Evening star., 1918-02-18
Anti -Profteering Legislation.

lions upon the Real Estate Brokers As
sQciation. its special committee and par
ficularly three members thereof. But
he leaves the stigma of his slurs upon
sthe real estate men of the city, and
The Star, and in additional condemna-
ton of The Star accuses it of deliberate
" garbling his words.
Evidently Mr.. johnson in debate says
more than he thinks he says and more
thsn he intends to say. No one who
reads in the Record what Mr. johnson
actually said in the recent debate will
believe that The Star has garbled his
words.
eFhe Star has entered earnest protest
In behalf of Washington against law
making procedure in the House which
breaks down opposition TO proposed Dis
trict Legislation by slurring the motives
. Of every opponent or critic or proposer
of amendment The Star has suggested
that a notable example of this unfair
and dangerous policy of making is
exemplifed i'll the recent discussion of
the iprofteering bill, in which Chair
man Johnson assumed that opposition to
his bill, far from aiming to correct and
improve it, meant only opposition to the
prevention and punishment of prefteer-
ing, and that every opponent of his bill
was either a profteer, or Indirectly
bfibed by the profteers, or friend of
the profteers, lacking patriotism.
The Record win show whether The
Star was justified in criticising in the
interest of fair-play for The District the
law-makiTg procedure in this ease. and
whether Mr. Johnson's words have beer
gafbled.
The Record shows that Chairman
Johnson denounced three sources of op-
POSITION. TO his bill: % "Some gentle
men on the floor of the House; (a) .the
real estate men Of the city,; {s) "The
Evening STAR He commented upon
the similarity of tine expressions of op-
position oy these three classes of op-
peneDts, declaring that there is almost
no difference between a the minority
Nousk oommittee} report; icy The
stAtements OF the Real Estate Brokers'
Association, and (3) the articles in The
stAk. Thus "a the opposition of @sor,e
ssatacmen on the floor of the House,
b expressed in the minority report: (2)
That of Athe real estate men" through
theiE. organization, the Real Estate
Bfekers Association, and (3) that of
The Star through its articles. The op-
position of the real estate men. through
their organization. the Real Estate Bro
keEs'rAssociation. was expressed to Mr..
JOHNSON by the associations special COM
ndttee. And Mr.. Johnson's words above
quoted show that the "real estate men,,
sRsc1ers' Association" and special com
mites we're treated as identical in form
ing the second class of the bills oppo-
Aents. Mr. johnson slurred all three
classes of opponents of his bill. Concern
ing it's opponents in the House he re-
marked that he was sorry to say that they
seemed willing that profteering should
continue. Concerning Mr. Tinkham, who
Fed the opposition, he said he found
sfhst apparently some of his patriotism
lad been lost in a storm at SEE and that
the local prefteers called him Friend .
The Star, he intimated, had been
bought by the real estate men indirectly
through advertising to desert the gov.
ernmep. clerks and to defend extortion.
Conserving the opposition of thereal
es4ete men he said he could understand
Il, particularly when know that they
ana their clients are the profiteers.p and
a0ain: @Unless this bill did really stop
proiteeriny the Real Estate Brokers
Association and the property owners
wsald hot be objecting to it in the
leist.n
How could The Star know that Mr..
johnson in accusing the real estate men
sweepingly OF proftecring did not intend
to accuse the real estate mems organiza-
tion and committee, through whom alone
their opposition to the bill was ex-
presseds
Siurs affecting committee hearings are
found in the Record. The House District
eenmittee on Chairman Johnson's in
Gistenee reported the bill fayorably
without hearings. After this action the
eonmittee authorized post -mortem hear.
1ngs. The real estate men, through their
efHanization, the Real Estate Brokers
Aesociation, and a special committee OF
the association, requested public hear
4nE Through a misunderstanding con.
eefning the date of the hearing none
was ever held. Mr. johnson in the Hous,
debate slurred the sincerity of the ex
pressed. desire of the committee for q
hearing, saying that the committee haG
indicated that it wanted to be heard BY
him alone. ami limiting that the commit
tee feared discussion of the matter "be
cause those who had been extort onee
upon would also come and be heard OF
the other. side." lie attributed the com
mittess alleged change. Of mind from
: ofgfrs9ne to favoring a public hearing t,
behangesof mind "as to the extent Of tn,