OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorable FM. Uslters 

County Auditor 

alvlth county 

Tyler, Texar 

Your request for ret 

Ok2926 of thlr department &ao 

oonrldered by thLs departzaent. 

?ollmr 1 

"I *ant to thank 

mop moamxu. 

on aald ?~a, CL%% far the memathe other for a hired farm rork- 

&vies sovord. h&red 'IUld' 

about100 he&d of blt?oded wttls 

livesjioak M&oh we fed and 1Wced 

after by hlmd labor:. Ea &her trotis, th6 Xkm is 

not ta utlllrs aonviat ls?mq tilde is done w vocklag th%s an the aounty roabs.. 

578 
” -’ 579 

&mor6ble E.T. Waltem, Psge 2 

utili6lng aonviat labor, I M) very 6nxioua to present 6 alear picture to you of the propoaitlon bafore aon6ideririg my question properly worded and 

youropinionfln6l. 

'Plea6e under6tmd 1 do not vast to appear u 

questioning your opinion, vhlah f 6m 6ure 16 correct ln view of the manner in wblah my que6tlon 

~66 pr666nted (6nd it my b6 aorzwat after tblr 6xplanatlon) but before 60% deeper into aonmora16.1 

famslng, I wsnted to offer th%6 wldltloml lnfomflora in the mttor. Wth this additional lnfonutlon before you your 4pinlon vi11 be flrml hoverer 

it may bo." 

Opinion Be. O-2926 halds that bulldlngr neaorw for 

* 6uaae66ful operation of the sountf f*nn, such 66 h0wlng for 

aaawiot6, guards, ovec8eer#, barns, do., aould bo built By the 

a~66lon6r6~ oourt) that alth0ugh S66tlom 5 OS Artk6lo 794, V. 

O.O.?'r, oontewlated tk6 u6e of oonriat lrbor on the oounty fur 

tht lf therl?e o rne o t l uff1 01aanriot 0nt .J#oa n bor h a d to me66a6f'ully apent the oounty farm the aoraie6ionemv 6ourt would 

~316~0 l thorlty to hire outride labor to ruke or gather oropr, 

eto. 0a the aounty farm neae66~'tor th6 ruaa666ful mmbgemnt 

of th6 aounty farm md th6t the ooami68loner8~ oourt under 6uoh 

olmumt6nae6 would have authority ta build a dvelllng QD the 

oouaty ram to houee 6uoQ hired h6nd6 if fib@ oonml68lowr6~ oourt 

detomlned that sama wan neoe6uwy for the 6uaos6af'ul aawgemnt 

urd0peml~0r the 00uutyfm, insitrding theutl~65tianor. 

o0nvlot labor. 

We oall your attention to Seations 2 6nd 5 of Article, 

794, V.C.C.P., whioh read as follovrr 

"2. Buoh fan66 and workhou6e6 6hallbe under 

the aontrolandm6nBgem6ntOf the oomsl66loner6 

eourt,and rridooustm6y6dapt6uehnile6 and 

regulatlaw not lnoon6l6tent vlth the law a6 they 

deem neoeseary ror the 6ua0686ful mr46g6m6nt 6.nd 

operation of laid in6titutlonr 6nd ?'ar o?Teotlvely 

utlli6lng 6aid Irbor. 

"5. TJwy 6h6ll be put to labor upon the publlo 

roads, brl 

9 

e6 or othor publla vork6 of th6 oounty 

when their abor a6nnot be utill6od ln ths.aounty 

vorkhou6e or a0untr farm.* 
Honorable B.T. Walters, Page 3 

Under Section !Tt Artlale 794, V.C.C.P., It 16 the 

duty Of the aOmmiSSiOneP6 aourt to utilize the labor of aonviats on the OOuIlty farm or OOUnty YorkhOu66, if $66~ OM be 

utfll6ed, before placing 6uah conviat labor on the pub110 

rondo, eta. ft. 16 only vhen the labor of such cronviats aannot be effeotively utllited on the aounty farm and county 

workhouse th6t they should be plaaed to vork on the pub110 

ro6d6, bridgor and other publia works of the aounty. Eovever, under Seatlon 2, Artiale 794, V.O.C.P., supr6, the 

oontrol6ndmaMgementof the wuntg farais ln the C-SSiOIl6rS ' oourt aud the court la eh6rged vlth the duty of suaue,66tul IIisnqement and OperatiOI3 of the county farm indhding 

tieffectlve utlLt6atlon o? oonvlot labor. 

We th.lnk the l6v olemly aontsqpl6tes th6t oonvlot 

labor vhen it am be effeotively utillxed should be used prlmarlly on the4 oounty fsm or aounty workhouse. Of oourse. 

the qUeStiOn Of effeotiV6 Utili66tiOn Of eOnViat labor i6 

prlmrlly a Putter to be dooldod by the 0QIIPIs610ne~~ oourt, 

whlah deei6iOn would control In the abronoe of a alear abu6e 

Of diSOl'6tiOll UpOn the JW't Of the 0aPPli66iOIk62'6' WUPt. we 

mast assume hovever that the cromm.i66loMr6*~aourt vi11 follov 

the lav 6nd use all aanvlot labor vhlah oan be effectively 

used on th6 county farm in the 6uoo666f~ management and 

opentlon of the oounty f6m. Thi6dep6l'tWIltoPnnotp666 

on the propo6itlon of vhethbr or not the convlats plawd on 

the oountyro6ds 6houldhsve beonptioed onthe oountyfiun 

66 that vould invdV6 a f8ot 6ltWLtlon in oroh in6t6nw?~tO 

be deterrined by the comis61~er$* oourt in their sound dlSaretlon and are not proper qu66tlou6 for this department to 

determine. 

Under all the foot6 stated ve thbk th6 QUSStiOn Of 

th6 building of the proposed dwelling 16 a 6mtter to be determined by th6 aomi66iOWr6' oourt in their SOlUld dlsaretlon. 

We think bplnlon Ho. o&g26 16 oorreot and the SW 

16 hereby confinned. 

VOTJr tlUly your6