Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-29
RENT PR0F|TEER|NG
TO COME UP AGAIN
Thursday May See Another
Effort in Senate to Frame
Legislation.
QUORUM NOT EXPECTED

Another effort to bring ABOUT legls-
lation to prohibit profiteering in rents
in the District Of Columbia is expected
when the Senate meets Thursday. The
conference report on the emergency
agriculture appropriation bill, show
ing that the Senate rent profiteering
amendment is still in dispute between
the Senate and the House, was laid
before the Senate late yesterday after
noon by Senator Hoke Smith Of Georgia
It was the understanding that this
conference report would be called up
again Thursday.
The agricultural bill carries war
time prohibition, to which both
houses have agreed. In order to de-
lay the enactment of the wartime
prohibition law, 1.-The vets" in the
Senate have not been slow to seize
upon the rent profiteering amendment
to hold up the entire bill. On this
account a motion to recede from the
Senate amendment to prevent rent
profiteering may bring about a point
Of no quorum in the Senate Thurs
day. 1t is unlikely that a. quorum Of
senators will be present at that time,
it was said today. The point Of no
quorum, therefore, would prevent any
action on rent proiteering and war
time prohibition Thursday.
Senator Smiths Report.
In reporting the Disagreement to the
Senate yesterday. Senator. Smith said:
'The conferees were not only I'M
able to agree, but the conferees on
the part of the House declined to con-
slider any kind of provision on this
subject. We invited them to say what
kind Of legislation they wanted; to
jected to the Pomerene amendment;
to give us something that they did
think would meet the situation. Their
attitude, however, was that they
would not consider an amendment on
this subject placed upon an agricul-
tural appropriation bill, and that the
only possible way to obtain 1estsla-
ton would be through the District
committee For this reason it is USE
less to ask for a further conference.
While they asked for the conference.
they failed to confer"
Would Wait for House Quorum.
Senator Lenroot Of Wisconsin sug-
sested that If a quorum df the House
could be obtained, the House would
recede from it's objection to having
rent prohteering legislation on the
agriculture bill. He said he thought
the measure should lie upon the table
until the House has a quorum here
again and can act upon 1t.
Senator Sheppard of Texas, who Ia
anxious to have the agriculture bill
passed finally without further delay
because it carries the wartime prohi-
bition rider, said he had talked with
Chairman Lever of the House commit
tee on agriculture and was OF the
opinion there was no chance OF the
Houses receding on this rent-proHt-
eering amendment. Senator Sheppard
did not ask the Senate to act on the
conference report Yesterday, but said
he hoped it would Thursday.
New Conferees Suggested.
Senator Hoke Smith suggested that
the rent profiteering amendment be
stricken out Of the agriculture bill
and that the matter be placed in the
hands of new conferees, members OF
the District committee OF both houses.
in order to get around the difaculty
now existing due to the Senate's ex-
further with Representative Ben
johnson of Kentucky because of the
criticisms leveled at the Senate by
Mr.. Johnson.
He asked Senator Pomerene Of Ohio
how he regarded such suggestion.
The latter replied he was willing to
do anything within reason" to get
legislation to prevent profteeFtng In
rents.