Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-21
A Broadening Delusive Vision Of
Prof1teers.

A Broadening Delusive Vision OF
Profiteers.
Mr.. Johnson's vision Of profiteers has
broadened until it reaches the hori-
zon. He detects as such prohteers
to be trusted with the power to confirm
the rent administrator, and every one
who advised, aided and abetted the
Senate in framing the Pomerene bill,
but he sees practically all Washington
as prof1teers or in the grip of the
be trusted, so that the President can
not find upright judges for fair
rentals courts in the District, SO that
trial by jury must be denied In these
cases because it would be next to
impossible to get jury of twelve
| men without getting one or more who
were fellow prOfiteers."
| Mr. johnson would not have the
question whether these contracts are
contrary to public policy go to the
| that any contract of realty leasing
whatsoever in the District in which
| the rental rate Of 1918 is more than
10 per cent in excess of its rental
rate of 1886 is contrary to public
took to deprive the courts of discre-
ton in the matter" He adds:
"Purposely everywhere in the act
have left out the word reasonable,
50 as to keep it out Of the courts
Gle has also omitted the concept of
the reasonable from the spirit and
principle of his bill. as we'll as the
word reasonable" from its letter.
administrators Cor fair-rentals COURT
appointed from the District of Co.
| lumbia. A District man, he says.
| would not have the backbone to do
justice to the humble tenant Il
cannot believe anything else except
that if a rent administrator is APP
pointed from the District of Column
bia the purposes Of the bill will be
defeated. :" There is clan
nishness here that I believe is un-
country that have ever had occasion
to know anything about"
| The rentals administrator or fair
rents court is to do equity between
Washington. If the lessee is not In
some instances already a resident OF
Washington, he makes the lease in
order to acquire residence here and
| become resident. In the vast ma
jority of leases the parties are both
The issue is local, and on American
principles the umpire should be local
Compared with the whole body OF the
COMMUNICATIVE its large proportion
| of home owners and occupants, and
it's much larger number of 1essees
than lessons, of tenants than Of land
lords-the landlord class is small and
the profiteering-1andlo class is In
significant, and the insinuation that
the President could not or would not
find and appoint upright rentals court
judges or administrators in the. Dis
trict who would not be unduly inf1u-
enced either by landlords or tenants
| is slur upon the President as well as
upon the community.
No District Jury Without a Prof
| Mr.. johnson. in order that the pur-
poses Of his bill might not be de-
| feated. would thus keep the courts
| out of any connection with the mat
| ter, and especially would he not have
! a Washingtonian as judge in a local
ministrator. In addition. he would
eliminate trial by jury in the District
which his bill attempts to prevent or
punish.
He says: (Cong. Record, p. 1850
IT take the broad position that no
! jury could ever be found in the Dis
trict of Columbia which will convict
anybody for profiteefIing in real a g, es;
be indicted for profiteering in rents
feel certain in my own mind that
no twelve men on a jury in the Dis
trict Of Columbia would ever agree
to conviction. as it would be next
men without getting one or more
who were fellow profiteers." What
foolish SANDER! The landlords OF
the District are a small fraction OF
! the population. Profiteers among the
!, landlords are small fraction Of this
! fraction. Local public sentiment is at
white heat over grossly excessive
charges and prices, making up high
like profiteers in food and fuel. will
receive the toughest kind OF rough
treatment when they run the gauntlet
! Of inflamed local sentiment, whether
expressed through juries or in any
The profiteers are the fsw; the
profiteered upon are the many. It is
only because the bulk of the people
of Washington feel outraged over the
way in which they are mulcted for
food. fuel and rents-the elements
which go to make up the high cost
Of modern 1iving-that there is any
| degree Of acquiescence at all in the
discriminatory, drastic and in spirit
unconstitutional legislation proposed
| to punish profiteers in the District
real profiteers Furnishes many who are
! not profiteers at all.
! Who Are the Real ProfiteersP
| We all know who and what real
profteers are. They are those whose
excessive exactions, especially from
the needy and especially from war
| workers., have in the mere unsworn
hearsay recital aroused a whitehead
| of Indignation through this commu-
nifty. But while we know what con-
stitutes the profteer whom the bulk
| of our people hate, he is not alone
| the profiteer under Mr.. Johnson's bill,
| and he IL tar from being the sole
| proflteer In MI. Johnson's imagina-
ton. The profteer under Mr.. John
sons bill who is 30 infamous that
he must be punished without jury
trial or inquiry by the courts is every
lessor Of real estate in the District
\ of Columbia who charges a. much a.
II per cent greater rent today than
he did during the year ending Sep
tennber 30, 1915