Tombstone epitaph., 1890-06-14

REFRESHMENTS OATES has reported to the House bill to prohibit aliens from acquiring title to or owning lands within the United States. This is subject that is at present attract ing a great deal of attention, and the passage of the bill, the substance of which is quoted below, should meet with the approbation of all citizens, whether native or foreign born; "An elaborate report accompanied the bill. In it the committee says the power of the government to totally exclude aliens from coming within its iurisdic- ton, as has been done in the case of the Chinese, no ore questions. This sovereign power certainly includes the lesser one of defining what property rights they may exercise after they are admitted and during the continu- ance of their alien condition. Your committee ascertained,' says tEe re- port, with reasonable certainty that certain noblemen of Europe, prln- cipally Englishmen, have acquired and now own in the aggregate about 21 100000 acres of land within the
 United States. We have not sufficient information to state the quantities owned by untitled aliens nor is 1t so important as it is generally held in
 smaller bodies. This alien nOn-resi- dent ownership will in course of time
 lead to system of landlordism in compatible with the best interests and 1 free institutions of the United States.
 The foundation of such a system is being laid broadly in the Western
 States and Territories. The avarice and enterprise of Eupean capitalists the report continues, have caused
 them to invest many millions in
 American railroad and land bonds
 covering perhaps IOOOO0,000 acres a greater part of which under foreclos-
 ure sales will most likely, before many
 years, become the property of these
 foreign bondholdeIs in addition to their present princely possessions.
 This aggressive foreign capital is not confined to the lands it has purchased. but overlapping its boundaries has caused hundreds of miles of public
 domain to be fenced up for the graz | ing of vast herds of cattle and set at defiance the rights of honest but humble settlers The bill proposes to place these aliens under disabilities of the civil law as to future attempts to acquire lands in this country. In other words the report says the bill Is a declaration against absentee land lordism. It declares all foreign born
 persons who have not been natural ized, incapable of taking a title to lands anywhere within the United States, except lease held for not ex- ceeding five years. IL has no retroac- tive, but prospective operation. It also contains provision which will compel alien land owners to cease to be such or to become citizens oE the I United States within ten years. The bill,' the report says, would prevent any more abuses like that of Amer Schully, who resides in England, and is subject of the Queen, but who owns 90,000 acres in Illinois, occupied by tenants, mostly ignorant foreigners from whom he receives as rent $2O0,- GOO yearly and expends it in Europe. The Schully estate owns about 20OO acres within the city limits of Pitts burg and Allegheny, from the rents of which the Schullys, who are subjects of the British queen draw annually not less than $l00000, is another in- stance of alien landlordism in Amer ica. The tenth census shows that the United States had 570.000 tenant ] farmers, the largest number possessed