Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1886-06-05
ALIENS TOBE BARRED.
Report of the Congressional Com
mittee on the Question of Allowing
Foreigners to Buy the Public
Lands.
PUBLIC LANDS.

PUBLIC LANDS.
Representative Payson of Illinois has pre-
pared report on the bill to prevent aliens
from acquiring real estate in the territories
of the United States. The report says the
bill has for its basis the proposition that
American soil shall be owned by Americans
so far as Congress can control it. The COM
mittee on public lands in this Congress, as
in the last, is thoroughly committed to the
policy OF so administering our public land
system that the agl icultural lands of the ma
ton shall be parted with, without cost, TO
be held in small tracts, by actual settlers
only, for the purpose of cultivation by the
owner, securing thereby the thrift OF the
citizen and economy in his management,
which ownership alway stimulates. This
policy, the report submits, should become
the national one. The experience of so
many thousands Of oGr people in the secur-
ing OF homes in the vast areas of public
lands has been so successful, that the desire
for ownership of home, capable of pro
ducing support for the family, is mere uni
versal here than in any country in the world.
| This, the report says. was the preva lent
idea when the homestead law, one of the
most beneticent acts ever adopted by Con-
gress, was passed. 1t was the duty of the
government TO furnish TO its people cheap
homes: to aid the actual settler whose labor
would make the land fruitful and produc-
tive, giving added wealth to the locality
and stability and strength to the country. 1t
had ma gnifcent possession in the public
domain of that time, which, under proper
management, would have afforded grand
results for generations to come.
Areas of land sufficiently large TO make
great estates were donated with reckless
liberality, to railroad and other corpora
tiOns, and by lax, easy administration Of
| injudiciOus laws, men with wealth, and
companies. nave been illegally permitted TO
acquire other great areas Of the public
lands, and now this generation had seen
| the vast territory we had at its beginning so
reduced that less than 5000, 600 of acres OF
arabic agricultural land-upOn which crops
can be raised without irrigatiOn-remain for
the settler under the general land laws OF
| the United States and about fifty millions
of acres only of lands susceptible OF iLr
provement by irrigation. These lands are
becoming more and more valuable year by
year, and tempted by the promise, sure to bt
realized, of immense profits, as well as the
absolute security of the investment, these
lands by devious methods in many cases
have been secured in great areas and hold
ings by capitalists and corporations. foreign
as well as domestic.
In the hands of many Of those iorelgi
owners and holders these lands are mad
subject to a system of landlOrdism and con
ditions totally uDamerican and kindred Il
that existing in the Old World systems anC
conditions which have spread ruin an,
misery wherever they have existed in Eu
rope. Besides this, out of tie heritage o
the American people, the common propert.
of this nation--its public lands-we are a
present permitting the coming of immens'
private fortunes in the hands of foreign no
bility and gentry at the expense Of our owl
people. and giving these foreigners the con
troll of the homes and happiness OF thOuS
ands of citizens, or those who have com
here to identify themselves with us.
AS an illustration OF this, a puollshe'
statement showing that 20, T47 900 acres o
land are held by foreigners is appended
Among the large holders mentioned are tn
MARQUIS of Tweedale, Sir Edward Reid, tn
, Hollard company and several foreign syn
dicates, the possessions of each numbering
millions of acres.
. There is no question, the report says, a
, to the power of Congress over the subject
England exercised il during all the years o
e her progress, and las only recently granite
b the right to hold real estate there to aliens
4 The question, the report continues, or nov
cheap homes for the poor can best be 81
cured will soon be upon US. At the presen
rate OF disposition, TINS generation VIII sc
5 the last acre of public land, worth takln
{ for home by farmer, disposed of.
!, In conclusion the report gives the follow
s ing summary of the work of the commute
q during the present session: "Ihe comm
9 tee has devoted its best efforts and mos
earnest endesyors to perfect and present I
|, the House for its consideration and actlo
q such measures as, in its judgment, would T,
e claim such lands as had been improvidentl
granted to corporations and to which the
a are not entitled, also for the repeal OF sue
d laws as rendered possible the improper a
s QUESTION of great areas of land from th
q government, and to preserve what u ma
IS reservoir to be drawn upon by the actui
IS settler without cost in hOmesteads. We
o this because we believe that not only II
d fostering of the home sentiment and ind
IS vidual prosperity would result, but In add
d ton because we believe there is no great'
IS safeguard against public disorder, tumul
and riots than a generally distributed owne
ship of lands and homes"
The bill which the report accompanies pr
vides that no alien nor foreigner who HI
u not declared his intention to become a ell
3 zen of the United States, nor any corpor
tion (onetenth of whose stock is owned I