The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-09-11
The Extent to Which it is Being
Carried in the United
States.
Some Of the Dire Evils That Are
Being Developed From
That Cause.
One Small List, Including Twenty Millions
Of Acres, Held by Aliens
Duty of Congress.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9.-1nteresting fact.
and statistics are contained in the docu-
ments accompanying the bill to prohibit
aliens from hereafter acquiring lands with
in the United States. The house committee
on judiciary, when it reported this measure
declared that it had obtained satisfactory
evidence that titled aliens, chiefly English
men, now own about q, O0O, 600 acres in this
country. To this ownership should BIZ
added that of the untitled aliens, which is
usually in smaller lots and less a subject OF
criticism. Besides this direct ownership
European capitalists have enormous sums
invested in railroad and land bonds cover.
ing, it is thought, l0O,0OO,O00 acres and
subject to foreclosure sales. While this heavy
alien ownership is mostly in lands of the
far west, it is not all. The case of Mr..
Scully is cited, who lives in England and
owns and rents $4,000 acres in Illinois at
about $500, CO0 year; while much smaller
estate within the city limits of Pittsburgh
and Allegheny yields to British subjects
about half that sum.
One feature of this extensive alien owner
ship, especially in the far west, has been its
connection with evasions of the laws in
order to encroach on the rights of the home
stead settler. A noticeable share Of the
practice, once 80 fragrant, of fencing in
public lands with barbed wire, in order to
use it for cattle, is attributed to British
corporations. They not only own vast areas
themselves, but have used what they did not
own. often to the detriment of actual set
tiers adjoining. The individual members
of the corporation might or might not have
known of this practice; not having Ameri-
can citizenship, they were perfectly
willing to intrust details of management to
their local agents. Some time ago single
company composed of Scotchmen, called
the Prairie Cattle company. was found to
have illegally fenced in one tract contain
ing sixteen square miles, another contain
ing twenty five, a third containing twenty
five, fourth containing seventy-tive, anda
fifth containing 100. Eight cuses in all
were found against that one company in
Colorado and Nebraska, and its unauthor-
lied fencings, according to the reports of
agents. amounted to over 1,OOO,O0O acres.
OF course American still more largely than
foreign companies have been guilty of these
practices, but the fact is pointed out by the
house judiciary committee in the present
congress chiefly in its bearing upon alien
ownership.
It may seem that with country so vast
as ours there need be nc anxiety as to the
ability of actual settlers to obtain lands
But even six years ago Land Commissioner
waste of the public domain. What with
the acquisition of scores of millions of
acres by great corporations either through
fraudulent evasion of the laws or open de-
fance of them, sometimes aided by the
completely of corrupt government officials,
and with the imperfect system on which
our homestead. presumption, desert and
timber laws were originally based, that Of
fcer found this result impending:
The time is near at hand when there will
be no public lands to invite settlement or
to afford citizens of the country an appor-
tunity to secure cheap homes. Meanwhile
vast stretches of uncultivated lands are
everywhere observable, title to which has
been acquired by evasions of law. The nu
merous methods of disposal now existing
and the laxity of precautionary provisions
against misappropriation are resulting in
waste of the public domain. without the
compensation attendant npon small owner
ships for actual settlement.
One of his successors reported that ''the
files of this office groan with the pitiful APP
peals of settlers to be protected against
fraudulent surveys" while as to depreda-
tions upon public timber he declared them
to be universal, fragrant and limitless,"
covered with pine, the forests at head
waters of streams, and timber along the
water courses" In California the entries
of redwood in Humboldt county by a COM
pany whose stock was mainly subscribed
for in Scotland are we'll remembered. OF
course the offending cattle syndicates, cor
porations, and individuals are oftener
American than foreign; but any misuse by
the latter of laws that haye allowed them to
acquire land is noticeable. In some case
their agents may have caused titles to be
taken by their own employees. who after
wards transferred them to the company; in
others the corporations have unlawfully
fenced in public lands adjoining their own
and guarded them with the shotcuns
of their cowboys. This illegal fencing
seems to have been largely broken up
in recent years, but the alien owner
ship continues. In one list, which includes a
total of 20, 900 acres, said to be held by
foreign owners ono company in New Mex
leo is credited with 4,5OO,OO0; another in
Texas with 5000. 900; third in Florida with
100000 fourth in Mississippi with
l,S0O. 900, and 80 on through about thirty
large owners, while no attempt is made to
collect the instances of alien ownership of
only moderate tracts of land.
Of course congress would pass no law
having n retroactive effect, so as to take
away property already lawfully acquired by
aliens. If the title is unlawfully acquired
it is subject to destruction whether held
by foreigners or citizens. Congress may
also be reluctant to establish any laws on
the subject for future operations such as it
would not like to see exacted in other ooun-
tries, as. for instance, in Mexico i'll regard
TO the acquisition of real estate by Ameri-
can citizens. Still the facts and statistics
brought forward under the present inquiry
may cause the instituting of means to
check the prevalence of abuses in alien own
.rshir