The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-06-10
ALIENS AND OUR ACRES.
A BILL TO PROHIBIT FOREIGN
OWNERSHIP OF LAND.

The Power of the Government to En-
act Such Law Proven by the Chi
nese Act-21 100000 Acres Already
Held by Foreign Noblemen all
Must Become Citizens.
WASHINGTON, June 9.-Mr. Oates of
Alabama, from the committee on Judiciary,
reported to the House to-day a bill to pro-
hibit aliens from acquiring title to or own
ing lands within the United States. An
elaborate report accompanied the bill. In
it the committee says the power of the gov
ernment 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 defining what property rights
they may exercise after they are admitted
and during the continuance of their alien
condition.
HOLDINGS OF NoBLEMEN.
Your committee ascertained," says the
report, with reasonable certainty. that
certain noblemen of Europe, principally
Englishmen, have acquired and now own
In the aggregate about 2l 900, 900 acres of
land within the United States. We have
not sufficient information to state the guam
tity owned by untitled aliens, nor is it so
important, as 1t is generally held in smaller
bodies. This alien nonresident ownership
will, in course of time, lead to a system of
landlordism incompatible with the best
interests and 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 European capitalists" the report con
tinues, have caused them to invest many
millions in American railroad and land
bonds, covering perhaps 100, 900, 900 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.
GRABBING GOVERNMENT LANDS.
"This aggressive foreign capital is not
confined to the lands it has purchased,
but, overlapping its boundaries, has caused
hundreds of miles of public lands to be
fenced up for the grazing of vast herds of
cattle, and sets at defiance the rights of the
honest, but humble settler The bill pro-
poses to place these aliens under the disa-
blllty OF civil law as to all future attempts
to acquire lands in this country. In
other words,'' the report saws,
the bill is a declaration against absentee
landlordism. 1t declares all foreign born
persons who have not been naturalized in
capable of taking title to lands anywhere
within the United States, except a lease
hold for not exceeding five years, and it has
no retroactive but prospective operations. :"
MUST BECOME CITIZENS.
1t also contains a provision which will
compel alien land owners to cease to be such
or become citizens of the United States
within ten years.
The tenth census shows that the United
States has SIC, 900 tenant farmers, the larg-
est number possessed by any nation in the
world. In conclusion the report says:
with the natural increase in population,
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 few years hence to provide
homes for our poor people is the problem
for American statesmen to solve. Multiple
cation of owners of the soil is correspond
ing enlargement of the number of patriots,
and every land owner in this country should
owe allegiance to the United States.