Morning journal and courier., 1886-03-20
News by Telegraph FROM ALL QUARTERS. RACK RENTS IN THE WEST An Infamous System Of
 Landlordism. GLADSTONE'S HOME RULE PLAN Likely To Break Up The
 Cabinet.
A COLLISION IN NORTH RIVER.
HOxie Refuses To Confer
 With POWderIy.
WHITE SLAVES IN THE WEST.

l An Infamous System of Landlordism Ely Which Truant Farmers Are Held En Serfdom.
 CHICAGO, March 19.-AbOut six weeks ago l the Tribune published article on alien l landlordism, showing that an Irishman nam l cd William Scully, now residing at London, | England, is the proprietor of between sev- enty-fve thousand and ninety thousand acres of the best farming lands in Illinois. The writer of the article on visiting the Scully estate claimed that the lands were titled by wretched class of tenants from whom are
 sxacted enormous rentals. Almost the en- tire proceeds from the sale of their crops went to pay rent. The article attracted much attention and numerous communities
 tions on the subject have been received from
 various parts of the country. Among others prominent citizen from Kansas strongly deprecated alien landlordism and called at
 tention to his discovery that large tracts of
 land in his own State were own ed by Scully. Following sug-
 gestion derived from this letter, an investi-
 gation was instituted, the result of which
 is published this morning. The article says:
 A tour of Kansas and certain portions of
 Nebraska developed the rather startling in-
 formation that the title to more than 100, ,000 acres of the choicest prairie land in the sis ter States of Kansas and Nebraska is vested in the name of William Scully. All of these vast tracts have been added to his landed estates within the last five years, and although small portion is under cultiva- ton, the same system of farm renting that exists in Illinois is rapidly being introduced in these States Between sixty and seventy families have bound themselves to Scully and long as they remain on his land they cannot throw off the yoke that holds them in slavery. Before obtaining lease they must agree to waive all rights of exemption and until their rent is paid everything they pos sess, including the growing crops, be- the poorest farmers in every respect in the country, and very few of them can obtain credit from the merchants. The lease that binds them to Scully is virtually a chattel mortgage, and all other claims against the tenants are shut out until Scully gets his rent. Each tenant is obliged to sign lease for period of five years. On unimproved lands the tenant pays only the taxes the first two years The third year he pays the taxes and one dollar an acre, and the fourth and fifth year he pays the taxes and $1. 50 an acre. No provision is made in the lease for re- R0Wal, ana at US 0XplfaGlOu Ju0 l0udut luuSG either move off or submit to whatever rent the landlord chooses to exact. In leasing an unimproved farm the tenant gets nothing but the land All improvements must be made at his own expense, the landlord fur nishing absolutely nothing Consequently the Scully farms do not present an attractive appearance. As a rule the tenants having no aspiration beyond the mere task of keeping body and soul together, are shiftless and improvident. and make little or no effort to improve their condition, all ambition seeming to be exhausted in pro- viding shanties for their families to live in and shelter for their stock. Having no mon ey to start on, most of the tenants are com pelled to hire out to their more prosperous neighbors during the first two years of their struggle, and they are satisfied if during the first two years they succeed in breaking the wild prairie lands and raising enough seed corn to feed their stock. The three remain ing years they raise from thirty to fifty bushels of corn to the acre, and by close economy quit the place when their lease ex- pires as we'll off as when they began.
 Much space is devoted to an explanation of the careful and systematic manner in which Scully secured. the lands through the guid- ance of his agents, who are experienced and perfectly familiar with the country. The price ranges from $5 to $9 per acre and it is claimed that much of the land is now worth at least $50 per acre.