Evening star., 1919-10-05
HOUSE D|SAGREES
ON BALL RENT BILL
Prevents Passage by Point
of Order and Asks for
Further Conference.
GOES BACK ToTHE SENATE

Ihe BAH antl-fent pronteerlnS Dill,
already passed by the Senate. was
prevented from passage in the House
yesterday by a point of order. The
measure came before the House in
the conference report on the bill
continuing the food control act and
enlarging Tito include clothing, agri-
cultural implements, food contain
ers etc. The provision to thwart
profiteering in rentals was rider
on the food control proposals.
Representative Begg of Ohio. re-
publican. raised the point that the
conferees had exceeded their au-
thority in extending the jurisdiction
OF the proposed rent commission to
include land as well - real estate
used for habitations. The parlia-
mantary experts of the House. in
|ciudfne Representatives Garrett of
Tennessee. Crisp sof asSrsia. saun-
Sc s x|sS|B|1 800 & ~ mts:., ss..
OF ohlo. argued the point for more
than two hours. 1t was sustained
by the Speaker.
Thrown Back Into Senate.
The House insisted on it's Disagree
ment and the measure is now thrown
back into the. Senate. The House,
however, asks for further conference
and the same conferces are named by
the Speaker, Representatives Haughen
Of Iowa, Mclaughlin Of Michigan and
Rutey Of Missouri.
The bitterest opposition to the anti
rent profiteering bill was voiced by
Representative Moon Of Tennessee,
who declared it to be thoroughly
lawless and unconstitutional and an
infringement on property rights"
Representative Ben johnson of
Kentucky, who has led in the opposi-
tion to previous so-called anti-rent
profiteering bills. was strong ad-
vocate of the conference report and
really led the fight for the rent pro-
visions on the floor. He said, in part:
II wish to say that IL I had prepaaed
this bill would not have written it
in this way. Already the threat has
been made by the realtors in the Dis
trict Of Columbia that they are going
to enjoin the commission herein pro-
vided for against operating. The bill
which I prepared and which, at the
last session passed the House. under
took to obviate that very thing by
meeting all this trouble with an in
come tax provision.
Collection Cannot Be Enjoined.
''The collection of. tax cannot be
enjoined. For that reason preferred
the income tax provision rather than
the commission, but now we are not
going to have any bill unless we get
this one. 1t is as good a bill as can
Everything will depend upon the COM
mission. 1t will be as good or as bad
as the commission. We can only hope
that we will get a commission-and 1
have no doubt that we will now get
one-that will do its duty. II this
should be amended in any respect it
must go back to the other body. It
body, and has escaped mutilation, and
we should not open the doors once
more to have this bill amended in any
respect which will hurt it or harm it,
"I believe that there is a disposition
somewhere, at least in the District of
Columbia, to hurt this bill If it is ever
opened up to amendment. Therefore I
hope that this body will take this con-
ference report just as it is written, in
order to prevent its being interfered
with somewhere else and interfered
with not benehcially."