, 1890-06-12
ALIEN LAND OWNERS.
Committee Report on the
House Bill.
THEY SHOULD Be EXCLUDED
Absentee Landlordism Extremely
Harmful to American Interests
and Institutions.

WASHINGTON, June 0. Representative
Oates from the committee on judiciary
to-day reported to tho house the bill to
prohibit aliens from acquiring title to-
or owning, land within the United
st2,ss. An elaborate report accom- panied
~ bill. The committee says: at is
he power of the government to
exclude aliens from coming
4 within its jurisdiction, as has been done
In the case of the Chinese No one
questions this. The sovereign power
certainly includes tho lesser ono OF de.
6ning what property rights they may
exercise after they arc admitted and
during the continuance Of their alien
condition.
"Nour CON ,>tittee ascortained with
reasonable ce.ta nty that certain noble
men Of Europ. principally EnElishmon,
have acquired and now own in an aggre-
cato about 2l,OooOoo acres within the
United States. We have not sufficient
Information to state the quantity owned
by untitled aliens nor is It 50 important,
ss Il is generally held In smaller bodies.
This alien resident ownership will. in
the course OF time, lead TO n system Of
landlordism incompatible with tho best
Interests and free institutions OF the
United States. The foundation OF such
asystom lie being laid broadly in the
Western sta ties and territories. Tho ay-
ounuog and enterprise of Euro
~ Capitalists have caused them to
invest many millions in American rail-
road and land bonds. covering perhaps
10000 900 acres, the greater part of
which under foreclosure sales will likely
before many years become the properly
OF these foreign bond bidders, In addi-
ton to their present priucely posses
sions. This aggressive ioroign capital IL
not nfned 10 the lands IL has pur-
chased, but II Is overlapping its bound
aries, and has caused hundreds OF miles
Of public domain 10 be fenced up for tho
grazing of vast herds of cattle and set at
defiance the rights of tho honest but
humble settlots.'
The bill proposes to place these aliens
under disabilities of the civil laws as TO
all future attempts to acquire lands In
this country. Mn other words" the
report says, "the bill Is q declaration
against absentee landlordism." II de-
clares all foreign born persons who have
not been natufalized Incapable OF ac-
quiTlng title to lands anywhere within
the United states, except ieaseh olds for
not exceeding hye years. 1t has no re
troaotiye operation, but u prospective
IL also contains provision winch
will compel the alien land owners to
cease to be such or 10 become citizens
OF the United states within ton years.
THE bill" the report says, would
prevent any more abuses like that OF u
III. Scully, who resides In England
n&an Is a subject OF the queen, but who
@ps o., 600 acres, occupied by tenants
80 .uy ignorant Foreigners, from whom
fc receives as rent, 500 900 yearly, and
eNpends II in Europe. The Schon.
Icy estate Of about 1000
acres within the city limits
OF Pit,sburg and Allegheny, from
the rents of which the Schenleys, who
are subjects Of the queen, draw annually
not less than $4,000 Is another in
stance of alien landlordism in America.
The tenth census showed that the
United States had $40, 900 tenant farmers,
the largest number possessed by any
nstion in the world"
In conclusion the report says; ''The
foreigners who flock to our shores an
nually by competition arc reducing the
wages of labor for American people. II
Is problem for American statesmen to
solve. The multiplication of owners OF
the soil is n corresponding enlargement
of the number of patriots. and every
land owner in this country should owe
allegiance TO the United States"