Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1943 )

OFFICE OF THE A’ITORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
BQnoruhleGOO.
CozptrolltTr
Ii. sh%p?ard
af'Public Aocomts
Almtln, Texas
0 The Legislaturemay grant ald
to l.ni&&i &ibisabledConfed%rata soldiars
and eallors under euch regulatione and litita-
tione as r;lay
be ae%md by the Legislatureas
expt-dient, nnri to their *-idow in indigoat
oirc~taPoeo lml%r suoh regulationa arKIl@dt8-
tions as my be deeruedby the Legislatureas BI-
pedientg to indigent OR3 dlsablailsoMieso who,
unaer special laws OS the state of T-s, aumg
the War botveen the Statea, served in orgerdra-
tiona Sor the protection of the frontier againet
Intuan r&a8 or biadckuaurBua%rs*and to idi-
gent and tieabled soldiora of the millLti0uho
wure in act&y% sewioo during the War between
the %ates, Cuvzto the ridorraof such soldiera
rrboyein~gentc``tar~eee,a~vho~e
or my be eugihic to rmeive aid unaaf 6ucrh
regnlacionsand lImitationa as may be dewed
aJ the LegialatoFe as m-eat; a S‘lBO f&l%&
for the estahlfehrttautand~ntemame of the
horn for aaid ooldie~e and aaklors, their sires
andridous andrwaenrho a&.&din theConfsbemioy,
under such regulstions and lia?itatlone aa may bo
prtiati for by htv~ pmiatu tie Legielature
may provide for husband and rife to rfzaxain to-
gether in the home. There is hereby levied-
addition ta all other taxes berrotofore permitted
by the Conetirutlonof Texas, a state ad wklorem
tax on pfopartg of mvtm (Q.07) cants on the 0110
hundmd ($190&O) dOllPrB la~USt%On fO& t&O pI1F-
pose OS or0ati~ a speaial fund for the pnyxmnt
-of ,7t3n~ionsfor raorvicoein the Conf%deratem
and Wavy, frontier organizationsand the.milit3a
OS tb% State of TeSCas,aud for the WidOWa Of Crumb
ecildiorsserving in said am&es, mtiw, orG&za-
tions or tilitiqj proo2hd that the Legislatur%
skiby
rti%co tbt3tax rata horekn levied. . . , *a
The tax wthoriacd by this S%otl.onof the Coneti-
tutiun is specificallpfor t.b%purpose *of oreatinr:a speotal
fund for the3paymnt US pWonare A pension is a pe~H.Mc
allos;mcc of money grant%& by a govwm?ent for s%rvle~o row
dcr&, in particular to a soldier or sailor in conntmtion
with war or rd'itary opQrations. mrse 0. lPoberteon, 9 Raw.
lu5, 169; Stat% ex ral RaridepVI Kiamel, 288 IliO. 611, 168
8. w. NT& Y%clf0raV* WhifO, l@$ Color 43s, lo6 mu.
480, 474; United State8 T . Iiall# tMlU * 5 . 343, * t .
HonoraUle 0~0. ii.ti%ppa&siZ
- page 3
Ed. lsoj Webeterc6 RearInt%mational Dictionary,2a edition.
Tbe language of the Oonstitutionis presumetlto
have been chosen with nmre care than that of any other
legis~atlon. Alenrander Y. State, 84 Grim. Rep. 75, 204
644; cox Y. Robinson, 105 TQ. 420, 150 8. w. 1149.
s. isi'.
Plain ;lhidefinite \oOrdsof tbe Constitution,therefore,
are to be taken in their ordinary meaning. Keller f. State,
87 So t. 669, 1.~. R. A. (liS)489. Tbe language selected
by the framers of the Constitution,~wbenits meaning is
clear, controls tbe court in interpreting it. Ex parte
hi%yer,84 Crita.Rep. 288, 2~7 S. P. l00. phere rot-asused
in a constitutionare plain and unambiguous,there is no
occasion for construction.
rho Confederate Pension Fund authorized to be
areated by Article 3, Section 61, of the Constitution,
is a oonstitutlonalspecial fund which may be applied
only to the purposes for which, udi%r the constitutionsl
provisiun, the fund is oreat&, to-sit; sTbo payment of
peMions.* Tbe appliaati,on ti suah fund to any othe& pur-
pose than that authorizedhy the constitutionalprwision
is enpressly~probihited hy Article 8, Section 7, of our
Constitution,whiti prwidoat
*The Legislature shall not have power to
borrow, or in any mum?& dive&t frem its pur-
pose, any special fund that nay, or ought to,
come into the treasury; . . . ..
Of this section of the Constitution,the late
cm-of Justice Cureton t4aiat
*The&e arc various special funds namti ia
the ~onstitutlon,such as the School Fund, et
cetera, and the purpose of Ss%fion 7, Article
8, WOB to prevent their diversion. These
special funds, of course, can not be tivertad,
* DraeottRiver ~cnsertation6 Recl;rern-
h.&'Di.(strictP. EoCr;m (Tax.) $1 8. W. (2)
660. See, also, Carroll f. Oillirrnx,109 Tex.
156, 202 6. W. 504~ Lsmon v. tioker(Civ.Apps.)
220 s. w= 260.
Expcnrlftures cf the Btate imolvet? in establishing
3rd n~int..ainS~: the ConfederateBoz~esdo not constitute*the
payment of p%nsions.* Since expendlturw Prom the Uenneral
wuttdfor these purposes were not Bladefor tbe purpose for
Which tho ConfederatePension Fund was created and suthortstnl
to be @xpendeiiby the Cmntltution, reimbursam~t oE
the tieneralFumI Worn tha Confederrrte
lens&on Funa for
SU& expesxUturesis probibito&by BFt.icl~ 8, section
7, ai-l&c hlstltution.
*erg truly yaure