OFFICE OF THE AriORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

Eonomblo BUnof L&mm 

88orotar 

g 

oi Btate 

Au8tln. uaa 

tated Civil 

OonBtrusd in 

8ral.a Oplnlon 

so . 1QU, 

was held that Artiha ariidatit thsrein 

r a l l leo tloon nly. 

er prevalmt opinion among 

ofrlaiala that the reoent 

08 supreme court in the Lunnlo 

tend the oonstruatton to be plaoea 

refom plsmo advise thin department 

q0n the r0fi0uf ng tnquiryt 

w0ola the a.rria.wit to support the constitution 

and lake 0s the thittea state0 and or ~~38 bs riled by 

Osndidatea in the prisary olaatlon8 aa well aa by oandldates in the general l leotion?" 

&id &lole EXi78a, Yernon'r nnnoteted Clvll Statutea. 

Wden, in mubstanao, that no oanaiaate ror any office ahall have 

za naum appear u&m the offlalal~ballot unless and until he tiles 

! Ptfldarlt with the seoretary or State, in form 88 presorlbsd 

V the attorney Gfmeral, that li eleatea he will i3upport -a asrend . . 
-norable aidney Latham, page 2 ; 246 

the Constitution and laws oi the United States and of Texas. 

That hs believes in, approves of and if eleated will support 

and dsrend our present representative rorm or government, and 

will realst any 8rr0rt or moveunsnt mm any sour00 whloh seeks 

to subvert or destroy the same or any part thereor. Ssotion 

2 thereof provides that the name or no candidate or nominee or 

any polltloal party whose prlnolplss lnalude any thought or purp080~ or sstting mat8 reprssentatlve r0ti 0r government aa aubatituting thereior any other form of goverumsnt shall be permitted 

on said orilalal ballot. Ssatloti 3 of said Article provides that 

no 0~aidfm or nomlnse 0r the Conmun~st Party, or the Baolst Party 

0r the rSss1 Party, shall ever be tcti0w8a a plaoe on eaia 0rri0ial 

ballot. 

our said Opinion Bo. 0+2S holds, In substenos, that 

Bouss Bill 222 (ArtSole 2978a) 10 limited by its oaptlon to general 

eleotlons; sald~Artials 2978aj notwithstand~ing its broad langnags 

inoludlng general and primary elsatlons, should be given effeot 

only within suoh limits prescribed by its caption, i, e., the 

oiflalal ballot in general eleotlous. 

We shall not attempt here to interpret generally the 

hold- oi the United Statsa Supreme court in the oase of Lonnie 

E. Smith, Petitioner, v. 5. B. A.llwrlghtj: Eleotlon Judge, and James 

.E.. I&IBM, Aseoalats Elsotion fudge, 48th Prealnot of Barr18 County, 

Texas, rendered on April 3, 1944. 

However, ior the purpose or answering your query, m 

p0lnt out that the orux 0r such holding seem'to be expressed in 

ths w&de of said Court aa followa: 

"We think that this statutory systsmibr the 

selection 0r party nomlneea ror lnoluslon on the 

general e&eatlon ballot make8 the party which 1s required to follow these legislative direotlons an 

agsnoy of the stats in so far as it determines the 

participants ln a primary slsctl0n.s * * 

"When prlmariea beoama a part of the maohinery 

ror ohoosingofiioials-, stats and national, as they 

havs hers, the same tests to determine the oharacter 

ot dissr@ination or abridgement should be applied 

to the primary as are applied to the general eleation." 
-L @norable sianey Latixm, p’s@ 9 

A$ 1u, pbO0 in Sda OpiRiOn a008 the cOUrt Ownly OOnfuse tb identity or gonotion or a primary *lsetlOn with that of 

a gen~ai 0i00ti0n, thou& it a008 bda, aa shorn In the next 

abote qt&ation, that thq are eaoh part8 of tho aame Waohlnory 

fur oho&n(l orrioiala, state and national," *hioh la, in ltaslr, 

_ 0 qlstinotion between the two. 

IO th#i&.lt ir 810~ that the Court in rcUerrlngto 

*the 8s.w toot8 to dstennino the oharaotor or dimwimlnation or 

l b r idmmwt ,î areant those tmt,s provIdea for in the Fodoral ConThe qaeetlon.oi the applioabllltf and oonstruotlon or 

16 89?8a was not before tho Coort, atid amm is not msnl ithar air0otly or lndlr0otl~, in 6da opinion. 

18 any baa18 to r0m that the 

i&M ot al. oai., supra, morgue tb 

with that 0r a pnordl on0 M, ari 

sxolu8lvoly to one, aDply tu 

this department that Ouzl 

the hQldin6~ sxprbsssd there8 (A*1010 2978a) apply $0 

atiollil, and ln genotial elections 

Your* very truly 

ATTORWEY 02IUCRAL OF TEL%9 : 

BY l&-&A?. t?zzzzm 99.: 

Robert L. Lattlmore,Jr. 

Ass,istan t '.