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E OWNEY GENERAL TEXAS R-462 AURTIN 1~.TExas PRICE DANIEL ATTORNEY GENERAL June 23, 1947
Hon. C. A..Poundr opinionNo. V-262 CountyAttorney Chamber6County Re: Local option ntaturof Anahuac,Texan JurrticePrecincta,Num- bers 1, 2, 5 and 6 In Dear Mr. Pounds: ChambersCounty.
You have requestedan opinionconcerningthe local option statusof JusticePrecinctsRumbers1, 2, 5 and 6 in ChambersCounty. Due to the fact that you have net forth the pertinentfact6 concerning each precinctin eeparateletters,and have requesteda reparateopinion on ~theatatua of each precinct,we shall considerthem In numericalorder. Your letter relatingto Ju6ticePrecinctNo. 1 18 aB follows:
"In the year 1898, a local optionelectionwae held In JusticePrecinctHo. One of ChambersCounty,,Texas, which resultedin the sale of intoxicatingliquorsbeing prohibi- ted thereinand in 1933 a local optionelectionwan held In said PrecinctNo. One to determinevhetheror hot the sale of 3.2 beer shouldbe legalizedwhich electionreeultedin prohibitingthe sale of such beer, and in 1936 a county-wide electionwas held in said ChambersCountyto determinewheth- er or not the rale of all alcoholicbeverageashouldbe le- galizedin said County,which electionrelrulted in favor of legalizingthe Bale of mch beverages.
"Pleasebe kind enoughto adviseme whetheror not said PrecinctNo. One shouldbe claaseda8 a wet area or a dry area."
We aamme throughoutthin opinionthat all election8referred to have been held in accordancewith the constitutional and statutory requirement8in effectat the time of said electionsand that they are valid in all respects.
The electionof 1898 which resultedin prohibitingthe male of intoxicatingliquorsin JurticePrecinctNo. 1 wae held under authority of ArticleXYI, Section20 of the Texas Constitutionas adopted In 1891. This provlalonwan aB follown:
"The Legislatureshall at it.8firat seanionenact a law wherebythe qualifiedvoters of any county,justice'sprecinct, town, city (or such subdivisionof a countyam may be designated ..- ,--_
Hon. C. A. Pounds,page 2 (v-262)
by the commissionerscourt of said county),may by a majorityvote, determinefrom time to time whetherthe sale of Intoxicatingliquorashallbe prohibitedwithin the prescribedlimits."
ArticleXVI, Section20, aa above set out, remainedin effect from l&l until 1919 when the prohibitionamendmentwas adopted. This provision,in part, stated:
"The manufacture,sale,barter and exchangein the State of Texas, of spirituous,vinour or malt liquorsor medicatedbitters capableof producingintoxication, or any other intoxicantwhateverexcept, for medicinal,me- chanical, scientificor sacrsmentalpurporen,are each and all herebyprohibited."
The prohibitionamendmentof 1919 remainedin effect until August 26, 1933, when at en electionthe so-called"beer amendment"was adopted. ArticleXVI, Section20, as adopted in 1933, provided:
"Sec. 20 (a). The manufacture,sale,barter or ex- change in the State of Texas of spirituous,vinous or malt liquorsor medicatedbitters capableof producingintoxi- cation,or any other intoxicantwhateverexcept vinoue or malt liquorsof not more than three and two-tenthsper cent (3.2$)alcoholiccontentby weight, (exceptfor medicinal, mechsnical,scientificor sacramentalpurposes)are each and all hereby prohibited. The Legislatureshall enact laws to enforcethis Section,and may from time to time prescriberegulationsand limitationsrelativeto the manufacture,sale, barter,exchangeor possessionfor sale of vinous or malt li uore of not more than three and two- tenths per cent (3.23) alcoholiccontentby weight;pro- vided the Legislatureahall enact a law or laws whereby the qualifiedvoters of any county,justice'sprecinct, town or city,may, by a majorityvote of those voting, determinefrom time to time whetherthe sale for beverage purposesof vinous or malt liquorscontainingnot more than three and two-tenthsper cent (3.a) alcoholby weight shallbe prohibitedwithin