Omaha daily bee., 1918-11-27
FARMERS OF BIG
SCULLy ESTATE
may SUE OWNERS
Organized Efforts Being Made
to Fight Increase of Rent.
ais; Estate Comprises
$4,000 Acres.
From a Staff CORRESPONDENT.

Lincoln, Nov. 26.-(Special. 1.-The
movement of the farmers of Muck
oils county who have been tenants
OF the Lord Scully estate for several
years against a raise in rents is
spreading 10 other counties and is
liable to end in an organized effort
of all tenants of the estate in other
states joining in an organized re-
volt against the raise.
The Scully estate covers over co.
600 acres of land in Nebraska, OF
which 10000 are in Nuckolls county
and 10000 in Gage. There are So
900 acres in Kansas and 10000 acres
in Illinois. Leases on the land in
the past have been at a low figure,
but requires the lessor to pay taxes
and put on all improvements and
also to pay fines when the land is
not farmed according to -!:e re-
quirements.
Receive Notice of Increase.
About a week ago the tenants in
Nebraska received notice of increase
in rents. Under their leases it has
been discovered that it will be i'm
possible for the tenants to remove
improvements and that they will
lose their rights to winter wheat
sown the last fall if they move off.
Among the provisions in the
leases is one which requires the ten
ants to waive the exemption laws
OF the state for the rent and per-
i1its the landlord to occupy the land
for the purpose of prospecting for
oil of minerals. Some Of the provi-
sions in the leases, according to Mr..
Sorenson, contain matters that it is
not possible for the tenant to carry
out. One clause prohibits the ten
ant from allowing his stock to feed
in the corn fields after the corn has
been shocked, holding the stalks for
the use of the landlord.
Bought Land Cheap.
William Scully, the original owner
of the land, was an Irishman who
came to America about so years ago.
He bought freely of land when it
could be bought for from ST to- 81
an acre. Scully was called Lord"
Scully, not because he was mem
Der of the peerage, but because of
the lordly manner in which he han
died his holdings. 1t is said that he
never sold any land nor spent any
thing for improvements. (.
Scully was son of Dennis Scully,
prominent in the Irish emancipation
movement and the first Irish student
admitted to Cambridge university.
The passage of the corn laws
prompted him to sell his land and
invest in land in this country.
Many Provisions in Leases.
He had set of rules which prost
pective tenants were forced to sub
scribe to before he would lease them
land. Among them were the fol-
lowing:
"You must not drink intoxicants
to excess; you must pay your debts;
you must build your own house and
barns and plant your own orchards;
your stock must be we'll fed and pre-
sent a sleek. appearance; your ma
chinery must be kept in good condi-
ton; you must make money to pay
my rent fees and money for your
self over and above that; you must
SO deport yourself that the Scully
colony and the Scully name will be
respected in your community" 4
According to Attorney Sorenson,
an organized fight will be made to
enable the tenants who may be
compelled to leave the land by rea-
son of the fact that new leases
have been orderedto be recompensed
for improvements placed by them
On the land.