. AlX puP&oes Or .ecqdiai- tions~ eS lend by the UnltCd stetsi govemaeat SOP ‘bay or tha ‘puPpcaes nentlca66 .In the p~oedlng sectton shall. be effecthd by th6 propar'ag6nt ,oS the FnIteC' States government ulth the owners thfi!lkO~ Or by Cay jUdiCiR1 $U'ocSSd~~~a, RS h.s+a-. efter proti2rlbcd; tkU Is ‘39 esy vhmever tzm ownare OS .ctm 1~3 $eslred~by the Unltcd Statas ~ova,ra68mt c.maot m,-ree ufth thfi United $tfitoe cuth~itlea theroto RttCfiOrZxCd upon tha prioe th6r6tO then tha said tRt:t6d StCta6 &~v6rDDent ~’ la authorlred under the direct%on of the proper
leV offleer to lnrtituto pg~xsadlu@3 agei&& the ovn6r of said lend cr th6 ovnem c$ an7 fatetweet theraln in the cow1%7 court of tha ooqty fa vh1c.h the Iend my bo sit+ed I& in the a4ma mnrmc for right Of CID fd PzlOVidsd for th6 COndemncttlOn Wey Sor milrom26, except ~6 herainaftcr ladicfit6cI.
%actlon 3, IS tha said ~wormcnt OS the UnItad Statea cad mid ovaer co+ot egroe upon th6 valm .oS mid lwd or the domgoa theroto CfiUsed by the sroctloa or'oonrrtractlon OS the lm- P~cVea!ont required, it &till be ttm duty OS th6 Dnlted Stetes off:ccz hrvlq tP.. mtter in t--nd end euthor%zed thereto by the ‘United Stetos government to ‘etete In vrlt1n.g the reel entate end pro2exW. .
cOndcmed, tha objcot fop vhlch It 16 lo beg coa- tODJIed. the anrim Of the o~llol' thGPt?Os end hla ff kncvn, end file enw With the COUBtJ' rolidonco, jUJ::n cf tha county f;n vhf& aafd prop6PLJ' OP I) pnrt tbopoof I# cltupteu; twovldlng the onicr real&w in aftbep county In vnlch ths lend -in bitU?tOd, fh+, OSLO ~hnll bc filed in the county of his resmxwe.
non, coke R. steTenaon -. Page 5
. . Article 52$‘, Vernon’8 Revised Civil Statutes of rexse, reads8
Wenever the’unlted stfites shsll ’
eoqulre 8ny lends under this title, and sha1.l.
desire to acquire ~coAoti.tutimal jurlsdlctlon over such lmds for any purpose authorized
herein, It shsll be. lavful for the aovernor, in the nme nnd in beblf of the ,State, to.
cede to tiie United States exclusive jurisdiction over eny lands so acquired, when, appliization my be made to him for that purpose, which appllcs-.
tion sbsll be in’ vrftlng and ~aficom&wnied vlth the ‘proper evidence. of such acquisition, duly euthen- ‘tLcated.and recorded, conte.InAng or ImiQng
annexed thereto, an eocurate descrLption b’$ rnetee~ and bounds of the lands sought to be ceded. Xo such cession shall ever be aade excqpr’upon ~axpess condition ~that this State still- retain goncurrent jurl+diction vith. the United Sietes -. every portion of the lends so ceded, so fair,
that all process, civil or criJinsl(,) IssuLng under the cuthorlty of tgi=e Stete or w of the ‘. conrte or jtiiclel officers thereof, msy be ~. executed by the proper offficers of .the state,
upon @ny porson s&enable to the EsJae wlth3.n tho Welts of the lsnd so ceded, ln like uanner end like effect se if no such cession h”-d taken pl&Oej 8nd such condition shsll be inserted in such instrument of ceseiosi,” We fell to find snything ln the ebove quoted
constitutional or stetutory provirione that voad authorize the Uovermr to cede jurisdiction to the .poderel Qovermmcnt overv.the erea covered by the lease ln queetlon.
There are words employed in said Arttcle 5242, R. C. 8. of Texas, that rung be construed to include leased land as vell as thet ~acqulred by purchase.. Hcvcver, upon’ exsnfnntion of this legislation Including the title dr caption of thk Act, it Is plein, ve tenk;that the authority granted by the Act, is limit&d to lands acquired by the United States ,by purchase or through condemnstion proceodlngs.
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son. coke R. steveneon - Page 6
The San Antonio Court of Clvll~ppeals in the
‘cnse of United Stetes v. Schvclby, 29 S. W. 90 (affirmed by t&t Supreme COUPt Of, Texas after havi‘ng dismissed es to the unit&d gtatss, 30 S., 1;. 435, and reversed on other grounds by the united Stateo 8upPsme Court, 40 L, ed. SO, without mentioning thls point) stetes the rule on this subject as f ollov8r’
“The whole authority of’the governor rests upon the hygmthesls that the United States has title to the laud vhich he la cuthorlted .to pkoclalm within the, jurisdiction. of the united States. ,.Under the Cowtitutlon of the UnIted St.Rte,s, exolusive’ powers of lkgls- lntlon o’re given over lsnde purchaedd by the United states, and, without the title being in the Dnited Statea, the, stete cannot oede jurle- diction to them.. If the. United, Ssates ha8 not. obtsfned title to the. land,, the Governor could not divest the state of lta jurlsdletlou. The conctructlon con$ended ‘for votid plaCe. no llmltktlon upoti,‘the pa?er of the goverqor, end would give such unbHd&ed authozlty in connection ~. vlth the lands of the oltleens of thls state as v&8 .nevar contemplsted by the ‘framers of the Federel co~etltutlon of Texas lfw mskers.” In f;he case of Dnlted States r; Tlerixey, 1 Bond 517,
Podoral case BO. 16517; it .Is selda s . ...,, .
‘kwe.a the field rented by Kirby to the United Pts.tes a ‘pleoe! within the ~terms OS the constltutlon, ulthin or uh$ch tlse United state8 has *sole and exclusive juris- diction?’ Thare are several reasons why this jtirisdiction did not exist .~ The places ovw uhich exclnolv~ jur&sdiction Is grented; are those vhlch hwe been purchseed by the United Stetes for some purposes specified in the Constitution, and the grant of povor does not sxtend to a plsoe or ,trRct of lend rented by the &ove~unsent for a temporary purpose.” ‘. *7 8!3?
- Hon. Golf8 It. steveasoa - Page 7
sin&? ‘under the facta submitted by you, it appesro that the Uaited Qmtes holds tIx~ laad ln queatlon uader’ a lsiise, ue p.P8 of the opinion thst the Governor is without le.&. suthorlsy to code jurisdiction and doml.aLoa over 8eid lsnds,
ATTOllKEC GENERAL OF TExAa
8. P. Price ii88ifhtUlt i
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