Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1944 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTOiNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
ioaorable Joe Fultz
county nttorncy
Qrimes Couuty
fsdcraon, Tc%ss
ion for our oonsldor-
th of tlmk to publish
on-resident pomom
e bought to be par-
deFthe provisions of
on’8 AnnotatedCIvil
t&ions and notioea lamed out of tho
County Court ln probate matters bhall be return-
able ~to the Court from vhioh iaaued on the first
Monday after the aervioe ls.perSeotedr All auoh
notloes and oitattons novzequlred to be posted
shall be poated at the Court House door ior not-
‘,;``~an ten (10 dayg before the return d8Y
All sue h notlooa and oitations noU re-
quwed io, be publlshe$ shall beg~blSsbe+~ on08
1 :
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Efonorable Joe Pultc,. Page 2
z
and said publication shall be not less then
the return dsg thereor.
+atlons now required
to be sorvea orsonally shall be served at
;``oen (10 f days before the roturn day
. The time of return of tho not100
for oltctlon shall bo Slxod bq the Clerk in
Accordance with the provlslons of this Act.
“sot.?* 2. All laws requlrlng aervloo of
oitatlons, notices, orders; or other proceed-
ings in probate matters for a period of time
- and in a manner different from thst herein
provided, and in confliot with this.Aot, ati
hereby expressly repealed insofar as thoy
oonfllot with this Atit, it being the purpose
of this Abt to require only ton (10) days
service, exclusive of the’ day of servoice,
whether such service 18 personal, by post-
lng or by publication. b’hy Probate Statute
nov In force and not hereby repealed by other
provlslons of this Act, using the expresslon
‘at the next term of Court, * or ‘next regular _-
term, 0 or ‘during term time, @ or other similar
expwseiom shall be SO oonstrued 88 to oon-
form to .&is Aot, and hre hereby amended and ,.
.modifled as to aooompllsh, the purpose8 set. out
In this Act.”
.._,
The above quoted Art. XlOa, as enaoted in 1929
a& amended ln.1931, expressly repeals all 14~8 requlrlng
e)rvloe of oitatlons, ~aotloes,, orders, or other prooeod%ngs
%n probate matters for a period of tlme and in a sUnor .
different from that therein provided.
Art. 3600, Ch. 24 Title 54, V.A.G.8. (Acts 1876, .
p. ‘1203 O.L.,, ,vol. 8, p. 9561, reads ais Sollousr
“such cltatlon shall be personiilly served
by lotivlng a oopy thereof ulth each person Fe-
srd¶.ng ln the State entitled to a share of the
eatate, who 18.knoun~’ and, lf thers be any who
are not known, or who are not resldent8 OS thi8
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Ronorable Joe Fultz, Page 3
State, such oltation shall be publlahed for at
le85t four euooeaaivo wooks in some ncvspaper
printed ln the county, If them be one, if not,
then in like manner in one of tho nearest ncwa-
papora published in the State. A copy of euch
publication, and the afftdavlt of the publisher
or printer attached thereto, shall acconpany tho
report of the offlcor serving such clt.atlonra
Tho Austin Court of Civil Appeals in Railroad Coa-
mioaion of Texas v. Texas and new Orleens R. Co., 42 S.W.
(26) 1031, held as follow:
“The lntention”oS the Legislature met be
gathered from the language of the statute con-
strued as a whole, giving tho words used their
cormon and ordlxuwlly acaepted meanlngg and, if
the words employed are free from amblgulty and
doubt, and express plainly, clearly, and dis-
tinctly the intent, according to the natural
import of the. language used, then no occasion
arises to look elsewhere. Stats v, Dolesdenler,
7 Tox. 106~ Rosenberg v. Shaper, 51 Tex. 140~
Rcnrl~k v, Hanrlok, 54 Tex. 110~ Boon ‘I. Ghamber-
lain, 82 Tex. 482, 18 S.W. 656~ hrray T. State,
21 TOX. AP$; 631, 2 S.W. 757, 57 ASL* Rep. 623~
Texas (E P. Ry. Co. V. Railroad Cmlaslon OS.
Texas, 105 Tex. 386; 150 S.U. 878;article 10,
R,S. 1925.*.
& Harold8 v. The State, 16 Tex. App. 157, the Court
OS Appeals held as Sollow~l
“when iho nev statute lx& Itself aomprehends
the vhdle subject and meate8 a nev, entim and
independent system respeotiag the subject mntter,
It 1s universally held to repeal and. supemede
all previous systems and laws Wis~CtiW the Same
subject mtter. (Stlrman V. The State, 21 TeXaB
7341 Etter V. l4lB8ourl Paoiflo Ralluay Comwu,
Texas Lav Rovlev, ~01. 2, IVO. 23,)*
To like effect, aeel Robertson V, state, 159 S.W.
713 J First lI``10na1 Dank v* Lee county cotton 011 Co., 250
.
Honorable Joe Fulti, Page 4
S.W. 313, afflrmod (Corn. App.) 274 S.W. 127~ State v,
Lntornatlonol 6c ff9 H. R. Co., 57 Tex. 534,
Art. 3600, V.A.C.S., provlded tho length of time
for the publication OS a citation In a probate rJatter; I.e.,
vhero on estate Is sought to be partitioned and dlstrlbutod
under the provisions of Ch, 24, Title 54, V.A.C.S. Art. 33lOa,
V.A.C.S., is the latest expression of the Lcglslature vlth
rofercnce to the longth of time for publication of citations
In probate matters; its language Is clear and unanbiauousj
it creates a nev, entire, and independent ayetem respecting
the subjeot matter) end It repeals all laws ln conflict
thorewlth. Consequently, Art. 3310a, V.A.C.S., controls.
Therefore, It Is our oplnlon that citations by pub-
lication to non-resident persons who are Interested In an
ostate sought to be partitioned and distributed under the
provisions of Ch. 24, Title 54, V.A.C.S., should be published
once and said publication should be not less tkin ton (10)
days before the return day thereof.
Yours very truly