Evening star., 1918-02-18

the only applicant for public hearing.
It had applied for and been granted a
hearing, though none had ever in fact
been held. So when Mr.. TnkhAm urged
that the bill be referred back to the Dis
trict committee, "as NO hearings were
given" he had in mind q hearing for this
committee; and when Mr.. johnson in
terrupted to ask, would the gentle
man advocate giving burglars and
thieves hearing in preparing laws to
stop them from their practices" who
could guess that his question had no
reference to the only hearings that had
been sought, the only hearings that had
been referred to in debate, the only
hearings which had been promised but
not enjoyed7 Who could guess that he
had no intention by his question to re-
fleet upon the committee, whose motives
he had already slurred, and concerning
whose request for hearing he had said
Immediately after his burglarious ques-
ton: "They want all the hearings that
will make delay, and they do not want
any more hearings"
In imposing indiseriminately the
stigma of profteering Mr.. johnson
makes every landlord in the District a
profteer when he says: II provided for
monthly returns instead Of annual re-
turns so as to give these profteers just
as much trouble as possible"
When Mr.. johnson thinks the matter
over he will find that he ought not to
have slurred the honesty or the mo-
tives or the patriotism of any of his
three classes of critics. He ought to
have recognized and will recognize when
the mists have cleared away that these
opponents of his bill, as framed, are as
honest as he is; just as much opposed to
extortion through proiteering, and just
as little apologists for crime, whether
these critics are his associates in Con-
gress. the Washington real estate men
"a reputable, progressive and public
spirited body of citizens) or The Even
ing Star.
A moments unprejudiced considera-
tion ought to convince Mr.. Johnson that
The Star is not and never has been a
defender of wrong doing. The Star
neither feels nor has expressed a word
of sympathy for the fragrant wartime
protiteering in rentals or in anything
else, either locally or in the nation.
Why will not Mr.. johnson be as
magnanimous in respect to AL the op-
ponents Of his bill as to those whom he
has specifically exempted from his con.
Why will he not recognise
that they, too, are in good faith trying
to prevent profteering in rentals and
that they honestly believe that their
method of preventing it is more equi-
table and more effective than his ownf
Under war conditions there have been
many individual cases oe rentals of
rooms and houses by landlords to ten
ants and by tenants to subtenants since
January 1, 1917, at rates far exceeding
normal peace charges. Only a.percent-
age of these cases affects Is tenants gov
ernment employees seeking residences.
Only percentage Of this percentage in
wolves extortion by the fandlordea srs
Many of these eases Of extortion
are outrages and demand quick pre-.
vention and punishment But the
great body of Washingtonians and
Of Washington landlords and real es-
tate men are heartily opposed to this
form of extortion and are cooperating
and will cooperate, honestly and patri-
oticaliy, in every practical way to pre-
vent or minimize it and to punish Of
tenders.
Congress = the greatest legislative
body in the world and when It takes
time to think the justest-will, when it
enaets a law to cure temporary war
time evil of extortion, provide remedy
which meets specifically the disease, and
will make the punishment fit the crime.
The remedial law will not be an enact
ment which breeds greater evils than II
cures; which unsettles and revolution
ICES the Districts tax system, even retro
actively affecting 1917; which subjects to
supervision and renders void under spe-
cific conditions every. real estate lease in
the District made since January l, 1917,
and which makes every landlord in the
District report monthly on oath the de-
tails Of his business to the assessor. 1t
will not be an ex post facto law or one
impairing the obligation of contracts.