The Washington times., 1913-04-23
ALIEN LAND OWNERSHIP.

Western and Southwestern States are NOR
! familiar than those of the East with the problem
which alien ownership of lands involves. 1t is rea
one more Of those questions which illustrate hov
important is a national treatment of national ques
tions. The nation must make our treaties and deter
mine the lines on which relations with the rest
the world shall be conducted. Yet in so importan
matter this of land tenure the nation has powe
to act only far concerns the District of ColumbI.
and the Territories
The case comes to mind of a young Engishmar
who some twenty years ago migrated to the States
and, presently, with the Engshman's instinct fol-
landed interest, bought up 1000 acres of atrac
tive prairie land in State famous as one of the
greatest agricultural communities in the world THAI
land cost him about SIS per He lived on it for
nearly score of years, cudgeling subsistence
out of it. Quarterly "remittances" from home-he
was typical younger son"-helped him to hold
and somewhat to develop the property. But in a
general way he did little for it. While surrounding
property was sold into farms, commonly of l6O acres
each, and developed by American methods, family
occupying each farm, and the community struggling
to build schools, roads, ETC., the young Engshman
held his great tract intact and did comparatively little
work on it. He was waiting for the enterprise of
his neighbors, the growth of what is now a great,
rich State, to inject value for him into his big holding
This young man declined to become citizen Of
the United States. He had no thought of giving up
citizenship in England He was perfectly frank in
mis- intention to make stake in America sell out
and return home with his little fortune to live the
rest of his years.
Two or three years ago he sold that entire tract
at about $50 per acre, Cleaned up round quarter
OF million dollors and took the first steamship for
England. He has not been in this country since
He bought country place in rural England invested
the rest of his fortune in British consos and settled
down to the life Of a comfortably circumstanced
English country gentleman.
Multiply that case by good many hundreds in
the history of that Western States development
and you have the set of conditions that have made
this question of alien ownership look impressive in
a great number of communities. The man who will
not become citizen is not likely to be the most
useful member of the community. He is here to
seize and cash in slice of what we are beginning
to understand pretty accurately under the name of
the unearned increment.
The class of foreigners who come here with
capital TO invest in the real development of the
country, who identify themselves in the most init
mate ways with the interests of the community who
become citizens and real workers, ought to be
welcomed without question. But certainly there is
ground for very seriously questioning the proprety
Of turning natural into treasure house
Of opportunity that foreigners may enter stake off
their claims and then wait for the rest of us to plow
and dig, and mine, and build wealth into their
holdings.
The case of a modest holding of 1000 acres is
not very important but when single alien interests
possess themselves of areas equal to county and
calmly sit down to wait for the real workers of this
country to give it value the situation becomes one
worthy of attention.
Yet it is situation which manifesty cannot be
handled without consideration for the international
obligations and guarantees that our Federal Govern
nent has undertaken. Ii should be national
problem, pure and simple. To complicate it with
he uncertain division of powers between national
md State governments adds to the difficulty of
5roper solution. California in forcing attention to
hese difficulties is giving US another demonstration
If the need for more closely knit homogeneous
laton, with uniformity of institutions and laws.