The Washington herald., 1918-05-07
REED DELAYS
BILL TO CHECK
.PROFITEERING
Holds Up Action on Sauls-
bury Resolution to Pre-
vent Evictions.

Baked by Senator Reed Of Missouri,
the Senate failed tc pass the Salisbury
Resolution yesterday afternoon and
Washington will do without Q means
to check rent pronteering for one more
day.
The resolution which S>nator Sauls-
bury of Delaware offered tended to
preserve the present status OF land
lord and tenant, at least until Con-
gress had time to consider the Pom
creme Anti-Prohteering Rent Bill.
Declares II Unconstitutional.
THE resolution is unconstitutional" I"
said Senator Reed in great heat. land
doubt if there is a court in the
country but what would spit upon it.
1t is a bald. naked. unblushing attempt
to set aside and violate the rights OF
contract. No one hut an imbecile
would attempt to do any building
under this resolution.
who wants to build when there Is
no assurance that the government will
not come along and commander the
property at a price that may or may
not be fair? When building in this
city should have been encouraged. the
government took special pains to dis
courage It and now a SIC, 0,000. 900 fund Is
about to be spent for housing pur-
poses under unfavorable conditions.
Senator Salisbury was forced to his
feet several times to interpret and de-
fend his measure. And according to
the Delaware solon. not less than 1000
cases Of profiteering have reached the
ears Of Congress.
A parting shot at the measure by
Cnnofa- a.
fiocked 10 the colors as fast as people
come to Washington looking for gov
ernment jobs. there would have been
no need for the second draft This
afternoon the Senate will again take
! up the salisbury resolution. The
measure which was so roundly scored
! by Senator Reed reads:
Text Of Resolution.
That until the adjournment sine
die Of the present session of Con-
gress no judicial order for the re-
covery of possession of any real es-
tate. now or hereafter held or ac-
quired by oral agreement or writ
ten lease for one month or any
longer period. for the ejectment or
dispossession of a tenant there
from, shall be made, and all leases
thereof shall continue so long as
the tenant continues to pay rent at
the agreed rate and performs other
conditions of the tenancy except
on the ground that the tenant has
failed to take reasonable care of
the premises, or has committed
waste, or has been guilty of conf
duct which is a nuisance or amount .
to a disturbance of the peace of ad-
joining neighborhood occupiers or
violation of the law, or that the
premises are reasonably required by
the landlord for occupation by him.
self or his family while in the en-
ploy Of or officially connected with
the government or where property
has been disposed of to a bona fide
purchaser for his own occupancy,
and where such order has been
made, but not executed before the
passage of this resolution, the court
by which the order was made may,
II it is of the opinion that the or
der would not have been made IL
this resolution had been in force
at the date Of the making Of the
order, rescind or modify the order
in such manner as the court may
deem proper for the purpose Of Civ
ing effect to this resolution: pro-
vided that any provision in any
oral or written lease that the same
shall be determined or forfeited II
the premises shall be sold is hereby
declared to be void while this reso-
luton shall be in force, and every
purchaser shall take the convey
ance Of any premises subject to the
rights of all tenants in possession
thereof under the provisions of this
resolution"