The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-12-01
AN AMERICAN .1R1sH LANDLORD. !"

A Washington letter announces
the death in London, at the age of
s., of William Scully, generally
known as "Lord Scully," who leaves
an estate said to be worth $50, 900, :
600. Scully was native of Upper
ary, Ireland. He owned more farms
than any other man in America. He
began buying land in the United
States more than so years ago, and
owned altogether 200, 900 acres, in
cluding In Logan, Sangamon and
Livingston Counties, Illinois, $1,000 !;
in Kansas, so, 900 in Nebraska, Co.,
900; in Missouri, 10000. These
lands he leased to tenants for cash
rental. Incidentally he was widely
execrated by certain sections of the
population in the West for his at
tempt to foster "Irish 1andlordism"
in free America.
So bitter did the sentiment against
Scully become that Illinois passed a
law declaring an alien incapable of
holding lands in Illinois and requir-
ing all such to sell their holdings
within three years. The law was de-
clared unconstitutional by the United
States Supreme Court. Then Illi-
nois passed a modified law, and
Scully became naturalized citizen
of the Uuited States.
"Lord" Scully was a scientific far
mer. He bought all his land after a
personal inspection. In 1851 he
came to the United States to invest
money in land. Landing at Phila-
delphia, he bought a horse and a
spade and started west searching for
land. He rode on horseback from
Philadelphia through the states of
Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Mis-
souri,, Kansas, Nebraska and Wiscon-
sin, testing the soil with his spade.
He gave two years to the trip, and
then he bought his land. Much of
his land in Illinois cost him only
$I.25 an acre.
Having bought his lands, Scully
proceeded to establish tenants. He
drew his own leases and for years
looked after the business himself,
living with his family at Lincoln, Ill.
He made the following rules, to
which all the tenants had to sub
scribe:
tenants must be temperate.
"They must pay their debts.
"They must not quarrel with their
neighbors.
"They must build their own houses
and barns and plant their own or
chards.
tThey must make money for
themselves over and above the money
with which they pay their rent.
"Their stock must be well fed.
"Their machinery must show good
care.
"They must so deport themselves
that the community will respect the
Scully colony and the name OF
Scully."
Under the terms of the Scully
leases the tenants made their own
improvements and paid the taxes on
the lands. If a tenant threw up hi.
lease he lost his improvements. The
rent was low, in many cases only
amounting to from $1.25 to So ar
acre. But Scully was exacting with
his tenants. He compelled them Il
pay their rent promptly and to pay
their debts. Yet he was not harsh
When crops failed, Scully RENTED
part and sometimes all of the rent
He never "raised the rent on ten
ant. He never displaced a tenan
who paid So an acre, in order to LEI
the land to some one else who Offered
$3. He never removed from farm
the family of deceased tenant. II
fact, man who leased Sculll
farm could build a home on it, Ger
tain of passing it on to his children
if they desired it.
To a large extent Scully livec
down the prejudice which was bite
against him in the country twenty
years ago.