OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

. June 14, lQS9 /' 

Eionorable Tom C. King 

State AuQltor a xtrrisieaey mpwt 

Austin, Tent3 

Dear Sirt 

Pa hare r0r a0 

19x1, whaieia ~'00 refer 

lettar of Euns 8, 

mat-mot attaohad 

to your letter, 

State Boerd ot mreur Aamoiaoh the Board of 

Conourrsnt )ieaolutare, plaoer the 

acfnto Eeuorial 

Tower in said s the use or said buildlng 

inoludi!q the lnatallaNoel museum, and authorizes 

rs and to operate a comesng, the loaatioa of the aonaeaiah they am to be operated to 

seoaiatlon and spprovod by the Board 

e oplnlon ot this Degartment~upon the 

"1. Ooee the above mentioned oontract vlolatr 

krtiole Three (3) Section Fifty-one (51) of the 

State Constitution, or does thb drlrgatloa of woh 

~ovsmmental authority to a self psrpstuatiag aorporation rlolats any part or provision of the Constitution 0r thin Stats? 
mm: 

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Hon. Tcs C. King, Jam 14, 1939, Page 2. 

*2. It question ISumber 0ua 18 anmrarsd in the 

nogatire, would uhargos far elevator senloo be 

pub110 monies end es suoh subjeot to State control? 

"2. U quartion litamber Oxi* is enowered In tha negatito, ooa the pollolng mar of the b:saorfel ba 

delegated to the aorparatiou? 

-4. If quoatlnn Eumber One $8 answered in the negetiva, would tha,titla to saored hiatorloal doeumanta 

or objoots purahaaad dth iuads or tare aarned by 

the oorporatian BSOOIW the property of the Eltak, 

or would they ra8in the property of t&o oorporatloa mbjsot to rhatoror dl~p01~1tl0~ the 44li p4r- 

&mtuatieg body shouldapalto Mtha? 

=5* KLf queStiOn Xuabsr On4 should be answered in 

the negetlro, da4 the oontreot requirement of approve1 46 the Board of Control of the rules promulgated by the oorporetion, ror tb4 operetlon or 

the Xlripculal, oonatituta thr oorporatlon an 4aplo744 

of the Board of Control, or would it be ooastrued 

that tha Board of Control ir gfron roguletorr 

authority over the oorporatlon by oontraot; anb ii 

tha answer 14 t&i lattsr, what would be the sffeet 

of approval or disapprotel of tho Boerd, and would 

4a4h ml44 ar th4 oorjwntlon b4 4rr40tit4 prior 

to the abprovil ofths Board7 It la intondsd that 

this qusstfoa lnalude the provl~lon under whloh 

the corporation ia authorized, 'To make a maso& 

able oherge, tobe approved by the Board, for the 

use of the elevator to the obmtnetion toner in 

the top of the sheit.' 

"6. If qusetion Number On6 le answered in the nrgatire, would the prorlalon la ssotion 8i.x (6) or 

tbe oontraot reierrlag to ths lBalanoe, if any, 

to bo used on the grounds of the San Jaolnto State 

park under the dlrootlon of the Board of Control* 

be funda to bs dopositsd into ths State m495ulf, 

or wuuld those tundo be l dralnlster&d by the OorForatl on1 

“7. If question flambsr One is in the negatlra, 

does the provlrlon of motion 81x (61 0r the aontraot; *The A~mulatlon shell nzbmft to th4 Board 

ror approval, a dotallod monthly report of all Oollootleas and expsadltursa of these fund8’ man that 

tb4 rorporation 10 4 Stat4 agomy aoatnetins to 
Bon. I'ma C. King, June 14, 1939, Fuge 3. 

prrorm this rumtloa of ejovrrment? 

“8. It qusstion Ono.14 in the rtegatlvo, dooo the 

provision in Section (8) OS the contract In addition to other provisions, *... shell tarmloeto and 

the San feolnto Memorial Tower shall revert to the 

Stat4 of Tore8 . ..* oonatltut4 thr 008traot, as a 

loaao agreement of this publio property, to the 

oorparati on?* 

Your Slrrt question la enavorsd la the nogatlre. 

Th4 bontraot does not violato hrtiole S, Sootion 81 oi our 

ConatltutioB, nor 60 far as 10 lm+o obaormd, ray other 

portion or orovldo~ oi the Ooaatitutioa oi Tozaa. Th4. 

A 

l uthority or the state 0r T4raa to rntrr into aormaota 

or this ohareoter van a&&old la the oaae or Conlay is. 

Deughtera ait the Republio, 166 S. W. 197; whlahrea a oeao 

d44llag vlth en Aat af the L4gial4ture 0r the stat4 0r 

Tox44 l uthoriaing the Qoromor to deliver the Ale160 property boldnglng to the Stat4 into the ouetody end oar4 

oi ths Deughtere of the Republic of Texas, to be melntelnad 

by them In good ardor and ropelr, without ohergs to the 

State, as a aeor4d mamorlel to the hero68 who lmolated 

theimaelv48 upon the hellowns& grounde. The Suprome Court 

or the State of.Texas, in that oeee, upheld tha'powrr of 

the Leglsleture of Texas thus to provido for th4 oar4 and 

custody 0r Its prop4rty, atatlng that the State ha8 the 

44ne right.8 and pm4rt in roepect to lta property as en 

individual. Speclflaally, the Court etated: 

*a4 are of o9lnlon that the Stats, acting 

by its Legislature, had the euthority tc acqulra 

title to the Alamo property l nC to place that propsrty In the custody of the aorpomtlon, the 

Daughter6 of the Republlo.w 

us to the question of ~olloy involved, the Court had 

this to say: 

This quclatlon is aekod: 'Should a Stat4 

odt Its lntercsta to oorp0retlons7* This 

Qourt has naught to do with the policy OS th. 

Stat0 on that qu46tion.* 

Tour asoond qumatlon is amwersd In the affirrMtiv4. 

By Seation 6 of ths oontraot, it le oontsnpletad that the 

oorQOr4~Oa, aa tXU6t44 ior th4 Stet4, shell us4 th0 mOnO]r 
Hon. rm c. King, inma 14, lOSO, Peg0 4. 

OollaOtad from operatiag the 816vetOr to defray the upenea8 

of operating tha alaretor, peylne: janitors end mtohmen, end 

ror mainteaeaoe end polIoIng of the buildfag, and ror oomplylng with the general term8 or tha racrolution of the Leglelatare In reapoat to lneurenoe, with thm balaws of said aonaye, 

l e well as the balenoe or ths net prorite remaining 6rtst 

tha p6p6nt 0r 9~0h'6fp6n6e8, to be ueed on the ground6 of 

the SUI JeoInto State Eark under the dlraotion cb ths Boer& 

of Control. The raotlon provides that the corporatloa shall 

suteeit to the Boezd, r0r approval, a dot&lad nonthly report 

or 611 oolleotlonr end upcndIturae of eaoh runds. xt IO 

tharetors oontcllPplatsd br ths oontreot that expendlturae of 

SUO~ randa 

tile state, 

tha Stata 

The money8 era thus subjeot to State oontrol In the 

uenee that the,stete lne the right to i66 that su6h moneys 

arc orpadded by t hc ctirporation in eooordenoe with tha term8 

end pror~8Ione cf the contract and of the resolution of tho 

Leglelature. 

Your third qiwetloa 16 anewwed in the afiirntatire. Ttm authority of the Legislature to plaoe’ the duty 

or polloing the memorial In ths hands of the oorporation 

hea been suatulned by the oaee of ConUp VS. Caughters of 

tha Rspubllo, above raferred to. 

Your fourth question Is answered In the nsgatlre. 

The dlspoaltlon of the net profits oollsoted from sailing 

eowbairs and operating a oonceaslon and the money collectad fro= operating the elevator Ie provided by Seotloa 6 of 

the oontroot. The ooatraot ooatezpletes only that tha 

asmoiatlon ehall use euoh laonays for the purposee speoifled thereln, to-wit: (1) Expense8 0r operatlag the elevetor. (2) Paying janitors and watobmen. (3) Expensae 

of maintenance and polloine or the building. ( 4) For oomplying with the penerel tsm of the iesolution In respect 

to Iasurenoo. (5) The balenoe oi ths net prorltr alter 

suoh we8 ham beea aede, is required to be used on the 

grounds of the San Jaolnto State Perk, uader the dir8OtiOn 

or the Board 0r control. 

It Is not oontanpbtsd by the oontract or by the 

resolution that any soared h.letolicel documntr or object8 

purohered rlth suab rustle or Tee6 shell beaoms the propert 

d the eorpor a tlror o n, It Is l rpreesl~ provided in the 

nrolution 6nd In the oontreet thet the l a so eIa tIOT o n 
Hen. la a. lUn&, Juno 14, 1939, *se 8. 

eorporetion rhall sot l o trustee ror the Stat0 In nepbot 

to th8 aare, eustodj, and Oontrol 6f the Ben feeinto 

X4notiel TOWSl' without eharge to th8 Stete of Texas), sol 

to @mit tBe we Or 8uOh rW88 to pUrOh448 wo&Wrty whloh 

I6 to beloolq to the ooa!poretlan, rettier thao to the Stats, 

would be ompeiwatlng meh oorporetIon ror ruoh serrfoee. 

Furthermore, 'the oontraot iteel# does 8ot oonta 

thet cay ef euoh rond8 shall bo used ror pure&e 

Seared hhtO?ieSl 6OOUaantB OF objects. my SUOh property &8 purolmsed b y the l *e00Ieth4r9r0a-0, tlo a , would 

,b9 hO1.d b UIh l SOOO~ti~, it pUSOh484d rdth 8UOh ruod8, 

88 trustee r0rthe Stete, and not in it8 propriotwy 08PSitr. 

Eowrer,.ell?urnftfUo tiktuk48 4nd 4qoiprUtt 

inetelled ta aefd bnllhI& bpf aid et the eXpease.& the 

l eeoeIetIoa, peid r0r dth its own md8, en& all of St8 

hIetorIeel &.~k, mt8riel 484 eollootion8, mid for with 

it4 om run44 andqr the prwir~on8 0r seotioa 8 or the 

oontraot, oon&me tti brlw to sad reaeln the pomrty of 

the aeeoeietion. 

Aarrirlng yeur rmh questton, you ue edrleed 

thet the stetus of the e4rporetio4 h48 been detexuiMU by 

the ease et ConLif r8.‘7haghtera ai the Ropabllo, sapre, 

t0 b8 that of tN8tM. The oaee reromd to stetesr 

*We are et oplalon that by th a lo o ep teno e 

or the t0m8 oi the statute, 'the corporation 

beom a trustee ror the Steto.~ 

Seation 8 of the oontreot ooata8plet*8 that the 

looatlon or the oono4ssfons end tha ruler under uhloh tboy 

are to.b4 operated are to be sateblIaha4 by said essoolatlon end 4pproved by the Board ot Control. It Is lik4rIre 

Oontarpleted by said reotloa thet tbs oherge to bo nade by 

the l asooietion for the uee of tbs elevator to ths obserretlon tomr is to b4 epprordd by th4 Board ot Control. 

Seotlon 6 of the aontreot likawiae oont4apletee 

that e datefled monthly report of 411 aolleetion8 end l Xpwlditures 0r rundr dorived mm sellins soweairs, opsretin6 the 001m48don, end iron op4mstIng tho eleretor, shall 

be mda to aa4 l pprwml by the State Board of aontrol. 

fn our opinion, the NleS of the oor~etlon 

roold not be l rreotlve prior to the apprcnel of the Board, 

nor rolrld the oorpOr4tlon b4.eathorIzed to melu any oherge 

ror the use at the l lw*tor fir’she l boenm of its prim 
c 

Eon. lar U. King, Juae 14, 1939, Fage @. 

l ppr wel by the Bo er d. 

IB o ur o p lnh n, the b elearoee r ur ed to ln yeu 

sixth question oonetitutes a tNet fua& to bs ho14 by 

the trustee, the oorpuatloa r0r the asarad Eukeflt ef 

tha Stab, and to be expend br the tN4tOa oorpaeatiea 

on tbe gramIs of the &a JIoInto Skte Furl 66 ray k 

directed by the Board of Control. 

Tour reventh queatlon baa olraedy been l wwend. 

The 8orparetion is 4 tmstee, 8nd tithe 8ddnletnbioaL of 

th* trust in, by the tens 0r the eontnot abjsot to the 

~upemleery-ooatrol c4 tha Bar4 af Cemtrof la the partlrular 

nrPeote inalorted l bwe. 

The elmnoter of ooatrol melnteImU by tho Bard 

18 further saJh8iZad by the. prorieloae or Saetloa T, wbloh 

nqulre the preperetloa by thm eor$or&tiox of neoeeury 

nxlem uSregulatf6ns oovering the l aplete oparetioa or 

the build:% end the 8UbdSdO~ of 8uOh tie8 and r’O&Ul~- 

dons to the Boerd for approval, end by the proviri~na of 

Seotion 0, whloh prwido that ir the'srent d a brueb by 

the oorporetlon of enf 0r the temw or l o mB~tio or ne the 

oontreot, the ooatr8ot et the option 0r the Eoard slmll 

termlnete and the 0en Jaointe Xuer%el Tower rwert to the 

por6e8ri4~1 or the Stete or Te&s, ~adl the Ti(Ihte Or the 

eseoeletion therein uhtil 0068e. 

Aaswarlng four eLghth question, the eontnot is 

a trust, ret&r then 4 loose, agreement, She d istinotion 

resting upon the ocpaelt~ in uhloh tbe eorpontion takes 

the posee8elQn 0r the proPertyc 

We trust tbt the abare l etisfeotOT~y en8ww8 

ell or youT illqulries. 

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A3WRltEYUBIPIL0?TEXh8