The semi-weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1890-1891, 1890-06-11
A R|lL TO BAR THE ALIENS.
None But Citizens Of the United States
Should Acquire Title to
Land.
"A s1RoNG REPORT BY the Committee.
THE Republican Senators Fixed up
Their Tariff Bill Last
Night.
] The Usual Telegraphic Items From all
Parts of the
World.
!. s1Roue REPORT BY the COMMITTEE.

WASHINGTON, June 9.--Representative
| oakes of Alabama, from the committee
on judiciary, reported to the house a bill
to prohibit aliens from acquiring title to
or owning lands within the United States.
An elaborate report accompanied the bill.
In it the committee says the power of
the government to totally exclude aliens
from coming within its Jurisdiction, as
has been done in the case Of the Chinese,
no one questions. This sovereign power
certainly includes the lesser one of de-
dping what property rights they may tx
erclse after they are admitted and during
the continuance of their alien condition.
Your committee ascertained, says the re-
mort, after reasonable certainty that GER
tain noblemen Of Europe, principally Eng
lishmen, have acquired and now W in
the aggregate about twenty-one million
acres Of land within the United States.
We have not sufficient information
to state the quantity of land owned by
untitled aliens. nor is it so important as
il ia generally held in smaller bodies.
This alien nonresident ownership will in
| the course Of time lead to q system of
landlordism in compatible with the hest
interests and free institutions of the
United States. The foundation of such
investments being laid broadly in the
western states and territories, the avarice
and enterprise of European capital ,ts, the
report continues, caused them to invest
many millions in American railroad and
land bonds, covering perhaps 1~OO,OOO,OOO
acres, the greater part of which under
foreclosure sales will most likely before
many years become the property of these
foreign bond holders, in addition to their
present ~princely possessions. This
aggression of foreign capital, is not con-
fined to lands, but over leaying its bound
aries, has caused hundred Of miles of
public domain to be fenced up for
grazing for vast heards of cattle and
set at dctinance the rights OF honest but
humble settlers. The bill proposes
to place these aliens under disabilities of
the civil land law as to all future attempts
to acquire lands in this country; in other
words, the report is a declaration against
absentee landlordlsm. 1t declares all for
eign land holders who have not been nat
u~ralized incapable of taking title to lands
anywhere within the United States, ex-
cept by leasehold for not exceeding five
years. 1t has no restrictive but prospec
tive operation. 1t also contains a provis'
ion which will compel alien land officers
to cease to be such or to become citizens
of the United States within ten years
The bill, the report says, would prevent
any more abuses like that of Mr.. Scully
who resides in England and is a subject
of the queen but owns 10000 acres II
Illinois occupied by tenants. mostly. ig
norant foreigners, from whom be receives
as rent 100000 yearly and expends it ir
Europe. As another instance of alier
landlordism in America the tenth censu:
shows that the United States has 57O,OO'
tenant farmers, the largest number pos
sessed by any nation in the world. Pro
vision for homes for the rapidly enlarginl
population is n of the great question
of the future. The committee believes
every land owner In the country should
owe allegiance to the United States.