OFFICE OFTHEATTORNEY
**AUSTIN**

.

~onorabls Gee

. coz@roller of Austin, Taxis
- ii.~Oheppard

fublio Aocounts GENERALOFTEXAS

ii .=.sup011the dsath of a Conthat ruch pensioner had of hsr gonsio~~ ~arranie and hhd h&J. then, aocw.ulatinCf som $bOO.OO 1. worth.uAr0tb se w3rrnnCs

tanca fos the benefit OS **6ioncr?"** n subjcot of inhcrithis Uaceusod pcnTh0ansivor to

’ **your first**  **quastlon** concernlag the losuing of Rduplicate warmnt to the heirs OSthe .ripceesodsnorPble Cool a. tiheppard, Page 2

;,np~cner is Controlled by our Opinioo Xo. O-2161,:i%1lt?h **~AAA~,** Ln part, a0followe:

“Your third **question** reads a8 follows: WI (3) IS the payee of a Confederate Pension Xarrsnt which has been voided by linitstion requests a dupliCRtc warrunt to be issued, is it modatory on the Ztzte Cozqtrollor and **StGte ‘** **IXeasUrer to**  **iS&Us SUCh**  **dU?fi CutC,**  **provided the**  **necos~ary require**  mnts for iz,:nuingdu2l.icetc mrrmta are iwtp

“In answer to yo*urthird question ooncarna;, whether or not it is madatory on the $tnte **coz?troU.er** to issue duplicate warrants on such uerranis which have been barred because they kerc EOt prusontcd witNo the tvioyam period, y2.z attention is called to :,rticlo 4366, Vzr**wfi'8** iimotfited **.'l.ril Statutes,**  which reads as ~vLionn :

.’

-1 I;;1.t

. 4505. The Comptroller, * when oatlafied thLlt any original vmrrmt drswn u_oont& State Treasurer hi.8 been loot or destroyed, or when tiny oertificate 01' other evidence of indebtedness ap?rovad by the auditing bosrd or the iJt;ite ,tis been lost, is authorized to issue a dqlicato v;srrtir?t In lieu of t& ori@nil wurrsnt OXa du>lioate or r,copy of such cer**tiriosts,** or other evidence of indebtcdncss in **lieu OS**  such original; but no such duplieatwvmrrant, or other evidence Of indebtedness, shall issue until the W,llicmt hcs riled wit!1 the Conptrollcr his affidavit, atsting that he is the true ovzer or such instrument, end that the SRZXis in ruot lost or dcstroyod, E to oil311 ol~o Sil.c vjith the **Co?~gCrOllOr** *’ ;it In double the mount OS the ci2l.n TiiCh t:qo or jlora Good and sUSSiciant nor, sureties, payable to the GOVCl'- to be npproved by the ComptrolLer, md Conditioned thnt tha agplicnnt vii11knorjblt Gbo. H. Sheppard, Page 3

.

l hold the State hamloss and return

to the Goj.nptrollor, u3on demnd being aode thurefor, such duplicates or

Co>lbE+, or the mount of moneynxned therein, together with all costs that Snyaoorw agafnst the State on collectlng sam. A.fter tho itlsuanoo of @aid duplicate or copy if tho Coaptrcllar should ascortafn thnt the saze was fl?,,roporly Lxx.ted, or ,thnt the aypllCant or party to ~~ho.21 the 5s.w uas issued w’~isnot the owner thmeof, he shull at once desanl the return of suid duplfcute or copy if unpaid, or the cmow~t paid oatsby the State, if 60 pald; end, upon f~tilurs of ths party to return swe or the axou~t 0.7money Onlled for, salt shall bo Instituted up011sali5bmd- i’n Travis County. *

“It is our ogdnion that it is xmdatory on the Gtuts Coaotroller and stata Tre;surar to IsSUC!la warrunt, even th&h barred br;ccluse of l?Ct having bee:1presented wlthin cho tvi0 year pEtriO&, mjrgbe present& to ths Lc&slature whomul.d have the authority to order the mm p-2id.” (Unberaoorins OUXU) ft.ohoula be pointed oit as atate in the above quoted opinj.0~ “if the csnditions psovidsd in Artix0.e 4365 hnvc barn c02pplied ;sJithtl, it is mudstory al the co2ptroZler **to JESUS**  **o. dugllc&tc**  **yiarrant. ZOW~V~F,**  these coditiou6 aust bbfollo~4 very e1ose1.y. The mera affidavit of one olaiming to bo ttb true o-,vRar,woo.la not in itself, be sui’ricient. Article 4365, ss~ra, ia coucj.ss language, places a duty upon the Colqtroller co first satisfy hinwl.f that th3 wcrrclat i% questfOR h:\sbeea.lost or destroyed. The Grnot kUlgUAgaOf the -tioh i:, aa ~O~OV~S:,+.gj

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mnorabl8 Gee. E. Sheppard, Pnge 4 

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# 1

i Under tho facts as s&ted in this question where

8period of seven yenrs has elapsed, oinoe the warrant8 ve*e last aotually knownof a nu:%barof natural possibiliticzs arise. Th9warrants in question mlight hirv8been assigned, they could have been given as seourity fey e d9bt, Or diSSOSCdOf in any one Of sePera1 Ways. !?hsre-

. puired uffidavit ohould of cour3c include all mttsrs that &ght throw light on th9 lost warrants, Eiozever, ~thestattms leave broad discretion in the hands of the Cornptrollsr andalso oomaads himindependently to satisfy bitiself as to the exact status of the warrent in question, it ri0ula beWithin -his power to rofrrse to issue a duplicate warrant notsithstacding tha filing of-the bond and the affidavit, if hewas not satisfied that the warrants in qu99tion were not assigned, pledged, or disposed of in BOLW proper and regular macner.

In mcwer to your second question, w5 3b0uia first deternlne tho type of instrument and nature of such awarrant, In Taxaa Ztxisprudonce, Volume 11, p. 605, Sactio?l 118, we find warrant doscribed in this manner:

Chile rrarru?lts are, in the ordinary form of commercial p&per, they donot povseos the quality of such paper, they are not negotiable instrumuts * * *.I* IIo~~::Bvcr,

warrants z.aybe aosiSn9d andthe assignee has ever right of the original payee. See Speer V, Stute, 55 S. W. 924) 95, 123 T'ox. Cr. sop, 185; City of Bclton V. iIarri8 TLYl3t Wings, 275 S. Y;. 014, affirnad ES5S. Vi.lG4.

It is a vi911 sottlod rule that awarrant is evidence of an obligation oa the past of the State or one of its divisions to pay n certain ~~'11 of macy. Obligntious cf this nmm arc troatod as p9rnonal property nhdare the subject of inhoritancs~. !'~arrants, by th8i.r nature, Piould be Chiusifiod v;ith ot!mr non-negotiable obligations due the estate Ofthe decoaced. ,I

You are theretors respectfully advised t&hatunder the facts as you state thez, and provided tkt the statute in quo&ion is clomly folkmod, the Coiaptroller is authorized to issue duplicate Confederate p9n;lon Warrants; and in ahsworto youx second question, that Confederate pencion warrvnts are the suhjcct of inhoritcnco for tho beucfit of the dccoased ~nnior,ar (s estate.

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....._..:.. .. :;,,;..'-'i So Yours very truly