**OFFICE OF**  **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS**
AUSTIN

Honorable G%o. **H.** Sheppard Comptrolltr or Fublic Aooount.% Aurustln,

### Texas Dear Mr. Bhtppard:

four letter or De

In obtklng our rttatlonof the tbovt liot, you oubmlt the to11 A 841, tits 0r the gislature, there ue Pund $4c4,968.15 Qtate Treasury **by** s or the ltoond

rty-fourth Leglalature that a aommird tor the Investment o? thie #4,968.15.



### re has not 

### beenanything done in the 

### ctwith the ~rorl%lon% of HOUMBill vt m%ntloned, %nd since the veteran8 oi the Spanieh Am%rloanWarhate nowapplied to th$s department for u%eof this wne~y, this department rtepeotf'ully request% your opinion a% to whether or not the Comptroller 1%nowauthorized to transfer rrom the General Revenue Fund the #4 968.15 to be **invested by**  the 

### oomml%%lon provided for in raid Eouet Bill No. 363.Hon. C&o. H. Bhtppard, January 24, lQS9, Rags 2

*Ii you hold that thlr wney i;now 8ubjtot to 8ubjtot tran8ftr from Otntral lkettnut ?und, $&en.wlll aptrtntrtr Wornthe Otntral lkettnut ma, thn.wlll an propriation bl the Leglrlaturt be 

### ntotrtaryfo authpropriation Leglrlaturt 

### ntotrtary

tomuil~rlon

to 

### expendthe lnttrtat’dcirlred orize the 

### toanriDrlon to the lnttmat'dcirireb
rrom the inrtitmtnt 0s thir tuna?* the inrtitmant0s At 

### the outret, wed8h to point out that 

### the turn or $4.968.15 In pention wa%not dtrlted rromany rosin tr taxation or 

### 8ourte0r rtvtnut. It rtprt8tnts on the tontrary, the balanct Of an orlglaal fund Of #4&&O 

### l pproprlattd by tht Congress ot the United 8tate8 under Chapter 647, 85th Congress, 2nd Steelon, July 8, '1898, ior the purpon or rtlabur8lng the 

### Governorsor States tnd Territories ior 

### t 3 

### tntttlncurrtd by them in aiding the United State% to ra18e @n organhe, mb **8upply** and equip the Volunterr &my or the United State% In the then existing war wlth Spain. ByChapter 445, 86tihCongrq.88, Maroh 5, 1899, Amtndatory of the l

bOT0 oltdd Act, detailed &ijroOtdurewa%outlined fix the dliburremnt of this fund to ofil~ers and tn118ttd men, whioh bt, UIDWother **thlq8,** OOntala8 thl8 8lgnifiOMt 

### plVTi60:

rfforldtd further, that where ltatea and Ttrritories hart not aid amounts to the ofilter8 and 

### YII or 

### anypart 

### l$eitotthe pay allowed themby this &tt the 8Me 8hall 

### bepaid **by** the State8 and **Ttrrldt8** dirtot to the oiilctrt and mtn, and no wney tllowtd by this Act ror orricers and men 8hall bt oortredinto the trtarury oi the State or Territory.' In the **ra0e 0r**  **tua unequiTooal**  protirrlon'and dteplte the iaot that ruoh rund or the balance thtrtor belonged to 

### otilotrs and tXm8ttd menor vhe Volunteer Armyor the United States in the liar with SpaInW, the 8amt was by Senate Bill 74 Chapter 27, Aote 2nd Called Staelon, 88th Ltglalaturt, oottrtd into the Qtntral Revenue Pund, or In other words, Into the State Treasury. *NO83MOia1mention i8 madeOr 8uoh md in that Aot. This **Act** was a general act abolirhlng all rpeolal funds In the State Treamry %tt a%ide therein for 8ptf3ial and partleular purposes and transttrrlng and plaoing wntys in such fund Into the General Revenue Wnd, with oertain txttptione. The orrioial eorrtrrpondence attaohed to your letter reTtal% that thlr 8umof $4,968.15 under Inquiry was earrled on tht rtoords of the **Tmanwy** Department and Comptroller*8 Department a8 -'TheVoluntary Warwlth Spain Fund".

Regardless of whether this fund was in the State Treasury before the paesage of the Aot 

### l boll8hlng rptclal fund%, it was undoubtedly placed thtrtln by 8uoh hot 8o a8 to rtqulrt, underHon. Cto. H. Sheppard, January 24, 1939, Page 3

brticlt 8, Section 6, Conrtitution oi Tixat;an appropriation or transfer or eamt by Act of the Ltglslatur6. Vor thI8 **purpose** and In reoognition Or the fact that It **w&e** wrongfully oorared Into the State Treaeury the Ltglrlaturt, under Bourt Bill Ho. 369, Chapter 541, bets Beg& **6t8rion,** 44th Leglrlaturt, transferred %uoh moneys in the **8ptOiiiCi** 8umor #4,968.15 rrom the Central Revenue Bundandplaoed **rtmt** In the-de OS&rptcially oreattd CommI%slon Of the Voluntary Armyof the Warwith Spaln,oompostd of the GOYtrnor of Ttxa8, the Adbjutant Central or **Texts** and the Department Commandsrjor the United Spanlrh K&rVeterans of Texas, and their 8ucot%aor% In 0rfi0t, to be inrested ror the u8t and btntrlt or aged and Indigent RpanIrh-&aerlcan War Vettran8, their rldowe and **033han8.** FromthI8 brltt tongre8%lonal ma leglslatlrt hI8tory or.thir muohly trtXi8ftrrtd fund, the question emerges &s **to** whe

### therHouet RI11 Bo ‘; 363 Ch. S41, Acta Regular St88lon, 44th LtgI%laturt , could legally o trate to acaompllsh the worthy purr 8t8 8ought thereby. m rt uttantly but advI8edly are impelled P o the tonolu%lon that the NIP of $4,968.15, which was the 8ubjtct ratttrjor the above oited act, %a%not funds or wntys of the atate of Texas ror dieporrltion thtrtundtr, but rather wneye and fund% In and 60which the United State% ot Amtrioa had, and now hae, reTer8Ionary right, olrim or inttreet. This 0OnOlUSiOn not only rOiiOW8 from the Acts 0r Congrtee htrefnabove olttd and tiaTtrted to, but from the exprt88 langWIg Oi &

### lttt6ropinion written by the Comptroller Central or the United State%, under date 

### funs22, 1931, to the Commander,Department ot Texas, United 2panleh **liar** Veterans, irhloh 

### we **quote:**

“It maybe rtattd that Is &rituatlon 8hould arise, after the funds have been withdrawn from the State Tnarury and pl&Otd at the disposal 0r the Gorernor or the State of Texas for payment In aocordanct with yedera1 rtatutte, where they oan not be u8td for the purpoee for whloh originally turned;orer to the Corernor of the State the United State8 ha%.:areversionary lntereet In the unexpended fund, and the balanoe remaining appears proper ror returning to theUnited States with a ettttmtnt 8howing by total8 for item8 the grand total 

### expended. The balanoe returned would be for covering into the Ttaaury of the United State6 a8 a aptolal tund unoer an appropriate titlt.,~ suoh ae v8p0r Volunteers, Spanish War, State Strvloe - **Ttxt8.*** Any claima thereafter presented would **be** for developing by the State authorities, and, Ii approved by the Governor, forwarded to this orriot for the rtatement or a settlement payable under the sptolal fund.* ,I

.

. .

Hon. Geo. H. Sheppard, January 24, 1939, Page 4

The Aots **Or COn@t88**  treating thi8 tun4, otwhich the turn or #4 968.i518 the btltnot,did not proride that 8uOh tund mlght be intested In bondsjoftheUnlttrrlty oi Texarr or any other 8tcuritiee 80 that the lntertrrt therefrom light **be** paid to Indigentridowe and orphane oi 8panl8h-AmerloanWar Vtterane. The naturt,'of

the Inreetmtntprovided by theAot of the Texas Legislature and the creation or a Commirslon tomake ruch lnvestment, rea8onably&LIsureP, ror all praotloalpurpo8t8, the 8artty
or the OOl'pU8.

### But,Inlegaloonttmglatlon, the right to 

### Invest these fUX¶e 18 

### tantamount to the

### rightto di8po86 Or them, and this the LegI8lature.:or Ttur oould not aowithout en enabling act of Congrt88, Indicating the oomplttertllngulrhmentand waiver bp theUnited 8tatts ot any tlalm or revtr8lonary Interest lnthi8 fund.

Ye l.aotuntwtrt or the lauaable **purpose8** rought to be &ooomplishedby 

### theAot In question,and both the Legislature 0r **Text8** aa the 

### comanatr,Department or TexasUnlttd'Spanleh Yar Vottrans rhouldbe oommended for their efforts to this end, /-- but these tOn8id6ratiOn8 do not <er the plain provi%ion%Of the

Acts of Congtrrswhich ortated thlrr fund andwhich lrmetgovern Its ultimate diipOIla1.

We are acoordin y, under law required to adrioe you that Eouee BillHo. 363 Legl8lature of Texas, i h. 341, &As Regular Session, 44th 

### t lntrrtotlntotranartr irontheGtneral .RertnutrUnd to the Cammi8elonortated by 8aldAot, for Inve8tmtnt P'=P-e8, 8aId 8~m ot $4,968.15.
**Tours.rery** truly l

LTTORNEY- o rTExA8

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