Evening star., 1918-02-08
NO WAR EXTOR7|ON
BYPROF|TEER|NG
Whether in Rentals, Food or
Fuel, Here or Anywhere Else
in the United States.
UNJUST DISCRIMINATION
THEODORE w. MOVES.

upon it. This obligation makes of the
congressman as local legislator rep
| resentative under the Constitution OF
| his capital constituents as distinctly
as if elected by them: and under the
| same obligations. as if thus elected, to
consider patiently and sympathetically
their point of view, to cryStaliZe INTO
| Legislation as far as practicable and
reasonable their opinions and wishes.
and to protect faithfully their interests
and welfare.
This principle of wise and fair Dis
| trict legislation applies in war as well
as in peace. Let us apply 1T to the pro-
posed legislation to prevent extortion
through excessive rentals in the Dis
trict.
To Curb Extortion in Rentals.
The bill just reported favorably by
the House District committee proposes
broadly to impose a local income tax
of 100 per cent for the year 1917 and
hereafter until one year after peace
upon rentals in excess of 10 per cent
Increases over the corresponding rentals
of 1916: or, if the property has not
heretofore been rented. over 10 per
cent of the assessed value of the rented
property.
BY its terms it is war tax. but for
the benefit of the District. not the ma
ton. No income tax should be thus
injected into the local tax system. The
aggregate local tax burden has just
been authoritatively declared to be
heavy enough. If there is any revenue
from this tax it is not needed by Wash
ington to make it's per capita tax equal
to that of other American cities, and if
collected it should work a corresponding
reduction in the too heavy real es-
oo1lf faC
rs distinctly hurtful, unfairly increas-
ing the nations contribution under the
half-and-half law and further compli-
eating the difficult problem of dealing
with District tax surpluses.
But all taxes on incomes. and also
all war taxes, should now be exclu-
sively national. This war income tax
should apply to excess rentals all over
ence in it's application to cities or
towns near which lie camps or canton
ments or great war industrial plants
in which national needs have repro-
mand and inadequate supply CORE
spondina to those OF Washington. In
Questionable> evidence demonstrates a
doubling or tripling or some other
degree of excessive rentals in all these
places. The proceeds of this national
Income war tax should, of course, go
| to the national Treasury to help win
the war.
, 1t should be recognized. if enacted at
all,> as special supplement of the war
excess profits tax. stigmatizing as con-
| spicuousiy deserving of condemnation
and punishment profiteering in rentals.
| as distinguished from profteering in
| food or fuel, which are not thus dras-
| tfcally punished.
AS war income tax this tax is in
| its present shape retroactive. in spirit
and essence ex post facto. and discrimi-
! natory in objects. in locality and in
of af
several points the Constitution of the
United States. But in these times who
| troubles to play the good Samaritan to
| the wounded Constitution?
However. the bill as whole con-
fesses itself by it's terms to be not In
tended ms n tax of any kind. either ma
tiona1 or local. either for war time or
| for peace time.
Leases Voided as Usurious.
Leases calling for these excess rent
ais are declared to be contrary to pub
| lie policy and unenforcible. The obli-
| cation Of these contracts is impaired,
and they are voided.
Hereafter not only are these excess
rentals to be conf1scated by the govern
| ment on the pretext of exercising the
taxing power but exaction of their
| usury. in loans Of houses instead of
money: and such payments may be re-
covered doub!v by the person paying
this excess The profteering landlord
Is deprived of his excess profit hy the
| government and compelled to paw back
doubly to the tenant beside He makca
triple reimburse rsement-oncc to govern
ment. twice to the tenant He is trinIv
punished for the one offense This
malefactor Is to be hanged nnd electro
| cuted and torn asunder by wild horses.
Camouhaging Unconstitutionality.
A law of 1918 which makes usurious
and Furnishes today a transaction of
i 1917. that was lawful in 1917 would be
| SO obviously unconstitutional that for
the punishment of past profiteerinr the
| income tax camouhaEe perhaps becomes
necessary. though the disguise may not
| be effective, after all.
! OF course. the aim of the legislation
is not to collect any kind of tax, but to
punish and to prevent profteeripy In
rentals. This purpo.e d sound, whole
some and in the public interest
| Washington will welcome eouitab1e
| legislation which prevents District
| landlords from extorting excessive
rentals from District tenants.
Hints of Equitable Amendment.
tD II under such Iegi.Intion any
proven excess of rentals is taken from
| a landlord of 1917, II should NOT in
| equity go as n tax to either local or n,
| tiOnal government. but be. restored to
| the tenant from whom 1t has been ex-
| torted.
| (2p II nm effective method is dI.cox-
| cred of preventing DrOhteerSnc I'm bonsa
rentals, 1t should be immediately an
piled to prOhteerfng in the necess,ties
Of food and fuel. where the evil is even
more deadly IN the injury inflicted.
| (3) III war Drohteerlng In rentals.
| food and fuel can be prevented by law
| in Warrington. 1t should be preyentea
by similar laws of universal apnIIc,-
4 tton In every one of the many Am..I
can localities where war cond;t;ons en-
proximat4ng those of WasbIupf,n n
1 these respects confessedly prevail
(4) II the proposed punishment N,
past prOAteering IL found tn he 1S
doubtful constitutIOnality or untnst ~
unyvise, cut out the retrospective NO.
vision and concentrate ON the e1Yort -
prevent present and future proate~.fn@
The Slur Of Discrimination.
| When drastic war legislation is enacted
Applicable solely to the Distrfct tha
latter too often suffers damage in renm
Itation through failure of the nation r.
Iappreciate that Congress may be art
ling in the particular instance NOT as
national, but as municipal or state Les.
lislature for the National Capital. This
a punitive law or drastic executive ar.
der against profiteering, applied solely
to the District. carries with 1T to the
nation at large the slurring fmputa.
ltion of peculiarly unpatriotic and er.
ltortionate war profiteering on the par,
sAsswseping slur upon the capitaps
lpAtzteeian = most unjust ne Dafra-