Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-24
LAW NEEDS EQUITY !.
NOT MORE TEETH
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s.
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establish or tend to establish Uniform
ly fair rentals. any more than the
original House bill did.
II all existing rentals are made opera
tive at the option Of the tenant for tho
period Of the war the effect Is to per-
petuate the present rental relations with
all their inequalities and fneQuities, OF
which such bitter complaint has been
made. Premises now vacant or premises
to bs vacated voluntarily by tenants can
be rented without restriction upon the
rates. Moreover, lessons are pushed
or to rent only at high rates in such
cases by the practical prohibition OF
;: leasings for a shorter term than the
duration Of the war. On the other hand,
where leases now terminating were made
years ago on the low standard Of rental
of such leases with no provision what
ever for equitable increase is obviously
grossly unfair. Even the drastic British
and colonial fair-rentals laws provide
for specific equitable increases in rentals
under the act, and establish ansopdonal
minimum fair. rental Of a fixed per-
centage Of net return on the capital
value of the leased property.
The fair-rentals bill which the Sem
ate has adopted has such q provision.
~ SHouiu IoTin d part Oh any te6 l6isa--
ttion which is to constitute the Dis
trfct's- faff-rentals law for the war
time. (2) The provision Of the reso-
luton which is construed to- prevent
a house occupant from renting his
house for the summer and occupying
to the summer tenant the right to
hold the leased property until the
end of the war. unless the lessor is
In government employ. is not only
unfair on its face. but 1t is distinctly
hostile to the success of the govern
ment's enort to secure at reasonable
rates a maximum of immediate local
housing accommodation pending the
construction of dwellings for govern
ment workers with the 100000
authorized by the national housing
law recently enacted: Though it has
time housing problem Is in essence a
single problem. and the Legislation,
national and local, to solve it should
not clash, but should Intimately har-
monize. Under this provision of the
salisbury law we have the profiteer-
ing tenant as well as the profiteering
landlord. The recent Senate debate
disclosed a few examples of the many
cases where summer tenants, in vio-
lation of their personal pledges. have
taken advantage of the teehnicalities
| of the Salisbury law to shut out own
| as usual in the fall, and have driven
them homeless upon the streets. l3)
| 1t bruises unnecessarily the letter and
spirit of the Constitution. It violates
without the justification Of national
necessity the individual constitu-
tional rights Of many Americans. The
Senate debate when the salisbury
resolution was enacted wildly de-
Velope these violations.
If the Salisbury temporary resolu-
| ton is to be made permanent it
| should then be amended by imme-
which shall Q) establish a fair and
| uniform rentals-f1xing system with
| penalties for violation: (2) harmon
lie the effect of the local law with
| the purposes of the national hous-
ing act, and 49, narrow the scope
law to the real estate distinctly in
volved in the war necessities, and
| thus reduce to a minimum violations
| of the letter or spirit of the Consti-
| tuition. and of the individual con.
stitutional rights of the Americans
Equity the Basis Of Wise Law.
Fair play is the foundation of ali
wise legislation. Is the nation fail
! to the people of the District in wha,
| it has done and in what it proposes to
cure OF minimize the evils of war.
| time housing congestion at the CAPT.
| tai? The nation at war is respon.
sible for this overcrowding and the
| evil conditions resulting from the con.
gestion. The nation has recognized
it's responsibility and duty. but has
failed to meet it adequately and
promptly. 1t has appropriated to buil6
dormitories, but not one is yet bull
and in use. 1t has relieved local con.
gestion by removing a war-workine
| branch elsewhere in only a single in.
| stance, and has stopped at that. In.
stead of checking or regulating t.
meet it's necessities the inflow of wal
workers into the overcrowded capital
it has spread broadcast the invitation
to come, and even the prevalence o.
influenza and the threat of epidemic
have served to check only tardil,
and partially this inflow.
| Ignoring it's own neglects OF duty
the nation has shifted largely thu
responsibility for evils Of its owr
creation upon the people of the cap.
| ital. AS the Districts exclusive legis.
lature it has imposed upon the com.
munity law which impairs the OBJ.
legation of contracts, violates the
spirit of the Constitution, and adds tn,
unjust and sometimes cruel oppres.
sion of landlords by constituencies
| tenants to the cruel oppression OF
tenants by constituencies landlords.
Fair PIav FIR the District.