Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-24
LAW NEEDSEQU|TY
NOT MORE Teeth
Pomerene Bill Proposes Most
Drastic, Sweeping, Far
Reaching Fair-Rents Law
= in Worlds Statutes.
SALISBURY LAW UNFAIR
Editorial Correspondence of The Star.]
THEODORE w. MOVES.

Editorial Correspondence of The star.1
THEODORE w. MOVES.
The talk in House and Senate about
putting teeth" in the Pomerene fair
rents amendment implies that this
legislative proposition is toothless,
or, at least. that its teeth are blunt,
brittle or otherwise defective.
By no possibility can Chairman
Johnson be expected to find teeth to
approve in any legislative PROPOSE
ton within his jurisdiction for which
he is not responsible. But the most
thorough and skillful examination by
any other legislative dentist will alb
solutely demonstrate that the teeth
of the Senate fair-rents amendment
are plentiful and sharp, and in fine
working order.
Sharptoothed, Not Toothless.
If Congress will for the moment put
in the discard of the negligible Chair
man Johnson's slurs upon the teeth
Of the Senate amendment along with
his slurs upon the Senate itself. upon
certain of his colleagues in the House,
and upon the people of the District
of Columbia. and will test the Sen
ate fair-rents proposition scientifical-
ly and impurtially for its probable ef-
fectiveness as the legislative rem
edy of a conceded evil three interest
ing discoveries will be made. 1t will
be found: a. That this fair-rents
law proposition follows the general
lines of approved war-rents legis-
lation in Great Britain, New Zealand
and New South Wales; (2) That 1t is
more drastic. more stringent, more
the corresponding laws of my other
English-speakfng cOuntry3 ana (S)
That it discriminntinEly suspends for
the wartime constitutional and equi-
table rights of Washingtonians alone
among Americans and. especially but
mot solely in the Impairment Of the
obligation. OF leasing contracts, 1t
violates the spirit OF the Constitution
In q manner that would be unbearable
and indefensible except to meet and
satisfy some Overmastering. clearly
established, national wartime ne
eea<jty.
The Star has editorially analyzed re-
peatedly the evils OF the local housing
and rentals conditions which are to be
se6esatedse and thef eg3slative seaires Tor.
THESE
Senate. No one who intelligently and
sa.a s ssss sssiasrasiea sns asnlSasaal assa
the Legislative remedies suggested for
its cure will dissent, The Star believes.
from the three conclusions above. out
lined concerning the Senate'S proposed
remedy. -
One New and Sharper Tooth. y
xr,.u> +Aa canatasc fo;rropfo, nrnpoo;
ton is full Of teeth, sharp and effective.
no one contends that all Of its teeth are
in such perfect shape that not one can
with advantage be sharpened. For ex-
ample, Representative Anderson, in the
House the other. day.: showed how one
and given. greater biting
power : The Senate bill is more drastic
frir its punishment Of the real profiteer,
the extortioner grinding the poor and
fattening upon their necessities, than
the House bill or any fair-rents law now
in existence anywhere in the world. He
is subject to heavy fine or Imprisonment
or both. in addition to compulsory resti-
tuition. But it has been contended that
the words of the bill might be so con-
strued that a profteering corporation
could escape imprisonment. and that in
dividual landlords could avoid TINS tooth
of the law by incorporating. Represent
atiye Anderson's amendment removes
any doubt concerning the construction
of the law on this point by explicitly
rendering an offending corporation liable
to the penalty of Imprisonment through
nnblic interest let this tooth be sharp
ened.
Not More Teeth, More Equity.
But the most important and most
essential changes in the Senate fair
rents bill are not those which make 1T
more drastic, but those which make
1t more equitable; which cause the
punishment to f1t and hit the crime
and nothing but the crime; which
cuuse the medicine to meet the disease
only nnd not In curing one disorder to
set nm another and more dangerous
one; which punish severely the real
profiteer, the extOrtioner, and nobody
else who Is guiltless of extortion; and
which reduce discriminatory vi0l1-
tfous of the constitutional and equf-
table rights Of the WashinEtonians to
the absolute minimum demanded in
the public interest by the nations and
the national governments wartime
necessities.
Specific equitable amendments to
these just ends have been
mitted to the thoughtful and impair
tial consideration Of Congress. ~
Make Fair the Salisbury Law. p
II Congress will do equity 1t is es-
sential that it pass at once fair-rents
LEGISLATION to round out and render
Just the Salisbury law recently enact
ed. This law was section of the Sem
ate fair-rents bill. and was enacted
as a preliminary to the passage of
the full and perfected Senate bill.
injunction to hold things
as they were until the rounded fair
rents law could be enacted.
The Salisbury law, continued as an
integral part of the Senate fair-rents
proposition, is full of sharp teeth,
which bite indiscriminately, too often
missing the guilty and wounding or
destroying the guiltless.
The salisbury law needs not more
teeth, but more equity. It fails to
check the extOrtioninE OF lessOrs upon
lessees. 1t protects the extortioning
Of lessees UPON less0f1. 1t ENCOURAGES
the summer tenant to break his word
and to shut cut the returnins owner
from his h00e. Reversing the tradi-
tional process the tenant evicts, ren.
ders homeless and throws upon the
streets the un04ending owner and his
family. And the saulsbury law, by
inpaiFinE the Obligation Of leasing
fnfthlessneAs and this cruelty.
The merit of the Salisbury law was
and is In preventing evictions on the
sell the leased property when the real
purpose is to re-rent to new tenant
at a largely increased rental Under
Ue>.anf conditions the eyicted have