Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1913-05-22
LORD sCULLY LANDS AND
THE FIRST ALIEN Law.

* y
II is possible that caiifornians
pride themselves upon their pat
riotism in repelling the Little Ma
room Brother. and upholding the
sacred dignity OF the soil by passing
the alien land bill. But Kansas,
which resembles the late @. Wash
ington in several respects-being
first in peace, war, etc, had the alien
land ownership idea copyrighted be-
fore California was anything more
than a place to go by stage coach
and 'round-the-orn" wind TANNERS.
Just two dozen years ago last
January II was that Kansas began
to view the foreign invasion with
alarm and magnifying glasses. The
inocent object of wrath was one
Lord William sscully, an Englishman
who came to Kansas with HIS leath-
er-seated riding pants and wad OF
perfectly good money. In Butler
county he purchased large tract
of land, and took options on ad-
Joining tracts. And the preservers
OF the ge-lorious commonwealth de-
cided that Lord Sculiy was a menace
to the nation. At the next session
Of the legislature, January. 1888,
senate bill 70, an act to restrict the
ownership OF land by aliens in this
state, was introduced. 1t was pro-
pagated and defended by a Senator
Mohler and restricted any person
not a citizen OF the United States to
one quarter section of land. But the
bill met some opposition. Senator
Elliston observed that there were
settlers in western Kansas who had
land to sell, and that they would
as soon sell 1t to aliens as to native
sons, and little sooner maybe, be-
cause some OF the aliens had pur-
chase money, form of portable
property which was blamed scarce
at that moment. <
Senator Mohler came back with
some caustic remarks about traitors
to the land OF the free, and pulled
enough eagle feathers to stuff a pill
low. Senator Elliston offered an
amendment permitting aliens to
own as much as whole section Of
land-providing they paid for 1t.
Senator Roe candidly admitted that
he was against permitting an alien
to own one square foot Of ground in
the state of Kansas-or anywhere
else for that matter. He recalled
that when, as a Union soldier, and
starving through Virginia, num-
Der OF wellrfilled hencoops were
protected by British flags, and that
the chickens were considered sacred
by officers in command.
After ough-and-tumblet argu-
ment of several hours duration, the
senate rejected the GAO acre amend
ment, and the downtrodden alien was
restricted to quarter section.
Things looked cloudy for Lord Soul
~ and his jack rabbit preserve. Sen
ator Elliston insisted upon the
amendment to make 1t statute
book" instead Of official state
paper" which would permit suf-
fering land owners to unload little
more of their landscape upon mon
eyed foreigners. Senator Osborn
demanded an amendment to the
first section, whereby the bill would
not affect existing contracts Tor the
sale of land to aliens. That cover
ed Lord Scully's options. Senator
Murdoch objected to that amend
ment, on the grounds that Lord
Scully had contracts for lot more
land in Butler county where he al
ready owned too muehW 7~ Il"
Then Senator Hob. Kell ey hop
ped up and asked If the bill would
wipe out Lord scully's present hold
ings? No? Then the bill was I'M
perfect and should be SO amended
as to chase the alien out of the
state. And with restriction Of
one quarter section to each l&nd-hun-
CRY alien, the bill passed the Kansas
senate on January 80, 1889, by a
vote of 80 yeas and three nays. But
although it is hard to find, further
evidence Of the case in the. oldest
newspaper files, it might be gath
cred that the bill was either killed
upon its second visit to the senate
or met with the disapproval Of the
governor as the general statutes
printed since that time do not men,
ton its passage.
When the Mohler bill got to the
house. It was at the tail end of the