OFFICE. OF THE’ATTORNEY GENERAL qF TEXAS AUSTIN

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### Dear Governor 

### Sevensona

htia lmd, the Qoveiaorwould her, under the.ltvaOS vexes, ion.can be 

### granted,

Aoco~@anyleg 

### your let+ ~1; a;,ghotostetic :oopy. of a lease ot cc+,alndescribedLend froai the ‘City. Ilo?.Coke R. Stevenson - Page 2

. . - . of Amarillo; Texae, to the United Strttcre, of America end also a letter fron F.dvardC. 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) -parcelsof.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.vithplans 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 .bymetes ” 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..

. _._ .I. ... .:.:. . %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

. : . .: :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

.Conetltutlon and statutes or Texse. ., i

The %elevfmt~

part **or ’**  Articie I, Se&on VIII,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, tJookyards, .andother 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 accountof vhicti moaep are cp&opriattid) shall oontalnmom thsn .' '. one subj&ct.,

vhich shall be express&d Ig ~lts. .:

. title. But if eny oubject shall be ,cmbraced Ln 'anact, 

### which shallnot 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 Leglalatiureef the state or Texas in 1905. Ths relevant psragrephr of thIe Aat,~including the caption, readsr * :,:'. .; :

*in Act to 

### authorizethe 

### government0r the lJnitsd~'Stdtes

to obtaIxititle to land rtw ell pub- .liclup~ovementsherein namsd, 8ud to condemn 8~~8, and %o dePIne the proo&dtme r0r 8uc.h aotid8maatlon. 

### "Be It enaoted'bythe Leglalature of the state 0r Toxaet .: .:.~- .: * :. .-. . '._

:i::':-

. YSeation 1, That the United Stc.tesQovernment 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 

### otherneocWql public. bulldZngs .~ " :

.’ : . ,:,

.’ -.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 nectfkkfg7in dkvelopfng cr tmproviIq tno waterwsp3, rfvero nad harbors OS TG%Q)J, 8ii th6 COa86nt Of the, Legid.aturb Or the Strataof 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 .ecqdiaitions~ eS lend by the UnltCd stetsi govemaeat SOP ‘bayor tha ‘puPpcaes nentlca66 .Inthe 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 ‘39esy vhmever tzm 

### ownareOS .ctm1~3 $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$ 

### an7fatetweet
.. 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 .oSmid 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:cczhrvlq tP.. mtter in t--nd

end euthor%zed thereto by the ‘UnitedStetos government to ‘eteteIn vrlt1n.gthe reel entate end pro2exW. . cOndcmed, tha objcot fop vhlch It 16 lo begcoatODJIed.

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

. . Article 52$‘, Vernon’8 Revised Civil Statutes of rexse, reads8 ’

Wenever the’unlted stfitesshsll . eoqulre 8ny lends under this title, and sha1.l. desire to 

### acquire~coAoti.tutimaljurlsdlctlon 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 ‘properevidence.

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’uponthe ~axpess condition~thatthis State still- retain goncurrent jurl+dictionvith.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=eStete or w of the ‘. conrte or jtiiclel officers thereof, msy be 

### ~.executed by the 

### proper offficersof .thestate, upon @ny porson s&enable to the EsJae wlth3.ntho Welts of the lsnd so ceded, ln like uanner end like effect se if no such cession h”-dtaken 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 .poderelQovermmcnt overv.the

erea coveredby the lease ln queetlon. There are words employed in saidArttcle 5242, R. C. 8. of Texas, that rungbe 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 ,bypurchase or through condemnstion proceodlngs.

2

_son. coke R. 

### steveneon - Page 6 The San Antonio Court of Clvll~ppeals in the ‘cnseof United Stetes v. Schvclby, 29 S. W. 90 (affirmedby 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 follov8r’ “The whole authority of’the governor rests upon the hygmthesls that the United States has title to the laud vhich he la cuthorlted .topkoclalm within 

### the, jurisdiction. of the united States. ,.Underthe Cowtitutlon of the UnIted St.Rte,s, exolusive’

powers of lkglslntlon o’regiven 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 Governorcould 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 ‘framersof the Federel co~etltutlon of Texas lfw mskers.”

In f;hecase of Dnlted States r; Tlerixey,1 Bond 517, 

### . Podoralcase BO. 16517; 

### it .Is selda s

. ....,, . ‘kwe.a the field rented by Kirby to the United Pts.tes

a ‘pleoe!within the ~termsOS 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 purposesspecified in the Constitution,and the grant of povor does not sxtend to a plsoe or ,trRctof lend rented by the &ove~unsent

for a temporary purpose.”

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Hon. Golf8 It. steveasoa - Page 7



### sin&? ‘underthe 

### 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

OFTExAa

8. P. Price ii88ifhtUlt

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