Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1889-06-08
THE ALIEN ACT.

has been written and printed in the
Territorial press in regard to what
is known as the Alien Act of Con-
gress. II is the general opinion
that the Act should be repealed, as
it provisionss. as carried out, are in
imical TO the rapid development and
best interests of the Territories. In
order to show just where the Act re-
ferred to adversely affects Idaho,
the BULLETIN gives brief state
ment of facts. A bill having passed
the Congress of the United States
was signed by President Cleveland
March 2, 1887, and became the law
of the land. That bill provides
that no alien-or. in other words,
no person not a citizen of the
United States, or any foreign cor
poration or company, shall have the
right or privilege Of owning real
property within the Territories or
District of Columbia. An alien or
foreign corporation, however, shall
be accorded the right to own prop
erty TO a limit Of an interest Of one
fifth, but the remaining four-fifths
must be owned by actual citizens of
the United States. The operations
of the law does not apply TO the cit
liens Of those countries with'which
the United States have treaties al
lowing citizens of this country to
own real estate in their countries.
This latter clause only cxempts
France and Switzerland az
they are the only two countries in
the world that allow a citizep Of the
United States 10 own real estate
therein and obtain title thereto.
France granted such right TO Amer
lean citizens at the time of the pur-
chase Of Louisiana. When the bill
was passed and signed il was sup
posed that English citizens were
also exempt, even Secretary Bayard
laboring under--the hallucination
that the treaty of 1912 gave the
citizens of England the right to own
property in this country, and vice
versa. But when the Secretary ard
his small army of clerksshunted up
the musty document and read its
contents, they were non-plussed.
The bill was passed under a misap-
prehension of facts, as many Sena-
tors, including Senator Cullom of
Illinois, and Congressman likewise,
were unaware that the bill would be
so deadly to the mining interests Of
the Territories. Even President
Cleveland within two weeks after
signing the bill, remarked to a gem
tleman now a resident of Rocky
Bar that he would not have signed
it had he been aware that it would
have that effect upon the Territorial
mining interests. The effect of the
Alien Act, outside of mining, seems
TO have been beneficial to the Ter
ritories.
Wherein are Territories worsted
by the operations of the Act? En-
glish capitalists are the greatest in
the world for carrying on extensive
mining operations in foreign coun-
tries all over the world, and London
is the financial center. From that
point million are sent out monthly
TO carry on mining operations and
to purchase new properties. Until
the passage Of the Alien Act by
Congress Idaho received her just
share Of that capital to be used in
the development of her mining in
dustries. English capital does not
come here now to purchase mining
property, There is not sufficient
money in tie financial centers Of the
east in the United States to carry
forward the work Of development in
the mining regions Of Idaho, or, II
the money is there, the capitalists
prefer, to a great majority, to invest
in scrip, bond, or improved real es-
tate. There are few good eastern
companies operating in Rocky Bar
and elsewhere in Gilmore county
and throughout Idaho Territory,
but more capital is needed.
There are three ways in which
foreign. capital may be brought to
Idaho: The foreign company or
corporation may lease a mine and
operate.it, as has been done in a
number of cases, but this method