The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-05-12
THE CASE OF LORD SCULLY
Englishman Bought a Lot of
Land in Butler County.
Bill Drawn to Restrict Aliens
to One Quarter Section Land.


Washington in several iespects-being
first in peace, war, etc, had the
alien land ownership idea copyrighted
before California was anything more
than place to go by stage coach and
'round-the-horn'' wind TANNERS.
Just two dozen years ago last Janu-
arV 1t was that Kansas began to view
the foreign invasion with alarm and
magnifying glasses. The innocent OBJ
Ject of wrath was one Lord William
Scully, an Englishman who came to
Kansas with his leather-seated riding
pants and a wad of perfectly good
money. In Butler county he purchased
large tract of land and took options
on adjoining tracts. And the preservers
of the ge-lorious commonwealth decid-
ed that Lord Scully was a menace to
the nation. At the next session of
legislature, January, 1889, senate bill
79, an act to restrict the ownership of
land by aliens in this state, was intro
duced. 1t was propagated and defend
ed by a Senator Mohler, and restricted
any person not citizen of the United
States to one quarter section of land.
But the bill met some opposition. Sem
ator Elliston observed that there were
settlers in western Kansas who had
land to sell, and that they would
soon sell it to aliens as to native sons,
and a little sooner, maybe, because
a 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 pillow. Sena-
tor Elliston offered an amendment per-
hitting aliens to own as much as a
whole section of land-proViding they
paid for it. Senator Roe candidly adj
mitted that he was against permitting
an alien to own one square foot OF
ground in the state of Kansas-or any
where else-for that matter. He recall
ed that when, as a Union soldier, and
starving through Virginia, a number
of well-filled hencoops were protected
by British flags, and that the chickens
were considered sacred by officers in
command.
After a rough-and- tumble argument
of several hours duration, the senate
rejected the $40 acre amendment, and
the downtrodden alien was restricted
to a quarter section. Things looked
cloudy for Lord Scully and his jack
rabbit preserve. Senator Elliston in
sisted upon the amendment to make
it statute book" instead of official
state paper" which would permit suf-
fering land owners to unload a little
more of their landscape upon moneyed
foreigners. Senator Osborn demanded
an amendment to the first section,
listing contracts for the sale of land
to aliens. That covered Lord Scully'S
options. Senator Murdoch objected to
that amendment. on the grounds that
Lord Scully had contracts for lot
more land in Butler county where he
already owned too much.
Then Senator H. B. Kelley hoped
up and asked if the bill would wipe
out Lord Scully's present holdings?
No? Then the bill was imperfect, and
should be so amended as to chase the
alien out of the state. And with
restriction of one quarter section to
each land-hungry 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 old
files, it might be gathered
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 mention it's passage.
When the Mohler bill got to the
House. it was at the tail end of the
session. A certain Mr.. Jones moved |
that consideration thereof be postponed |
Mr.. Hoch of Marion, |
name sounds familiar) opposed the |
motion. and wanted the bill passed |
right away.
He called attention to the fact that |
an amendment to the constitution to |
the effect that Ownership of land by |
aliens may be regulated by legislative |
action had carried by over 100000, and !
he thought the bill should be passed as
amended. (By that time it had been |
amended to a point where it made it |
all burt a TIMETABLE offense for an
alien to own anything but his shoe
strings in Kansas.) And the bill pass
ed in that form and vas sent back to !
the senate.
During the same session of legisla-
ture a bill appropriating $1,000 to pay
the expenses of some agent to go to
Paris and promote French immigration
to Kansas, was introduced. 1t seems
to have fallen into the discard, as there
IS no further record of it, but the
of Lord Scully continued to
hold the attention of the legislature.
Things were coming to focus in the
senate. There was plenty of poison
and eloquence waiting for Lord Scully,
but there was also large number of
local bills and personal pets to be
cared for. 1t is evident, fro mthe
records, that the senators did not find
time to pass the bill as amended by
the house. They changed the name of
Jeff Davis county to Geary county, !,
and did some other legislating. includ-
ing the removing of disability from
a number of galvanized rebels along |
the Missouri river. They wound up |
with a grand omnibus of local bills |
and agreed measures, but Lord Scu1ly |
who had been viewed with alarm as a |
dangerous alien. seems to have escaped |
with his jack-rabbit garden.
The incident has been practically |
forgotten for many years, but no Cali |
with crouch at the Japs, |
ever viewed with more larm than did |
the doughty defenders of Kansas |
when they tried to legislate Lord Scully |
out of Butler county. H. G. P.
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