Evening star., 1919-10-06
In Conference Again.

in conference on the ground that the
conferees exceeded their powers in ex-
tending the laws application from
dwellings and parts of dwellings to
naked land.
In equity land ought never to have
been in the bill unless the application
is limited to land of which the United
States is lessee.
The right to make binding leas
ing contract, the obligation of which
may not be impaired, should not be
denied Washingtonians without suffi-
cient reason, and this denial and this
impairment should when made extend
no further than the justifying reasons
necessarily carry them. Uncle Sans
needs in respect to the housing Of
war workers in the conditions Of war
time overcrowding which Uncle Sam
has himself created are met by rent
regulation of dwellings and parts of
dwellings, including hotels and apart
ments. In respect to other real es-
tate no necessity of rentals regula-
ton exists unless Uncle Sam is lessee,
snd he has already perhaps sufficient
power under existing law to protect
himself.
Uncle Sam admits that he ought
not, except as an essential war emer-
gency, to impair the obligation of
leasing contracts in the District of
Columbia alone. but under the pro-
posed law he will be guilty, not only
u this impairment solely in the Dis
trict, but he will be guilty unneces-
sarily and wantonly of impairing the
obligation Of . multitude Of leasing
contracts which have no relation
whatsoever to the war or to the ma
tons wartime necessities.
In his effort to secure housing at
reasonable rents for civilian war
workers, Uncle Sam will lay despetic
,psralyzing hands upon real estate
rentals in the District, not only upon
dwellings, apartments, rooms and
hotels usable by the civilian war
workers to be housed, but upon naked
ground, unimproved lots, suburban
gardens and business properties which
have no relation whatever to the war
or the war workers or the nations
wartime necessities. What have the
civilian war workers to do with the
ordinary business leasing contract
between two Washingtoniansf
The powers Of the rentals commits
sion are so great-so un-American-
that they ought to be confined rigid
" to the limit up to which the pur-
pose Of the legislation forces Us to
60. The rentals commissions powers
af6 80 sweeping and monopolistic that
j. becomes . sort Of commission in
lunacy to conduct the affairs of the
imbecile or criminally insane lessons
who fall within its jurisdiction.
The proposed law seems to take q
mans property from his control the
minute he rents it. It draws q stand
ard lease for him, and if he makes any
Other it will be construed by the courts
rs if he had made it in the standard
. form. He'll longer has even a say as
to who shall be his tenant, as to
whether he shall have sublessees or
f. not, when the lease shall end, whether
lie can remove his property from
rental altogether at the end of an
'agreed term if he does not wish to
live in it himself, as to wfat rent shall;
be paid him, and as to what service he
shall. render. The rent commission
ard the tenant seem to decide all these
questions.
1t is pEpbably too late to make ma
terial alterations in the rentals law.
But Washington is unable to under
stand why Congress cannot in franz
ing an effective law omit provisions
which offend equity or are Of doubt
full constitutionality and which are
not necessary to accomplish the pur-
pose for which the new law is en-
acted.
In ably defending the proposed new
law Senator Sherman said:
There are a few provisions in the
In 10 nf nd W
one provision limiting the powers of
the court, that may not be sustained
(by the courts). Those are not essen
tial, however, to the main merits Of the
bill, which would relieve this great
number of tenants who are threatened
with eviction. Taking it altogether,
there is enough to be enforced, enough
that is valid to furnish the remedy
needed; enough that the courts, I
think, will sustain. These points
that may be of some doubtful validity
are of the kind that can be stricken
out of the section or the whole section
can be stricken out without impairing
the remainder Of the bill ~ an entire
act capable Of application by the
rents commission, and the sustaining
of the balance Of it by court when
it may be attacked"
Since these provisions Of doubtful
validity are not Essential to the main
merits of the BILL" and since if these
provisions are stricken out there will
remain "enough that is valid to fur.
nish the remedy needed" why does
not Congress strike out these pro.