and arrangementsas maybe necessaryto operatesuah lines at and betweendifferentpointsinthis State:to own, hold, and use suoh lands,rightof way, easements,fknohises, buildingsandstruoturesasmay be neo- essaryfor the purposeof suoh oorporaticm."
"Art. 1436. RIGHT OFEAY. - Such corporatirmshall have the right and power to enter upon, condemnand appropriatethe lands,right of way, easementsand propertyof any person or oorperation,and shall have the right to ereot its lines over and aoross any publicroad, railroad,railroadright of way, interurbanrail- road, streetrailroad,oanal or stream in this State,any streetor alley of any incorporatedoily or town in this Statewith the oonsentand under the direotion of the governingbody of such city or town* Such lines shallbe construotedupon suitablepoles inthe most apprwd manner and maintainedat a height above the ground of at least twenty-onefeet; or pipesmay be placedunder the ground,as the exigenciesof the case may require."
Article 6021,Vernon'sAnnotatedCivil Statutes,providesin part that: HonorableFred Norris,page 4 (O-2274)
"The right to rua pipe lines, telegraphand telephonelines along,aoross or over any publicroad or highwaycaflonly bs exercisedupon oonditionthatthe traffic thereonbe not interferedwith, and that such road or highwaybe promptlyrestored to its formerconditionof usefulness,and tt;:rest~raticnthereofto be sub@& also to the supervisionof the canmissioners s:*>t!A or other proper local authori- ty. . . ."
It mas held in our OpinionNo. C-18,Xthat "the ooxwxissioners' court n?,uld not have the authori+yto grant a franchise%o the CentraiPower 60Light Company to coverthe county of Brewster,Texas." ':Jeare enciosinga copy of that opinion for your ooavenisnoe~
The generalrule governingpowersand limitationsof the CountyCommission- ers' court, as set out by the SupremeCourt in Commissioners Courtv. Xallace15 SW (Zd) 335, reads, in part as f 0110~s~
'The Commissioners'Court is a creatureof the State Constitution,and its powers are limitedand controlledby the Constitutionand the laws as passed bythe kg- islature. Art. 6, Sec. 18, Const.of Tex; BaldwinV. Travis County,58 sIA480; Sews& V. Falls County,246 S.W. 728; Bland F. Orr 39 SW 558." " Articles 2351 and 2372a,Vernon'sAunotatedCivil S:atutes,as emended, set out the variouspowers and dutiesof the Commissioners Court, andsretoo lengbhyto set out in this opinion. However,it shouldbe-pointedout that none of the above mentionedarti+zs,di&&y indirectly,gives the consnissioners' '1. courtthe power to issue a countyfranchiseix the abovementionedpower company.
In Tex. Jur.,Vol. 19, at pp. 876-879,we find the followinglanguagein regardto franchises:
"To be a franohisethe rightmust be of suoh a nature that, from empresslegisla- tive authority,it cannotbe exercised. . . . The legislativedepartmentof the Governmentis a souroe of the grant ,ofa franchise.e . . The Legislature,un- less constitutionallyinhibited,may exerciseauthoriw by directlegislation, or throgghagencies duly estaBlished, hating power for that xzrpose,"
It is a sell establishedrule that the commissioners' court ma~rexeroise only those powers specificallydesignatedby the Constitutienor the statutes, or those powers necessarilyimplied. The fact that a franobiseis a very special privilegegiven only by a direot legislativegrant cr by spsoifical;ly designated agenay,we must reach the conclusionthat the county commissionerscourt does not have the power or authorityto grant a countyfranchiseto a pewer canpa~pr.
It will 'benoted that Article 14:6 permits corporationslike the one here under consideration to erect its lines only "over and acmssn and not 'along" publicroads,etc. _ -
When a corporationas above mentionedereots and constructsits lines,