The sun., 1919-10-18
TENANTS LEAGUE
METHODS Barred
Landlords Declare They Could
Collect Rent Only From
Organization.
WOMAN DESCRIBES RIOT
Says She Was Forced to Flee
From Mob While Evict-
ing a Family.
WOMAN DESCRIBES RIOT

Testimony revealing the methods
whereby so-called tenants leagues on the
East Side foment rent strikes and stir
I'll trouble between landlords and ten
ants to the apparent benefit of the o.
gonizers and officers of the leagues
was brought out yesterday at John
Doe hearing begun by the District At
torney before Justice Frederic Kerno.
chan in the Court of Special Sessions
The proceedings were instituted at the
suggestion of Mayor Hylan on informa-
ton furnished the Mayor by Nathan
Hirsch, chairman of the Mayors Com
mittee on Rent profiteering.
The organization which was men,
toned most frequently In the testimony
of many witnesses was the Tenants
LEAGUE of the East Side. which is run
by several men connected with the So
cialist party and which has Its head
quarters in the party offices in 100
Avenue c. In some instances receipts
for money collected as fees from tenant
members were made out on blanks of
the Socialist party, and some of the
contributors said they were given to
understand that the fees covered evcry-
thing from dues to the party down to
attorneys In street car accidents and
free repairs on push-carts.
Samuel Lefkowitz, owner of tene-
ment in SS5 East Eighth street, testi-
fed that on September 2s he received
n call from an attorney named Gold
stein, who said he was counsel for the
Tenants League and that his organ-
zation had collected Lefkowitz's rents
because some of the tenants had de-
cided not to do business with the land
A-d h.a to thn ravnto
on October / Lefkowitz said. all of the
tenants said they already had paid the
league. and it was only with difficulty
that he obtained his money from this
organization.
Lefkowitz stated further that his
building meanwhile had been plastered
all over with signs. both in English and
Yiddish, proclaiming that tenants
strike was on. More of the tenants. he
said, came to him, declaring their will
ingness to pay him his rent, but fearing
to do so because they had been threat
ened with bodily harm. The rents were
finally paid to him, said Mr.. Lefkovitz.
after the tenants had been ordered to
pay by Municipal Court Judge Eder.
This, he said, was on October IA
Other experie nces had by Mr. Lefko-
witz were with various committees rep
resenting the league. One of these, he
said, made a demand to him on Octo-
Der that he permit a tenant named
Lapan. a painter, to make such repairs
as an inspection of the house would show
TO be necessary He was told that he
would be charged only 81 more per room
than what he could have the job done
for by any one else. The extra dollar
per room, II was explained to him, was
to go to the leagues sustaining fund
Mr.. Lefkowitz said that he was
threatened with a continuation OF the
tenants strike unless he agreed to this
Though he did not agree to this PROPOSE
tion. Mr.. Lefkowitz said he was finally
able to patch UP an arrangement with
his tenants by agreeing to lease to them
until May at an increase not exceeding
so cents to 81. He was glad TO do this,
he said, so as to get the offensive signs
off his building
Among other witnesses called TO tes-
tify yesterday was Mrs Dora Silverblatt
of 100 West 18th street. owner of the
apartment house at $3.50 East Eleventh
street Mrs Silverblatt's tetimony was
that on September 29, when she went to
the East Eleventh street building TO COL
lect her rents she was told that a rent
strike was on. Calling again later with
an eviction notice for a tenant named
Schwartz, she found the apartment
house placarded with signs stating that
n tenants strike was in progress As
the Schwartz household effects were be-
ing moved out, she said, some four or
five hundred people gathered and started
riotlng. with the result that she had TO
flee for safety into the janitor's quar-
ters, where she had TO barricade herself
until a squad of policemen were called
to escort her away.