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 
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Ilo?. Coke R. Stevenson - Page 2 

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of Amarillo; Texae, to the United Strttcre, ofAmerica 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; 

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“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. 

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. “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 . 

the 

&quested~ by this letter to-be ceded to the 

United States; . ’ .’ 7.. 

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.: .: . . %a accrordance vlth p~oviaioua orArticle5247, supre, application is hereby 

msde to you to cede to the United States constltutionsl Jurisdiation and Exolusive Jurlafitt,‘“rt over the lsnds covered by ths attnohed 

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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 

. Conetltutlon and statutes or Texse. ., i 

The %elevfmt~ part or’ Articie I, Se&on VIII, 
IRm. Coke ,R. Stevens& - page 3 

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clause 17 0r the cbnetitution Or the united states rqadsr 

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' "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 

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'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' ..; ” ., 

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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 the 

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 

state 0r Toxaet 

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. YSeation 1, That the United Stc.tes Qovernment 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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Ron. ,CQkO R. 8tevenson - page 4 

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 dkvelopfng 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. : 

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“sootfan 2. AlX puP&oes Or .ecqdiaitions~ 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 

CID fd PzlOVidsd for th6 COndemncttlOn for right Of 

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 lmP~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 coatODJIed. the anrim Of the o~llol' thGPt?Os end hla 

rolidonco, ff kncvn, end file enw With the COUBtJ' 

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 

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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 the 

~axpess condition ~that this State still- retain 

goncurrent jurl+diction vith. the United Sietes -. 

over 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,” 

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. 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 lkglslntlon o’re given over lsnde purchaedd by the 

United states, and, without the title being in 

the Dnited Statea, the, stete cannot oede jurlediction 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 

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‘kwe.a the field rented by Kirby to the 

United Pts.tes a ‘pleoe! within the ~terms OS 

the constltutlon, ulthin or over uh$ch tlse 

United state8 has *sole and exclusive jurisdiction?’ 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.” 

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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 

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