Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1942 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAE
AU87’IN
Honorable J. Watt Page, page 2
Article 6l& Revised Civil Statutea of Texaa,~l925,
warioriginallyparned by the Thirty-fifthLegislatureat its
Third Called Seesiou in 1917. Aa oodified said article reads
88 rollowB:
Whenever a stste oi war shsll exlat between the
United States and another fiatlOuthere may be 0rgagized au4
nalntalnedwithout expense to this State, with the ooumnt
and under the directlou of the oouuty judge of any oouuty,
a Houe Guard oomposed of adult oitizeus of the United
States ,andof,such aouatp. Suoh Guaxdshall be organized
to oo&onn aa nearly .as praotidalili$to the orgauicatloa
of military units, and ohall at all times be subjeot to
0101 to duty am3 to ardsrs of the sha2iff of suoh Oouaty.
Eaoh Guard &mll.be authorisedto oarrg ;onand about his
person pistols end other weapons as may be.neoessarywhan
called to aotual duty by the shoriffi Couaties, cities
and towns may through their lawful governing bodior appro-
priate tram thair public treasuriesmoneys to pzoride aran
and asmunitionfor suoh Guard under, ruah~ruleaas thsyw
presoribe,and those reoeiving arti~fronthe county shall
return all 'xunsand ammunition to the eouuty Jud6te rheu
not on autyr~ 8~ah'oroard may engage in drill it Guoh tills
Ma plaoe.ar the oontuuuity offloers rpa~prescribe, stud
may be uniforrued 80 as not .tooonfllot.rithSeotlon 125,
Aot of Cougress~, approYed Juno :3,~916,,"
The Texae D&sues Guard kot of &Ls found ~3.n
Vernon*sAnnotnted Clvih Statutes as Artiole 589la. It la
oiiioially'publishedas Chapter.9,p.'l7 of the Gsusral and
Speoial Laws of the Forty-aeventli Legislature, Regular Sesriou,
104.l. We'wi~ll not here quote at length' from the aotrlncre
that part ahmu l.uyour letter 18 deemed sufrioieut to mm~ife#t
the purpose and authority of the Texas Def+ie Guard, but will
oonteut ourselves tith a potion of the emargeaoy olauser
~931staot that'the regularly ocmrtitute'd
Rational
Guard of the Stats of ~Texasla ~uewin aotiye Federal
ssrrioe by presldsutlalorder, mud the Sta,$ei(lMthout
adequate orgtxtized troopa that may be uaa@.~fm $hs pre-
vention of oitil distmfbanees,riots, sabetags, aud other
forms or dl6turbauoen~aud.furCher thst;ths National
Defense A6t has been amended by Gongread.authoriziugthe
creationof Defe e Guards in the various States, and the
Seoretary o*.WarT B :isaulug neoeimary,regulati~s pertaining
their&o; and the furthar faot that nit$out this Ast th4
State of Texaa la .mable to aeaura emus, eqUipant,,aad
other itam or gorernmqt property for Defsnaa Guard without
the passagd of~this ambling legislation, qrsata an amer~aaoy``
etc.
Honorable J. Watt Page, page 2
It Is a gsseral rule of statutory osnstruotionthat
a general repealing slausb suoh as is ooltainsd in Ssotiou 14
0r the Texas rmrt3n80Guard Aot or 194l will not opsrats to
afreot a prior-statute unless there axe pro~ialons that are
inoousiatentwith, or rqmgnent to, the tams of the later
statuts. See 39 Tex. Jam. 131, 800. 681 Oaddes Y. Terrell,
101 Tex. 574, 110 S.W. 429; Johnson Y. Fer&umn, (Tsx.Gi~.
App., writ dississsd) 55 S.W. (2dw)153.
The Home Guard, authorissdby Art1 c 6l44, aupra,
is a oounty unit, subfeot to the orders of thT'iishssitt
of thr
. It is striotly a losal organiestion,dependent upon
ootlnty
sounties,oitiss ssd towus tm sustenanoe and support.
The Texas Defense Guard is essentiallya State orgaul-
ration; subject to the oomand of the Gooeruru:~otthe State,
and ssrves in lisuof the Texas National Guar&rhile that orgaui-
sation Is in Federal servioe.
We respeotiullysuswsr your.questiouis the negative.
Yours very truly
. ATTORNBY GENERAL OF TEXAS
BY (SignMa)B~J~s``~
@PROVED JASL t5,19&2
(Sigmd)~GROVE.??
SELLERS
FIRSTASSISTANTATTORREYGERblUL
BWrGO
APPROVED OPIRIOR coMmTTx
By B.W.B. Chaimnas