Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1944 )

GRGVERSELLgas Av- II.'l%cs~6 *-- O-AX. RonorableBrtsoom Glles &missioner of Gewrel Imd Offioe AuLustin,Tens Dear Sir: OpiaioaN. G-6166 Rsr Reservationnad dispositionof exoessaorsageof river bed in awardof laadvalidatedby &all Land Bill,AZ%. 54141,V&C.&, priorto p&eat. Wb aoknowlsdgo rsoeiptof your opialoarequestwhich readsaa fOllOWSI “A requesthas beaninadsof tM GeneralLand OfPica for the.issuaaosoi ptsnts oa two trcrote of laadwithin Ssctioa144,BlockD, Ii.d:T.C.Ry. Co. Surreyin Stonewall county. @nr recordsrwml the hots to be the following; "Thc&the Roueit?~aadTexas I%*+ Xbilrrry c_opI~ny hawingoaupleted a portionof Its road Imd ma, by Jaoob Kueohlsr, Cdssionsr of the Gsneml Land Offioa, on July 1, 16‘72, issuedLund LloripCertifiolte No. 30/25&p,s&d oampny beingentitledunderthe provisions of itr ohutsr radths generallaws gommiagthe same$oeO lore#of land to be loo&ad upon~9y of tha unresemsd, vacantaad rmrpproprirted publicdonmiaof the Stateof Tars1 Vhdi bJrtirtusof aid‘lmad Borip&tlf'laateNo, So/ 2564 fisldmter owering 640 lren OP laadd;dsrrigaatsda~ Seation144,BlookD, wsre canpiledfrm a surwy made Ootobsr 18, 1672,and fliedin the GoaeralIaad Offioeoa H-bar 25, 1072, *Thatthr SE/4of Sootion144,BloolrD, aa oontaiaing 160 aortaof'land,wue awardedw Ootober6, 1894,to Reary Anderaoacm hfs l ppltoatioa reoeivedin the knd Offfoeoa Ssptanbar 27, 1894; ""hatthe R/4 of Se&ion 144,BlockD, aa containing I60 mxwi of land,1.1 oa l!areh12, 1898 warded to R. L. Vanleeron his applioatioa filedin the t,nd Offioeon Narcm- her 26, 18978 Bon. B~SOQI51108,Page 2 (o-8166) "Thnton Ootobsr 26, 1901,thereore fl1ed.b the Ceaeml Land.OPfioeoorrwted fieldnote8made Prm a SUT- wy of l4ny9, 1901;showingsUd Soot&n 144,BlookD, to oontUn 665.8aoreaj *Thatoa~July27, ISOS,the S/2 of the v2 of Se&ion 144, Rook D, aa aoatUnlng160romr oPland,rae lwwdedk X. C. hlarron hi8 application moeivud July 2S;lS02~ "Thatfieldnoterowering the S&/4 of S~otioa144, Bloc&4 showingasamto ooatain160 aoresOP laad,mm OOQL- piledfrom l surwv of lPoraPb8r2, 1912,and appmvdd oa Bomber 16, 19123 *Thatthe said6X/4 of lkotion144,Bloc&D,havlng lia plated oa Fhrurry 7, been pUd 3x1Pull Poor160 lo mm, 1915,to li?nr~r Andarnoaby PIMat No. 697,Volune46; "Thatthe 8W/4 of Seotion144,BlookD, a. oontalnlag 160 lc.rpg, R(I awardedto C, P. piaakasyoa Ootober6, 1914, 011hia lpplimtioaPiledin the tid oPPioeon August18, 19141 "'&atPieldnotar oolnpiled on %roh 27, 1956,ooveriag the SW$4 oP Beotion144, Ehotinl;Ian10to ooat*b~ 163.8.omw, were appmved on Naroh 27, 1956) 'Thattbs rUd SU@ of fleotion 144, havingbeenpaidin full for 163.8aomn, m8 patentedto C:E. Fiao&teyoa $rll 3, lgS6,by Fatat &.'357,Volune61-L. Wth the mquert for ptenta them Ware rutmittsdssp ante Pfsldnotes oarsringthe I#4 of Beotioa144, l# contUning 160 aorw md the S/2 of the N/2 of Sootion144 a~ contUaiag 172 morea. The field noteafor the north160 Pm88 nere returned for oormotionand the fieldnotesfor the 172 aore traotare beingheld in thi8offloe. "Theodginal fieldbotaaof Be&loon144, msde Pmmna aur- Wy of Ootdber18, 1672,rweal that the SaltFork of the Braros River Plorsthrougha portionof Beotion144,enteringat a point in the SW corner of ths SE/4and leavingthe aeotioaat a point approximately 500 vara#northof the SW comer of the S&/4 of Ssotion1444;The,oormutedfieldriots made from a surveyon &y 9, 1901,aalledfor the weat lineof &otion 144 to or0~11 the SaltFork of fbs BraroaRiver at ~ppmxiz&ely 1225mro'm north of the SR oornerot Seotioa144. . Boa. Bwoaa Oiler,page S (0-6166) . "DI vie* of the 'ball Land Bill,'Acts of the 41st Legislature, 1929,pago 296, Chrpter.lS6,~oodifi4da8 A&r- ole 6414a,V.A.C.S., and rrr@ng tbat,t@.areaofthat part of the river bed oontained w$tk$~tb,bowiaries oftha S/partoftb X/2 equalsor axoH& :the0x0~18aoreagecon-. tainedin 6eotioa144 in its l?tir&y. I larpsotfklly ro- questyour opinionoa the followingqueltionsr l..,6’ Tour flrstqusationis a8 Pollwm "1. IIIthe patentingof the S/p& of the X/2, should them b rswrmd tothe 6tateout of thatput of the rirer bd oontaiaed *thin the boundariesof the S/partof the I& an riea equaltothe entireexcenmof thewhole survey,or shouldthe pateattbreoa maerm onlyan area equalto the exoeasin this subdivisioaT" In the oam of.Mat,'r.Bradford,.60 8.W. (2) 1065 the gupr~psCo& in holdingthe &mallland Bill (Mt. 6414a,V.A.hL) conititutional heldthat aroexw~~ aoreagawould be reoognired under the A,,t.%a this oonnectkmWC set mt thcprmiso Pond in the aecoadmm- tioa of the Act, "Providedt&atnothingin thili,&ct.'. . shall relinquishor quit&aim l~pramber of aoreo of land in exoo88of the mmber OP aore=ot landto aaid pt- sntessor amrdeor in the origin1 patent8gmntod by the &ate.' Section144,BlockD, an origkmllysuare{sd,mdaooording to the fieldnote8Piled:iaths GeneralLand OPPicala 1672,contained640 wxes of land. The oorreotsdPlsld8ctaaPiledin 1901 showed6ootion144 aa contUning 656.8aom6 of land. The 6outhl/2 of tl& Xorth.haif of tbtion 144, laaontainiag 160 *oreaoP.lmnd, was awarded to B. C. %rr oa.July28, 1903. Rowwor, the recent requestPor,patext oh t@r'laad ia basedon fieldnotes celling for 172 acre8of land. Thin rapreoeatr U! orwas of 12 LOIWIof land in this quarter.seotloncwr and abovethe amber of acresc8lledfor in the originalmwvd of 1903. The Salt Pa& of t& &&oe Nvor flokthrough a portionof Sootion14.4,and partlylo r q athes eout#,oae-halfof the northhalf of the rection. The line8of the originalaurvayof Sootion144 crossed the river,which is narlgable in law, u did thq lineaof the qwrtsr ssotlonunder disouaaion here. .. Hon. BasormOlle~,pagO 4 (0-6lSS) Thereis no doiAtbut that the originalsurrey1118mlidated ti tha enactmantof the ball Lknd Bill, Ewwsr, aI)wo cm&rue the ACT, as it relatesto thisland,if validatedonly the,640acres allledfor in the originalfieldnotes. Liksnira, the ox%giaalawardin 190s of the southhalf of the northhalf of (rootion144 II validated,but only to thsextamt oPthe of land calledfor in ths originalaward. (LOIWI Heardet al V. Tom of R.6fugio,103 3.t (2d)728. The origin&lawardof 190shavlngbsen validatedto the ox- tent of 160 aoresof lend,aad tha Nl amountof the purchasepries havingbean paid,the mrdae ia entitledto a patenttothir landwhen it 18 determined with dac$ess what land is to be iaoludsdIn the patent. Befom tha patat may lm issuedIt nil1 bs necessaryto da.. telmiaethe n-bar of aore in thatpart of the bed of the river that is looatedin the quarterarationinvolved. If aftera summy it Is Pound that the kd of t&a riwr oontain6 +lw lo r w,the totalrmDuatof ths ~X(DII,or lessthan 12 aomt#,theathe patentshouldirsusreaerring the rho10 of the bed of ths ri+ertit&inths quarter6eaticm tothe State. Onthe other hand,shouldthebod oftheriwr ocntaiamorethanthe 12 aorw excess,the applicantfor patentis ratitladto a suPPioiant m of the riwr bed to giw h3m hir Pull conplanetof 160 aoreaaa oalled for ln the originalarrrdof 190% Rth reapsotto your firstquertion, 10 answerthat a survey should'bemade of that partof the bed of the riwr aa locatedin the south prt of the north halfof Sootion144 to deterrins the nunb+rof aoresof~landit oontaiaa.Then,if mcwrary, a partition+o be effect- ed oa the exeesa111that mbdivtriononly,withoutconsidering the bxaa(~f~ in the tiole surrey. A patsntsay thenbe issuedto inoludeor exclude the bed of the river, or a dividedpart of it, an the P8otsmay bo. Your otherquestion18 aa Pollarac "(a) If the Stateir entitledto reeem tk exoeaa out of the riwr bed, shouldthe Isaemtion be EIIundivided interartor a iaprata proel? (Ibier to your OpinionRPaber O-5655datedNovwber 5, MS), "(b) If the 8tate18 entitledto B rrspmts prowl, who la ruthorlredto nprenent the gtatein the prtltioning?" - we reaPfinnourOpinionlie.O-6636under dateof Xowmber 6, 1943,md hold thata raromtion by the stateof a pa-tof the bed of the rivershouldbe a diridadpart. It is our opinionthat a patat may not b io6uedcoveringm undivided intersrtin the land. Hon. Bmocm '3il.r. pwe 6 b6166) In the eventa putitlon of the bed of he riveria moea- suy, suohprtitloa shouldb effwted by judioialprooeeding. Yoursvery truly ATTOHXBPOElIEBIL OFT HXAS JackW. Rsmlmd This opinionooaaidered end eppnmd in limited ooxlfemnoa.