Evening star., 1918-04-05
Representative Ben Johnson
Before Senate Committee to
Defend Profiteering Bill.
SAYS NO MAN OF AFFAIRS
HERE WOULD AID TENANTS
Plan Might Defeat Purpose of Meas
ure, He Declares, in Opposition
to Tinkham Proposal.


District of Columbia could be found
with backbone enough to stand between
the landlords owning some $40O, 600 900
worth of property and the humble ten
ant" declared Representative Ben John
son, who today appeared before a Sen
ate subcommittee in defense Of his bill
to prevent profiteering in rents and in
opposition to the Tinkham bill which
provides for rent administrator in the
District. -
The Tinkham bill." said Mr.. John.
son, provides that a rent adninis-
traitor shall be appointed and that he
shall be resident of the District Of
Columbia. l cannot see any reason why
he should be resident of the District
and / can see many reasons why he
should not.
IF resident were appointed. he
would be a man Of affairs" and Mr..
johnson then added the remark already
quoted. The purpose of the bill would
then be defeated" he continued mo
such rent administrator would convict
the thousands of property owners who
sought to profiteer.
q. s. Is Biggest Victim.
THE United States is perhaps the
biggest individual victom of extortion-
ate rent charges in the District Why
should Uncle Sam be limited to the
seven square miles of the District to
select a man to deal with this matter"
Mr.. johnson complained that there
sarI ~s-A
pie of the District he has not found to
exist in any other part Of the country
Defending his own bill. he said that
he had fixed upon October 1, 1916, as
the date for the basic rent because
the real estate men have nxed Octo-l
ber e the bsslnninE ot the rsntsl
year. He advocated an amendment to-
section of the bill so as to make
more clear and specific the lien upon
furniture and personal property or
tenants who violate the proposed law
in subletting. He said this provision
was designed to protect the property
owners.
Mr.. johnson also suggested that his
bill might be amended SO as to allow
the tenant aggrieved because OF ex-
tortionate rents to file suit only within
one year instead of permitting him to
do so within fve years. as the bill now
provides.
He said the bill now provides that ft
shall be in effect for one year after the
war ends. This time should be extended.
he said. SO as to protect dependent sol-
diers and sailors, who may not be ablo
to return to their families for a longer
period.
Mr.. johnson strongly urged the conn
mittee to place in the bill an amend
ment which would reach a practice
which he said has been brought to his
attention, and that is for landlords to
tell the tenants they must buy the
property or get out
'T did not foresee that this practice
of colorab1e sales for the purpose OF
eNtortion would be resorted to when I
drafted my BILL" said Mr.. Johnson. He
read to the committee an extract from
a recent debate in the British parlia-
ment in which 1t was declared similar
colorado sales" have been resorted to
in England for extortion.
Mr.. johnson charged that a propa-
ganda to defeat his bill had been insti-
tured by real estate men and landlords
in Washington. He said letters and
kilograms had been sent to boards OF
trade chambers of commerce and other
associations in other cities urging them
to write to their congressman to vote
against the johnson bill
Protested Against Bill.
A telegram was received by Repre-
sentative McAndrews of Illinois, he
said, from an association of real estate
dealers in Chicago, protesting against
the bill, which, they said, had been rep
resented to them attempting to FIX
rentals in Chicago. AS soon as Mr..
McAndrews had furnished the Chicago
association with a copy of the john
son bill, Mr.. Johnson said, 1t withdrew
its protest, saying it was apparently a
measure to protect the employees of the