The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1890-06-14
done. That will solve the labor prob

No one we think who has given the
subject any attention will doubt, that it
is wise craftsmanship to place some
limit upon, ii not TO prevent altogether,
the requirement by aliens of ownership
of lands in this country. Millions Of
acres in the United States are practically
owned by Foreign noblemen, who have
invested their surplus incomes in Amer
can railroad and land bonds covering
immense tracts the greater portion Of
which will before many years become
their property. This alien, non-reSi,
dent ownership must in the course Of
time lead to a system OF landlordlsn
totally incompatible with the spirit as
we'll as the interests of our free lnstitu
tons. That Congress should take
cognizanCe OF these facts and conditions
is scarcely a question for argument
certainly in view of the settled genera
opinion existing in this country that the
balance of our unocCupied lands should
be held for actual settlers. To correct
this evil bill was reported in Congress
on Monday last from the committee on
the Judiciary. The report accompany
ing the bill says: "This aggressive
foreign capital is not confined to the
lands it has purchased, but, overleap-
ing its boundaries, has caused hun
dreds Of miles of the public domain to
be fenced up for the grazing of vast
herds of cattle, and set at defiance the
rights of the honest, but humble, set
tiers. The bill proposes to place these
aliens under the disabilities of the civil
law as TO all future attempts to acquire
lands in this country. In other words,
the report says, the bill is declaration
against absentee landlordism. 1t de-
Clares all foreign born persons, who
have not been naturalized, incapable OF
taking the title to lands anywhere with
IN the United States except lease hold
for not exceeding five years, and it has
no retroactive, but prospective oper
alton. 1t also contains a provision
which will compel alien land owners 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
subject OF the Queen, but owns ninety
thousand acres in Illinois, occupied by
tenants, mostly ignorant foreigners, from
whom he receives as rent 100000
yearly and expends it in Europe. The
Scheuley estate, of about 1000 acres,
within the city limits of Pittsburg and
Allegheny, from the rents of which the
Scheuleys, who are subjects of the
British Queen, draw annually not less
than $500, 900, Is another instance of
alien landlordism in America. The
census shows that the United States
has $4,000 tenant farmers, the largest
number possessed by any nation IN the
world.
In conclusion, the report says:
With the national increase in popu-
lation and the 100000 foreigners who
flock to our shores annually, and by
competition are reducing the wages of
labor, making the battle of life harder
to win, how, a few years hence, to pro-
vide homes for our poor people is a
problem for the American statesman to
solve. The multiplication of the owners
Of the soil is corresponding enlarge
ment of the number of patriots, and
every land owner in this country should
owe allegiance to the United States"