Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-08-25

&. TonrktSs.
That which has most distinguished
the United States from Europe in the
past is that the one was mostly composed
of homestead proprietors and the other
mostly Of renters. An American could
proudly say that part of my country ID
my own, when defend one defend the
other. a citizen of the proudest govern
ment of Europe could only say, in my
native land l have not "where to lay my
head' except by someone's consent, and
that obtained only by pay. But change
is rapidly coming: each decade shows
relatively less and lass land owned by the
people and more and more owned by the
great landlords. Even now there are
more and greater huge estates in this
country than in any of the governments
OF Europe, and the increase goes steadily
on. Within a month past there were
patented to the North Pacific railroad III
round numbers so ,000, 200 of acres of I'M
earned land. An area as great us Great
Britain, and at 100 acres each would
furnish homes for 3l2 500 families. Our
own state can boast of its capital syndi-
cate with 8 ,040 ZOO acres, l60 acres each
for 10 200 families. Our neighboring
territory, New Mexico, has its Maxwell
grant of millions, as well as almost in
Vulnerable others in this and all of the
Western states and territories. Each
one of these great estates dooms whole
counties, and some of them many ooun-
ties, to the tired of the OK TO the ex-
clusion of man. They constitute duke
doms of the largest dimensions and
II any of them are owned by princes,
earls and lords of all the governments of
Europe. And when not owned by them,
by equally soulless and destructive COR
porations and millionaires whose landed
acquisitions have been often obtained
through fraud and bribery OF the blacklist
hue; as witness the famous Maxwell
grant. The two great landed proprie-
tors. the United States and Texas, have
made q mad race for supremacy in mag
nifcent grants to aliens, corporations
and capitalists, the government grants
exceeding in grandeur only because of
the greater amount to give. But Texas
was not surpassed in recklessness nor in
the small returns for its grants. These
great grants endowed with boundless
heritage, these American and foreign
dukes which has enabled them and inter-
ested them to form immigrant societies
to fill our country with undesirable i'm
migrants who are soon TO crowd our
children out of homestead and make
them tenants in the homes of their
fathers; and has also enabled them to
corrupt and control state and general
legislation to the injury of the people.
While there was boundless West the
evils were not felt, but now the public
domain in Texas and the United States
is practically gone, and what is left has
to be irrigated, or IN some way redeemed
from the unwilling elements of nature
before homes can be made of them.
Sooni very soonl q poor man can no
longer find q home in the Westl
The corporations have 1.-THE people must
take their place as European vassals
soon. He that owns the land owns all
that can produce and support life, and
owns the lives and services
of those who live. And still moro and
more the absorption goes on.
But it is not my object to discuss the
errors of the past, but to consider what
snail we now do to break up the princelY
estates and find homes for the people yet
q little while. The people have yet votes,
and can protect themselves against the
of these land grabbers, both
alien and citizen, If they will.
The dealing with the alien holdings In
this country is the least difficult of all the
great estates, because they are more
easily reached by law. Aliens are not
by right entitled to hold lands in any
foreign government, and can only hold
them by permission of the local law, no
law requiring 1t. Aliens
are not permitted to own lands IN many
of the foreign governments. Until late
years no state allowed 1t. Now many of
them. do not allow it. And lately Illinois
and other Northern states have COM
PEELED all aliens to sell their lands except
such as is used by corporations, mauufac-
lures, railroads, etc. in the exercise of
their legitimate business. 1t Is within
the undisputsd power of Texas or any
other state to cause them to sell their
lands. We have no need for foreign
and have many homeless
people. We should therefore take i'm
mediate steps to secure the passage of
such laws as will accomplish the object,
q reasonable time being given them to
sell. Most of our alien landholders are
only stockholders in our various land and
cattle companies which abound IN Texas
ard all the new states and territories.
It is also within the power OF any state
10 abolish all corporations holding lands
for speculation. Corporations, which
are necessary evils, for great enterprises
such as railroads are not needed as land
holders and are always more or less dan
yerous, being o consolidated power of
capital, which is not as easily reached as
private parties and partnerships. 1t is
to contemplate vast estates, in-
,luding many counties, of land adapted
10 agriculture held by corporations, for
The enormous rises caused increasing
population and decrease OF lands, aggra-
Fated by SO many large holdings by cap
talists at home and abroad. at little
earlier period state would no more have
granted a corporation the right TO hold
and than to have granted it the privilege
% govern the state. Texas and any
,ther state having such corporations
with such powers should Immediately
abolish them and compel sale. Cor
being creatures OF the statute
hey are easily reached by law. Aliens |
IAN, TO great extent, avoid such legisla- |
ion by placing title in another and hold |
ng II In secret. Corporations can do the |
ame as is now done by several of the |
abroad companies of Texas, when by |
he grants the land was to be alienated |
within a limited time, which has ex-
bred, and they are now holding immense |
bodies In the name of some of their