77 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Iionorabls hanala Q. Markls, Chalrr~on 

cr:eeittce on Con6tibutlo&ull Alxendwntr 

tath &~.aloturo 

Austin. Tsrm 

Deer I.%. Marklo: 

UpGQ the abar. 

our request for im opI::lon 

r es 10114118: 

, hss inotruotrd ma 

pinion on 8. J, R. lb. 

I em enolo8lng. 

sirea to know whothor., lY 

a part or our Coartltutlon, 

requlro bha consolidation o? 

dbtrfot an4 cbunty olerka Ia rll 

81 than 30,000 peraon#, or whotber 

,ptmm ~36th the inaiviauai 00mie8. 

t be naor5sary lar thr Lo&8latun to 

neblina Aut to put into ePfeat the aonstltutional provl8,lon? 

*In this sosneotion, tbs CWmittee OS116 your 

littcntlon to %o. 20 of i&t. 5 OS the Con8titution, 

on the aubjoot of iiouatp Clrrks, end to 3ea. 9 of 

the mm8 brtiale, on the mbJe,ot oi Distrlat Clerks. 

:'e noto thet the lrttapr ~~eotloil doa* not oontain 

the eraeption oaritdlnsa ia ttifi fornar, WI th mgrra 

tQ OOlutti,e8 Of WW3ll ~O~Ul~tiOfi.” 
Thr rcsolutloa saritlrned omsnds .%ctlon 20 o? 

krtlalo V, c? tho Conotituticrn, ao 45 to reed as ?t;llowsr 

m%Otlon 20. Than shell be calacted ror eeab 

oounty, by the quauriea voters, a oounty olerk, 

who 4hsll hold h18 oftioe for two earn’, who 8k411 

bm olsrk oitha Bounty rnd cram%48 i onem* aowt8 

ma reoorder o? t&4 aountf, who84 duties perqulsit04 ana r-4 or ori s&811 ba prr4oribea br 

the trglslrture, 0na a voaonoy in whose 0rri00 

rhall be ?lllOa by the 001PPi8410Dbr8' Oourt, until 

the next eoaeral al*otlon ?or oou4t ana 4t4tr oifloarr: provlaaa, that In oountlea L vlng 9 popstm 0r 1let38 th- thirty tm44*a (30,000) p~40fi4, 

to k detormlnea st rng tlm by the 184t preoedlng 

Federal oen4u8, thbre sly k 80 ale4tlon or a 

4inglle olork, uho shall pU?Orm the duti48 o? Dintrlot tuba County Clorkm.* 

%tatlon 20 o? Artlols V of th6 "tata Constltutlon, 

as It now rxlsts, la on ?oll4w4r 

*‘lhere 4h811 b4 &8oted ?or uah ao&mty, bl 

th0 gU8iifi~a VQtU4. II OOUUtY OiUk, Who 4h4ii 

ho14 t?i4 Orrio r0r tu0 yoera, who 4hal.l b4 the 

olork o? the oounty and oamml4#lorAu4* oourto end 

rooortlu of the oount$, u&one dutlrs, porqul8ltar 

saa re64 or orriae shall b0 prosorlbd by tibrr 

lo~i~l~two, end 4 veaona~ in rho40 o??tfoe a*11 

bs ~.fUlcd by the ooti841ts&er8* OOU?~, until th4 

next gencrrel elooticn ror oo4z~t7 and 8tok orrioer4; 

provided, that in oounti44 troving a popuhtloo or 

ietw than 6,000 percPo::r, tbsre may ba en aleotion 

of a single alrrk, wbo @hall par'tom thci dutle8 

G? dl8triat and acunty ale**.* 

m3 raroglng pmmimioa 0r the oonatl tution 1s a 

pert or the Comstltutlon or 1876 a@ ho8 not Baea 8mendad. The 

78 
Ron. Doneld Lf. Uerkle, paga 3 

4e.74 ie tri.4 OS ':satlcn 9 , !wtlole V,of the ftete Conatitueon. '4ction 9, Art1414 v, of tha 

it now &late, providea: 

State Conatltutlan 88 

*There ate11 be a olork for the dlatrlot oourt 

o f ea o h c o unty, wh o 8ha 11 k l laotttd by the quelifled ,voterr oi the atatb and ocmntg oftioera, who 

ahell hold hfa otfloo ior two yeera, 8ubJeot k, removal by infonmtion, or by innblotamnt of thy #and 

Jury, and oonvlotiou by 0 p&It Jury. In oaae of 

vrroenoy, tbr Judge Of the 418triOt court ah011 have 

the pomr to appoint a dlork, *ho uhall hold until 

the oiiioo oen be ill104 b y l leotion. * 

Art&ales 189&, 1903, and 1935, Vsmonsa &mutated 

Civil Stetutea, prevlde a8 iollowa~ 

*.Art . 189b. The crlerk of the blatriot aour o? 

l aoh oounty ahell be 01eo~4 et eaoh gOrural eleotlon 

for e tars! o? 2 yeara. Blob auoh alerk aball hero 

powor to edmial8t~r oaths sad atfinn irauwme required 

la the dlroharge Or their OfilOIal Uutiea, $0 take tb 

bepoaition8 of wItneeao8, 4nU gaturally to p~rforsl all 

rruah Uutloa aa em or met be irap upon hla by law. 

“Art. 1903. Xn oountlea harIng a populetloa oi 

leas than 8,000 peracm, aooordiag to the preaOdir?g 

Federal Conaua, OZQJ one clerk a&e11 ba eIooto4. Re 

*haSi teka the oath an4 glvr t.be bun4 requirra of 

olerka of both the Ulstrlot end county court*, em4 

shell have the porora en4 parform the 4utImr of awh 

olorka r(lapeotlvely.w 

*Art. 1935. k 014rk or th0 43arnty 0Olirt 0r l a0h 

muntr aha11 be l leotsd at l Ooh general l leotlon ror 

a term or two yeera. Xaoh auo)? clerk ahe bo cut horIacd to issue all mrrirge LIalill~eS, to adainiater 411 

oaths and rffirmationa, en4 to take erri4mlta On4 

depoaItIon8 to he use4 88 protic by law In any of 

the 0abrta.* 

The s&y matsrlal ohange the propoaad amendment makea 

ir ‘eotloa 20 ir thet It raiaw8 the llmlt OY the population 
Hon. Ikaald 1. Markle, page 4 

or those oountlea In whloh %here may be an l leotlon of a 

single clerk” rrau *leas then 8,000 persOnam to a1eaa than 

30,000 pera0na.~ 

Artlole 1158, Revised Statutes of lq9, provided: 

“Qi eountiea haviag l population of leas than 

IS.000 persona, ohly one elork shall be eleete4,who 

ahall take the oath an4 bond required of elerka of 

both aZ the 4latrlot and oounty eourta an4 rho ahal& 

have the. powara ad perfern all the duties of au& 

alerka roapeetivelg.w 

The provIaIcma ab said Artlolo have ken brought torwar4 In l abatantlally the amae ~lengumge In a11 mbaeqa*nt rerlafona of the statutes. TJie pnaonb statute Is Artiole 1903, 

quote4 above. 

By the l ~otmant of Ad&. llSg, a short tire d 

8 

r the 

Oonatitutlon ml adopted, the 18gfalature eon#trueU’the;,. onatltutlonal gemI aIon wader eoMid4rBtiOa not l 4lf-auou$l.i&. guoh 

has been the eonatruotlon of a11 leglalaturea whloh hare oon- 

~,ened alnoe 1879 for the statute has not been materially e’hmged. 

It la stated’ In Texas furIrpru4rnoe, Vol. 9, pega 423: 

While e oonatltutI0~ la tamally a me19 deolrretlon 

of prlnoiplra of 0rganIe an4 tuadamental law, In au* 

raahion that a oonatltutlonrl proriaion my be ortablIahe4, an4 yet remain wIthoist forae or l otivity until 

the 'adoption cb l~gislatlon whiuh sarrlea it into eiieat, yet ft Is entirely wItbIn the poarra ot wople to 

adopt provIsiona whleh are ~aelf-ex~outlngl or whloh 

are operative wIthout legl@LatIon. 

*A oonatltutlonal provlaion may be aaI4 to k. #elfexaoutlpl ir It supplies e auifieient rule by m44n4 or 

tiloh a right given mey be enjoy04 end proteeteb m a 

duty imposed way be l nfcxee4; It la not aelWexeeuting 

where It merely indiaate a prinoiple, without ley%ng 

down eagr rules by mama of whIuh the prInolple may b4 

given the fores of law. A provision wbiob dedlarea 

thet *eaoh shore holder . . . . ahell be paraamlly 

liable ror all the debts of woh 4orporst4 body . ...* 

I* *elf-oreouting. gut a oonatItutIoaa1 Inhibition 
Ron. Donald Y. garkls, Peg6 5 

8t 

,..A, 

against usury condemning *sll 00ntreot.s ror a 

greater ret4 of Interset than ten psr oentum 

p4r annum’ aa uaurloua, Is self-exeoutlng only 

to the extent of rendering usurious oontraota 

Illegal. The power end duty of fixing penalties ior vIolatIona of the oonetitutlonal provlai~on is delegeted to the legialeture.a 

Art4r oarefully oonaIderIng the toregoing proposed 

amendment to S4otIon SO, Art1016 V, at the State Constitution, 

It la our oplnlon that said provlaI0n la not eelt-ex4outIng 

in that It merely IadIoat4a the principle, without leying down 

any foroe of law. The proposed emendment la e mere dealantlon of prlnolples of orgenlo end fundementel law end remeina 

without foroe or aotlvity until the edo tion of leg5aletion 

whloh oarrlee it into 0rr40t. st4t4a d iterontly, It 58 our 

opinion that In the event the propoard ammdment to raid 

SgetIon,zO la adopted en4 boo-8 e part of the UonatItut5an, 

that before said provlalon b&owes ot iOr or l otITe, It 

would be necessary for the legialeture to enact proper legIalatlon k, oarry said provIaIon Into eiieot. (See Corpus Jurla 

Seoundum, Vol. 16, tiger 100-110 and authorities oited therein). 

??a believe t&et-th6 foregoing statement disposer 0f both 

qu4atIona under oona5deratlon. 

Xoura vefy truly, 

ATTOBaBYOEiTlZRAL OP TFZAS