The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-04-14

WORTHY MASTER; The question A..
signed me by the Worthy Lecturer reads
as follows: THE vast amount of land in
| the United States owned by aliens. What
powers have the general government TO
! remedy the eventg"
This question Is new TO me, and, | re.
greet 10 say, have never read word on
the subject more than that such men or
companies owned so many acres.
assert they are not the owners. and will
try TO give my reasons tor saying so.
Whether you will agree with me or not, |
am safe In saying you will agree that am
not an Edmunds, or Thurman, and proba-
bly, not even a Lamar The American PEG.
pie have certain inalienable rights that
none can take away. They have not only
the right 10 life and liberty, but 10 that
which they own and have paid for. For
instance, our public domain was bought
partly by purchase, and partly by war, the
more costly way. La each instance the
American people gave their lives and paid
all costs, tor which they are entitled TO all
the pruhts Ninety years ago cur possess,
Ions did not reach west OF the Mississippi
| river. In 1903 France sold 10 the United
States government domain extending
from the Gulf 10 British America, inciud
Ing Oregon aud Washington Territory. Ii
Is surprising that France should have sold
that splendid empire for 81 ,2j0 600, but
II Is not strange that jefferson and his
compaIiots should have bought It, Many
OF US can remember back To 1871 when
California and large extent of country on
this side OF the Rockies were acquired by
conquest with Mexico. Nearly all of Us
can II member when Alaska was purchased.
The policy adopted by the government
and the drift Of all Legislation proves that
II Intended these lands should be held and
peopled by actual residents
Ii Is not 10 be supposed that Jefferson
bought land from the French to sell TO the
English or Scotch Lords at the mere nom.
inal price of 81 % per acre. We can hard.
iy Imagine greater absurdity than that.
Since that day congress has passed heme-
stead and presumption laws, given vast
quantities to railroads, all for the purpose of
making 1t possible for every industrious
American citiZrn to have a home of his
own. Nor was there any selishness The
foreigner was welcomed and given an
equal chance, not as foreigner, but with
the understanding that he should take the
oath of allegiance. The right of franchise
was given him with almost blind generos
ity, in order that he might be citizen of.
and have an abiding interest In, this free
republic. Every act passed by congress,
and every word spoken in it, or out of it,
proves that the people of this country, and
no other, were the ones our statesmen
sought or intended to benefit No one is
fool enough to think that Adams, Clay,
Benton or Cass, or any of our statesmen
from them till now, would legislate for the
benefit of foreign nobles to the detriment
of their own people. They were patriotic,
and not nearly so partial to certain for
eigners as our statesmen are to-day. That
1t was their intention TO bequeath this prop
erty to us and the generations to come adj
mits of no dispute. Therefore | take the
ground that no person, or agent. If you
please, has legal right to thwart those in
tentiOns, or prevent their being carried out
Being an inherited and an accepted policy
1t could not be changed without the con
sent of the people, expressed through con-
gress. Hence all acts by agents in oppo
sition TO this just policy are fraudulent
The intents of the fathers are 50 plain and
just that bubble and evasion of any
kind SHOULD be swept aside, and due res
titution made, as in any fraudulent trans
action, An honest administrator deals with
the heirs He does not give property to
strangers. If he does, he suffers for II,
and the other parties to the wrong suffer
for their misdeeds.
Some of our smart officials have the
same as given to twenty nine alien compa-
MES over 100000 acres of land, also to
sixteen companies, more or less alien,
100000 acres. Of course do not include
Texas. Nor do | know how much has
been squandered west of the Rockies
Must the people lose these millions Of
acres because Secretary of the Interior
and his agents have winked at, or been a
party to, these illegal transactionsg l am
not aware that congress ever empowered
any one to sell government lands to aliens
Nor do suppose they ever asked congress
the privilege of buying. You and | well
know that had they done 80 quick refu.
sal would have been their answer. In
stead of asking permission to reap the
fields our forefathers have sown they came
in on the sly Gas boys sometimes go into an
Orchard), with the results MS above stated
The will of the fathers of the Republic
has been thwarted, and we are deprived of
part of our heritage.
Chinese immigration has been forbid
den upon much the same ground that alien
land-hOldng should be forbidden. Coal
miners are protected by law from the i'm
portation of laborers as such. Criminals
and paupers are excluded. Having the
power, then, of preventing aliens from
coming here. If likely TO be burdensome
or obnoxious to as, We certainly have the
right of vetoing their buying of our cheap
lands. If the lands we're held by Chinese
what would be the result? 1t would be
conhscation. What difference Is it wheth.
er the lands are held in Great Britain or 10
ChinaH Have We one policy for one mar
and different policy for another many Or
are we great enough TO show 40 rartiality
to nations or peoples
What powers have the general govern
ment TO remedy the EVENT.
The first requisite IL the 0iU to rectify
criminal blunder. If our executive officers
have that will, ways TO accomplish it can
be easily found. 1t the Attorney General
has no power to reclaim these lands
through the courts then let congress give
him the power, with direction to use 1t
promptly and heroically Congress should
also pass an act forbidding the sale Of more
than one section of land to one man or
woman or company OF meH. 1t was intend
ed for the lAbOrinp class | fear our mem