Case Name: ODEN v. GATES
Court: Texas Commission of Appeals
Jurisdiction: Texas
Decision Date: 1930-02-19
Citations: 24 S.W.2d 381
Docket Number: No. 1149—5446
Parties: ODEN v. GATES.
Judges: OURBTON, O. J. The opinion of the Commission of Appeals answering the certified quéstions is adopted and ordered certified.
Reporter: South Western Reporter Second Series
Volume: 24
Pages: 381–383

Head Matter:
ODEN v. GATES.
(No. 1149—5446.)
Commission of Appeals of Texas, Section B.
Feb. 19, 1930.
Walsh & Smith, of Wichita Falls, for appellant.
Dibrell & Starnes, of Coleman, for appel-lee.

Opinion:
LEDDX, J.
The Count of Civil Appeals for the Seventh Supreme Judicial District presents certified questions. We will recite such facts from the certificate as is deemed essential to properly answer the questions propounded.
On September 3, 1924, appellant Oden purchased a section of school land, which had theretofore been forfeited by the land commissioner for nonpayment of interest. The sale to him was admittedly void under the ruling of our Supreme Court in approving the opinion of the Commission of Appeals in Weaver v. Robison, 114 Tex. 272, 268 S. W. 133. Such sale, however, was validated by the Act of the 39th Legislature, c. -130, § 4 (B. S. art. 5311b), effective March 28, 1925, unless the owner of the section at the time of the forfeiture had legally reinstated the same under the proviso contained in such act. Such proviso reads as follows: "Provided, in cases where the sale award of the land advertised as aforesaid has not stood one year the owner of said land at date of forfeiture shall have the right to apply to the General Land Office for a re-instatement of said former sale upon tlie payment of all past due interest at any time within six months after the taking effect of this Act."
On September 1, 1925, the commissioner of the general land office received an application for reinstatement of the land sold to Oden from appellee Gates, who was the owner at the time of the forfeiture, accompanied by a remittance sufficient in amount to pay the interest due the state to November 1, 1924.
Appellant contends that the attempted reinstatement by the owner was ineffectual, as he was required under the proviso of the validating act to pay the interest accrued to the date of reinstatement, while appellee's view is that on September 1, 1925, there was but one year's interest past due, as under the contract sought to be reinstated annual interest installments were due on the 1st day of November of each year.
It is further recited in the certificate that at the time Gates filed his application for reinstatement of the forfeited section of land he inclosed deeds for filing with the land commissioner, showing him to be the owner of said survey, but that the commissioner returned the deeds on account of a correction necessary to' be made in the description of other lands not here involved, and that later, before the award was reinstated under his application, proper deeds were filed with the land commissioner, which showed that he was the .owner of the section at the time the same was forfeited.
Based upon the foregoing facts, the Oourt of Oivil Appeals seeks an answer to the following questions:
"(1) Did the failure of Gates to remit an amount sufficient to pay the interest up to the date of re-instatement, deprive him of the right under the statutes to have the original sale re-instated?"
"(2) Did the failure of Gates to file with the Commissioner conveyances showing a complete title in him on September 1st, 1925, authorize the Commissioner to re-instate the claim later on Jan. 5th, 1926, when title was shown to be complete?"
Did the Legislature, in requiring payment of all past-due interest as a requisite for the reinstatement of forfeited lands intend that applicants should be required to pay all accrued interest to the date of reinstatement, or only interest actually due under the terms of the contract sought to be reinstated? We think the latter view, is the .more reasonable interpretation of the legislative purpose.
It must be borne in mind that the Legislature was not authorizing the making of a new contract, but was making provision for the reinstatement of an existing one which had been forfeited for failure to comply with its terms. The requirements made by the statute must be viewed in the light of the provisions of the forfeited contract. That contract obligated the purchaser to pay interest installments annually on November 1st during the life thereof. When Gates, as the owner of the land, sought to reinstate the former contract- of purchase, the only interest due under the obligation assumed by' him was that payable on November 1, 1924. When he remitted on September 1, 1925, a sufficient amount to pay that installment, the original contract, according to its terms, was in good standing, as the next installment of interest would not be due until November 1, 1925.
But, it is urged that the provisions of article 5311b, providing for reinstatement, should be construed in connection with those of article 5326, which makes • provision for the ordinary reinstatement of forfeited school lands. Inasmuch as article 5326 represents the fixed policy of .the state for a long period of years as to the requirements for reinstatement of forfeited school land, we think it proper that the two statutes should be so construed.
Article 5326 provides for the reinstatement of forfeited school land by requiring the applicant to pay the interest due up to the date of reinstatement. Appellant insists that the policy of the state is thus declared to be that, in order to reinstate forfeited school land, all interest accrued up to the date of reinstatement must be paid. We are not able to adopt the view that this is a correct construction of article 5326.
The word "due" has a double meaning: (1) That the debt or obligation to which it applies has by contract or operation of law become immediately payable; (2) an existing indebtedness without reference to the time of payment, in which, it is synonymous with "owing," and includes all debts, whether payable in prassenti or in futuro. 3 Words & Phrases, Eirst Series, p. 2213.
The word is used on different occasions to express distinct ideas. Its meaning must necessarily depend upon the context and evident purpose intended. U. S. v. State Bank of North Carolina, 31 U. S. (6 Pet.) 29, 8 L. Ed. 308.
After the enactment of article 5326, which was originally passed in 1897, the department charged with the enforcement of its provisions construed the same as requiring the applicant for reinstatement to pay interest to the last annual interest payment period. This departmental construction was continued for a quarter of a century before the passage of article 5311b. It must be presumed that, when the Legislature passed the last-named statute, it knew the commissioner of the land office had interpreted arti- ele 5326 as not requiring the applicant for reinstatement to pay accrued interest to the date of reinstatement, but only that which was due under the terms of the contract which was being reinstated. If the Legislature, by the passage of article 5311b, contemplated a change from the method in force by the land office, it would no doubt have made plain its purpose to change the rule of construction then being applied. Not having done so, it must be presumed that the long-continued construction of that department was intended to be continued under the provisions of the later law.
No sound reason exists why an owner reinstating land under the validating act should not be accorded the same privilege that was given owners of land under the general statute providing for reinstatement. It will not be presumed, in the absence of compelling language, that the Legislature intended to discriminate between its citizens when legislating upon the same subject-matter.
Clearly, the provisions of article 5326, requiring the payment of interest due up to the date of reinstatement, are more susceptible to the construction contended for by appellant than the provisions of the validating act. If the Legislature, by enacting article 5311b, had contemplated a change in policy from the departmental construction given the act of 1897, it would no doubt have used language so definite and specific that its meaning could not have been misunderstood. Instead of doing so, it used the words "past-due interest," omitting the language "up to the date of reinstatement" and thus left it less persuasive that it was the legislative purpose to require the applicant to pay all interest matured up to the date of reinstatement than under the existing statute. It is hardly probable that the Legislature would have again used the term "past-due interest," in view of the land office's interpretation thereof,' if it had not deemed such construction tó be in accordance with its intention in enacting article 5326.
It will be noted the validating act provides that the "owner" may reinstate upon complying with the terms of the act. It is undisputed that Gates was the owner of the section at the time of the forfeiture, but it is insisted that he was required by this statute to show his ownership by the filing of title papers with the land commissioner at the time he made application for reinstatement, and, if he failed to do so, his right to reinstatement was lost. The statute does not impose as one of the conditions for reinstatement that the applicant should have his deeds filed showing ownership in him at the time of the filing of his application. It merely requires that he be the owner of the land sought to be reinstated.
Under the general law regulating the sale of public lands, the commissioner of the land office is authorized to adopt reasonable rules and regulations not in conflict with the statutes of this state. Under such rules he could of course require the applicant to file deeds showing title in himself before permitting reinstatement,- as this would be the only method for him to officially determine that the applicant was in fact the owner of the land. However, the commissioner did. not have the right to place a requirement as a condition precedent for the filing of an application to reinstate forfeited land which was not made by the lawmaking body.'
We answer the first question certified in the negative, and the second in the affirmative.
OURBTON, O. J. The opinion of the Commission of Appeals answering the certified quéstions is adopted and ordered certified.