Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

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OFFICE OF THE Al7ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

&In. E. A waon Couaty Attorney Qo6by County ~F&!?y-, ~~~ oliar Girr

6noe to w&ether Tour regusntfor R qu8stioat

has be8n sulxllltt aw8nao to looal 0, a6 Sutxlttedto

of the C~l6olanors~ 14, UK36on gage 7 g8rtri3the r0120ag2 cm antI9366r8aU Ip slgnrdby the re-

28 ort¶oreO that en electtonbe held in the cetera1pmolnnts in aafd oauntp in Odaep~~anO8 With t&O 6nfd ~petktion On

Sfon. x. & Xataon,:-ageZ

Bfitwdagthe lb clayof J6nuaryA. D. 18l3d.' “At u oalled wetiw of the Ccwaibafcmm* Court h6ld on 'hQ6dayJune 14, lBR7, Value I, paw3 13 the ~ollowlngoxdarwas paasedt * %w cam on the open* axtl aethatlx!:the retrults of the ap6olal olbsnatisnon local option For the pue poae of dstamainingwheth6r or not intoxidcatingliquor6 or m66ioat66 bltteraprodwin& bttcaloetlon,~ ehall be croldia Crooby Countyor not, said estbatr h9lsq been -de the xomlt 10 hereby deolard to be %n taoor oi locaz optfox by a note ot 81 for to t-0 agtrinet 106al option. Wherefore 16 ie orderedtha aalo of ~intoxioati!q 1%qWJX6 and r3a6lcRted bitter8 roduoing lntoxloatlonshall ta abrsoluto Py pm- hibitbd in tho fkautrty of ClFOSb~, State ap Texas, exooDt as pxn~idad by law. There bsbg no newepnps::pub~fohad in the oounty,the oldrk is U%reoted80 jmst llCitiO66 of the above order as cllraated by lew.”

~6luni~ the above to be a acrroot ob StClteslllRt themot6 pmtainaingto the attenptto bold a local option sleotlanin Crosby Ccuntyon the 15th day of January,I8&36, it in our opialonthat tho lo661 optlon law o6wiot b6 put into operat.laa unlessand until tha result aithe el66tSoa adopting1.tb6 publiohedeither In B nowapa I or by ost- ln$ notlossthm?Rof. ndfi pOS%tiOIl iB Uph6 P d by th6 E 0Ul-t of CrlmbiilAppesla ia thie State in StMoklonc!vs. Btate, 47 BIF470. Llkewfse,in Chenowioh~6. Gtoto, 95 SW 19 the oouxt bold6 that befara a 3ooel option l6w 66x 60 into op6ratlon"the order mall be blinhtd~ for four sanseautlve waeka in n niwapapsr to be de5 !r gxntubby the oaunty judge, and that auoh publioationis 6 oandltiongxwsdant to the op6ratlaxor the'law. IQ further supportof our poeition,we refer yea ta the itpentoa66 of Cook vdl,ttat6, 198 SW 2nd 404, in

whiah the oourt ryjrs: “uxllaretRtuts,tllsemtry, or IIcopy them- of, on alautao or oomle~laaar8~court showing that roault or eleatloorelatlreto pmhibltlon of sala a? liquor in a particularoounty,was pontW, lo prtia fials evidoncsthat postingwas don), but an order of the oatirr610nbrs1 oourt dlrsotlsgpubllcatlonof csault of rleotlonin not proofor pmper publioatloaof postin&.a Vitb referenaeto the seoand eleatlon,or~attaapt- (1(1~slsotl,ian, held in Cm&y County,the faettsas subwitted to us by you uxa as follws, with refersme to what the m001'dIt Of ths CO~~LUI:O~J~U' t?oUl'ttiSOlOS6:

"It beixg oonsidsredby the ootart crpedicmt it IO ordered ald~tleomedby the oouYt of its ?wfl~lalltlox that ox olootlorl ba he26 by t&e quall- ii06 vc3tersof JustloePrs6lnetNo. I, Crosby Countr 7bxaa, on Saturday,the 6 day 08 Beptember ,X390a& the mgular votingplaoeo iasaid Justioe PrWlinotto batsmins W&&her OX'not th6 aah Of iatoxiontixg Uquora shallbe prohlbltd in the aforesaidJustIaePreoimt no. 1, GrosbyGaunty, Terals." Thea you &t&e furtherthat at a oalladmoating of tha ocamlreiensrs~oourt held on Be tamber850 1890, the folloui~ omlor appearsin Volume f:, page iA!* Wwmupox the matter of eamasring the votes east at the loaal optionelootloahda in JustfoePraaimt 80, 1, Crosby -9, Texas, on the 6 day of Baptedber, MPO, oame up for omsldemtion and the murt after oountingthe rot-sefind that a maeaJorlty 0X tba votsrtamt rrt said alaotloawexe oaet an6 voted *Poor Pxohlbi- t&n* aul itla so declared asaraslilt of skid elootiox;thswtore ft fe or&are& and deemed bp ths oourt that tba rals of intoxioating 3istar8 withln t&o presoribsd1imltsof the bald ~untiao Pmolrwst Sb. 1, Crosby Gmmty, Warn,,, la abrwlute- ibltbd exagtdtg ~$~xo?hw&aa~gr~~~ ~&Ppuxpam Ia* a

a5 teedicine5 in oofaa~ et aotuel siokneeeIn mmnor as prssarlbcd in &tic10 3226 el'the RoviaedClvll EXatutoeUT the Etato of '&ma, until ouoh tine aa the ~uulliledvotern in said Tuctloe8prcolwt No. 1, my at 8 ls~pl hOi8 SW t&t gU~OtNd t3l8OtiOtb by B EajOTity veto dooiriootherulserV IQ t30r0r UBthe r60te OubdttOu t0 w bg YOU a~sO~os0,thsre rrcmnever aa ordar publisheder pestmU declarlagtll0rwwlt OS the purportedalaotian. In view of the authorities above olted, it is out opinionthat the,lecaloption low cannot bo put into opsrationIn this 08188,~ by reuson at this electton,as there lo no mhmlag tbct the result of mid elcetienhe6 either been posteG or pulQ.lshad 08 requiredby law.

tWihreforenoe to the third f&temptto hold nn eleotlonin CreEobpCounty,you atato that at a spcoial arsaionor the C~sslonera * Mart, held en the 0th day Or January, ir. D. 1892, Volume 1, pag0 31518 0r the afnutes OS mild court 1s round the Sollorlngorder; *It beine,oondderea by the court axyedi- ent It in ardered an6 Oeoreedby the oeurt et iti!om notlen that RIIeleotlcnbe he&! by the quel.Wisd votere 0S Crosby County,Toxim, ea Friday,the 2vth day or ;Tanuary,B. 5. l.892, at the regulartot%ng pleoss ia mid coantp te dotermlm whether or net the sale or irztoxic&- lng liquors aball be preh%biteUin the aSereauid County OS Croabr." You strtte rurther timt at e speoial tena of the Cemaiesfonersg Court hold on the 9th day OS %bruary, A. D. 1882, in vol. 1, pcgc 321, court H.nutos, :a round the iOllowi~ 0lYlert -It appocdng ror the Sac6 Or tha retuzms thet the votes owe at ima eleotionvm-e not cuah es arc rqpl,red by law, It le therciore ardoredby the aeurt tPat said eleotionbe and the same la hereby Zieolerodvoid tin&OS no Seroo or (Lsscot.' Certainlythis thirdett8mpt to hold on riloOtiOn oculd be 0r no Soroe end m-Oat RIRthe eemladxsmr5* oeurt

Ron. E. A. Ketfaen, Page 5

orc’erhg the alootfenby lte ema order deolaredtbat eleotlento be void 6116or no Soroo ox cffeot. In rogwd te the laot attermed eloctlon held in Cmsby CountyIn 80 rer a8 your sub72lwionor the r80ta onclrauerdspmtalnlng thoretodiacleas,you state that at a m~ulex eeatlnlf of the oorr.laulouarsl ocurt held on Yen&y, the Rth day c+ ,E’csy, 1893 at 3uw 438, Volume I, Court frlnutes,Is Sound the Sellarciagorder: *Xt be oenoiUoredby the eouxt expedient It laardarsdaatldecreedby the oourt OS Lts cm mtztlonthat en sleatlrm be haltiby the P -slified uetWap, voters M Cmsby County,Fvma, Zuae 10, 1893 et the regu38r voting plaoss In noid sountyto dete,mlnewhether or net the aala of intoxloatin&llquero ahall be prohibit4 in the eiercseidoountyot C~retsby.R Tou otete Surtherthat et u sglsoialtsessien 0r the oemalssionern* oeurt,held en ?ueadey,the 89th day of June, l8V3, eo Bhevm in Velum I, pg~! 447 oi the Court LUnutes,the r0ii0tfing ordera wThis bay the 00tu-tpxooealedto eunve~s the returnsOS the local optlop elnotionheld in troe- by Couaty,Texas, en tho 10th day or &me, A. a. 1eQS and aitez oarsSullyoountingz the vetee eeat at raid oleotien,found!that 78 votes were ~8ee and vote6 ror prohlbitlonand olevm affalnst pro- hibitlo~and It appemln'gto tho ocurt that the osljority OS the votes eaat SOr prehlbitien,the reoultOS f&&d is declaredaccer&ngly. !%+rarozw It is ordered and dsorekd by the oeurt that the ealc oi lntexlootlngliquorswIthin thc~pesorib- eillhlts oT the etd.dCrosbyCcunty,?%xaa, la abea~u+,elp grohibitsderoeptthe etGe es?r:inea SW saomrzcntslgrui-.penes and trelsOP alcohelic stiiaulf9ntn as mdlcinstrIn case8 of actual ~lok- m5s la the rmmr prevltleeb in Article3228 et the RqoiaeffGtetutas of the Mxata at Texas, until ruoh 'ttm an the qua!iSiedvetws in aaid aountg Ray at R le@il eleotlonheld rr)rt&t PW~MIA by a najorltyOT vote8 aeolae otherwise."

On your uubmlsslanof tho feota rolatlveto tha haldIn of suid hat oleotionin Craeby County,to- getharwith your sutmIbsIanof what,the rsoordeQIeofoee pcrtainln~ to same, It io an evidentTact that no order dealarInp,tDeresult at asltl electlonwas ever published or poutedD4 re~'~irnb by law. ?%a CGUFtts Of this &t&t@ have c~.naletantlpheld, for a periodo? ~!orethan fi?ty yaara, that thr local option Im aannot be put into opew- tion unless and u@tl;?tl??result of the electIonadopt.iW It be gubliohed,elthm Ir.a iu?napaper or b\:postingnoticea thoreoi. The aourts have followedthe holtllne trr the Chmowinh oaee, aupra,which Ia In substance,that beiare law con go Into operaticn,the order eIml1 a looal optctlon be puhllshedfos four conaeoutireweeks ln a norepaper to be daoignuted by the county judge, and that said pub- H~t3: ia e oondltlon,preaedentto tSx!Operationot . . Under thr raot.8, as we have ther:before us, thers is not even a sbowlngthat an omlex of the eormi8sloners' court C1ruotin.gpublioct?onof the rnault of the election wau vmte, exoept ln the ilrat eleation, aab there la no showingwade xhIch even indioatesthat the resultat the eleat~answere ever published or posted. Under the UocIslonein these oases, It Is our opinionthat the statuterepuZrIn(g the result bf losal option eleotlonbe publishad,and atatlaghow IU%RSsay be publ.ished, la mandatory,pm3 that this not having been done, Crosby county Is a wet oaunty,ana the lew applloabletn wet area8 is entoroeable. 4zl4wer8 'frueti~the% this SatIafaotorilp $KNIr Inquiry,we em

Freed C. Chanitlor ATTORNEY GENERALOr'TEXA@ &BSi8tPnt