Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1884-06-07
Our Foreign Landlords.

The acquisition of large tracts Of Amer
ican sol, hy nonresident foreigners
threatens to become serious evil The
jnbbins away of millions of acres OF the
public domain to railroad and oth'r
companies, under pretoxt ot "dcv"'op'n"
the country. was tie origin ot the recent
INVASION of foreign landlords. The VII
lard excursion party of English and Ger
man landlords last summer, who were
expected to become customers for the
lands which Congress had s" lavish'y he
slowed on the Northern Pacific Rii'road.
was only boldcr exhibition than usual
OF the process by which the soil of the
country is being transferred to men who'll
IL alien to its government aud institutions
The corporations are only anxious To
turn their lind into money as soon As pos
sble, and any patriotic feelings arc not
to he expected from them, as we in Cali
forna know by experience On the 9th
er had, the increasing power of the dem
interfere with the monopoly of the land
there by a privileged class, and s" Eng
lsh and German landed pr"prie'crs,
with the true ''iand hunger" which II,
long marked their races, are eager hidd' rs
for large tracts of American land. II
they carrot much longer maintain their
parks aud chases, their manOrial rights
and rack rents in crowded Europe, they
hope to be able with the help OF their
surplus revenues to get au equivalent in
the wide boundaries of this republic.
An English company has lately phrchas-
ed a tract of many hundred thousand
acres in Florida. The Maxwell grant in
Colorado was aH earlier instance of the
same spirit; and in Texas similar alb
sentee English proprietor owns two
third interest in tract larger than the
whole state OF Rhode Island. 1t is quite
common for such purchases to bc hearlh-
ed with flourishrs by the local organs as
Colonization projects, but somehow the
colonis,s are usually lett out in settling up
the matter. The European arls'ocraf, as
IA general rule, troubles himself vr'v little
hull ling up of colonies OF any nj,
whether in this country "r any other
| What he desires is the absolute owner-
shin of large tracts of land, to do what
he likes with; in other words. to use as
the members of his class have been in the
hail, of useing their estates in Enrore
He has no notion ofselling..it oil in small
parcels to inc, meing settlers. II he can
derive an income from it by raising cattle
or even by planting on large scale
| well and good; ont he does not buy land
IN general as purely coma ercial specula-
tion. He desires TO be a landed propri-
etor as O mater OF instinct. He fids il
| easier to acquire park in America than
in Europe, and he buys land here. That
this forestalliug of actual settlers mast I'M.
pede the progress OF the country at large
a self evident; but it is hy no means so
clear why it should be tolerated among
us. The policy of tins country has al
ways been friendly to European immlgra>
on. and there is good reasoa WY It
should: but there il none Tor the encour'
agemeut oi absentee landlords OF foreign
origin. The acquisition of land hy aliens
has always been jealousy guarded against
nv the civilized states of the world. In
some it is absolutely forbidden; IN tn"
most liberal it is only tolerated on suffer
ance. 1t is time that similar rule shou'"
be apnii-. here, considering the rate ~
which the public domain is passing away
| from the people of the country. Our
naturalization laws afford every taclil'y
for those who desire to cast in their lo'
with orr country t. become owners IN IT.
snl. 70 grant the same privilege
those who have no such desire is little
short of political idiocy. We believe
bin is now before Congress for dealing
with this question. and we sincerely hope
il will establish some effectua barrier
against the establishment of an absentee
aristocracy on our soil. Otherwise we
are bound to have y repetition OF the
New York anti-r rent agitation on col
ossal scale before the passing OF many
| years.-oan Franciscan.