Imperativepublia neaessity. h&~ that the COA8tfbltiOlrP]. XW- '.quiriagBlllsto bsread on three separatb days be, ana tho same is hereby suspended,'and th5.aAot shall take ef?eot end shalL be in foroe on the dates protidedfor herein after the date .oiits enaotment,and it is so.ea- acted.* At the outset of our oonsitderation of your r&quest 'we are aoatrontedwith the questionoi.srhether the tax and the _*. ._.- '.+._'.L ' . ,>a - _' .
?onorable W. R. Chm&B, Page 7
approprIatIon of the revenue8 derived therefrom 8z?e for a "pub110 purpo80" a8 requI&%d by the ConBtItutIon of this state. Article VIXI, SeotIoA 3 of the Texa8 Cona*Ituti.on reads aa followsr 'Terxesshall be levied and collected by general law8 end for publia purpoae~ only." Artme XVI, a~otio~ 6 or the codmai~ ~~~~~~~~ : . . *so appropriation for private or In- dividuol purpowa 8hall be made. . . ." , Sub8tmtlally the same factor8 must be considered * In applying each of the foregoing coDstItutIoAa1 limltatlorm and.we will therefore dl~cu~8 them together. We also note here that the portion of the bill levying the tax, and that deBIgAatIAg the purporre8 for wh.lch'therevenue8 therefran may be expended are 80 clorraly related and iaseparably tied togmther that theyoanoot be se@irated 80 th8t.0~0 might stand and the other S&Cl. San Antonio SndepbAdeAt Soh 01 Dlstrlut v. St&e, 173 8. W. 525; 39 Tex. Jur., p. 22 ii9 and jcase8 there cited. This ~ame.pri~oIpls Is applicable to Section 7 of the Bill providing ths several purp08e8 for . which the moneys my be sx?ended. It would h8rdly be p088iblr to say that if'OA6 of the UB~B eA\mserStdtdshould be other than a public purpose, the Leglalature would Aever- the1088 enact the Bill with the 881&erevenue8 to be ured for more reatrlatsdpurposea. We shall therefore COAfIne our ooAsIde~tIon to the ,levy of the tax for the purpose of "praaotlon of s&lea of rice and rice produc$~." The title a&d emergaAay~alau8e of the Bill le6vea no doubt,but~that by thl.8,it 18 IAteAbd to ff.AliAMsnd ChdUCt A publicity and advertl8ing csplpeig~t0 pr0180t08Ad IAOCeaBO the Bale of rioa and It8 products, It must therefore be determined .I whethoT thl8 1B.a publio.purpo8e am that term Is employed IA the COABtItutiOA Of Texa8. What coABtItute8.a publio purpose or use, as dIB- tinguiahed f'roaa private purpone, tor which taxes'may be levied and pub110 fu~ds~expended, h8B been repeatedly before the court8 of pracltioallyevery state in tha Union snd the Supreme Court of the WAIted States. But no court has ' undert8ken to lay dorm with minute detail a~ insxorable rule that would distinguish the 0110troa"tbw other. Obviously, A0 Bush rule oould be4 lirlddown, ior iti8 a'flexlble oon- cept whkh must be oonsldered with*.refemence to the facts, * II) - . . . .
ZiOAorableW. R. Chsmbe~~~, Page 8
a1ScumatBnce8, and purposes in each particular case aAd which Elap expand and COAtLYkOtWitbthe~AeCeBBitieB tUld COl@UitieB of life IA the democratic state. The d8CistOAa Of the courts bEIvenot been unlfom OA this subject and It must be recognized that the modem trend