The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-05-08
Alien Ownership.

of what will yet inevitably prove to |
be very Pandora's box of troubles.
For years foreign corporationsas well
as individuals of great wealth have
been buying vast bodies of lands in
many sections of the country, but
more especially in the northwest and
southwest. 1t is bad policy and dan
gerous in many ways for individuals
even our own citizens, to be perml'7
ted to acquire these vast landed es
tates, so vast indeed that they place
whole county, often more than
one, absolutely in the power of
one influence and often of
a single individual; but low
much more dangerous and threat
ening is it when the influence is aller,
foreign in sentiment, feeling and
sympathy Do we value American
ideas?. Do we have confidence in
the ultimate domination of Tepubli-
can forms? Would that be desirable?
If yea, then the firm establishment OF
aristocratic influences here indicated
by such settlements as are being made
in Dakota by the Earl of Airlie,ln Col
orado by Dunraven and Westminster,
and in Texas by the Earl Aylesforth,
are very sinister circumstances. Ad-
ded to these we have the Duke of Su.h-
erland, one of the wealtiest of the
Scottish lords, large land holder in
many of the states, and the
Windhams own immense tracts of
land in Kansas. OF course, now, there
is but little show of either. danger OF
inconvenience in this circumstance,
nor will there be until ques-
ton arises where British and
American sentiments clash. We will
then find that we have among us d
moral force of great proportions sc
firmly rooted In its vast landed inter.
ests that all hope of wedding it out
must be abandoned, and discord and
schism be the sure result. This danger
taken with the other, far more seri
| Gus one in all respects-the building
up of vast fortunes among oul
own peoples very threatening
indeed. A combination between
; foreign and domestic landed ant
monied interests would after awhile
overawe the people and trample on
3 Wanted liberties under foot.
In all this we are departing from
the old simple and healthy mode
which characterized the earlier AM
wholesomer life Of the republic. Their
are men yet living who remember tn
wonder excited when the announce
ment that Stephen Girard was wort
five millions Of dollars, was made
When that sum grew to the enormou
figure of fifteen millions it was con
sidered dangerous and threaten
ing. Then came up John Jaco
Astor, Gould Stewart, Var
derbilt and that later raft of the enoE
mously rich. The policy of the re
publican party in lending the credi
and farming out the privileges of tn
government, as well as in MAXIM
enormous money and landed subs
dies to individuals and corporation,
is now determined to have been ba
originally, and likely to be far wors
t in the future, when to these enormOu
and wicked aggregations of money
added those alien sums and domain
glanced at briefly above. Wheneve
trouble begins these kindred sympa
thies will as surely come togethe
q and band against the people a
: that like seeks like Vanderbilt
and Gould with their hundred
: of millions will stand with Englis
g and Scotch land-holders in any and a
matters in which their vast interest
conflict with those of the people. w
= are going too fast. Especially is TIL
soon TO ho the case whom 1T-c rcculf IL
fact that our government is also p
e ling up in its vaults vast boards of idl
n use less money which is growing to |
an ever pres ent menace to the cleanl
administration of affairs. A widel
= extended sentiment of massed an
: piled money in the country-an Unfit
ence strong enough to grapple wit
the national power, if occasion de
: manded joined to the enormou
. mass in the treasury vaults and acI
ing with it, and the liberties of thi
people would not be worth moment
: purchase. Here is one of the danger
t threatening US, and the permanenc,
f of our institutions.
Only few years since-less thai
twenty years-an organized NOV,
, formidable by the talents and ger
eral respectability of its promoter,
= no less than by the extensive reYt
nues held by twas put on foot t
subvert the government, change it
form, and crown the military favorit
of the hour, emperor. The peopl
nor the times were ripe TO
,, the enterprise. The snake is onl
scotched-not destroyad-and TIL
alien landholdership is par
! of the preparation ecessar,
to force the end ultimately. 1t viii
j bear watching, and Jealous watching
t too. The liberty loving people of tai
United States would never sell thei
birthright of freedom. The war-likt
; people cannot be beaten out of it, ant
: the only other means left by whicl
they can hope to beat us is by tn
very means and policy which the,
, have adopted and which we hav
shown up above. The bravery ant
devotion of our fathers gave us thi
goodly heritage. We can only retain
it by exercising the utmost, vigilant
J care, and thus law against alie1
landholdership becomes pressing
absolute necessity.