The Washington times., 1919-12-02


be made to the United States supreme
Court from the decision of the Court
of Appeals, the ruling of the latter
court will for the present govern IN
the Municipal Court and the supreme
Court OF the District.
That means clearly and distinctly
that the landlords of washington
have very great advantages over
their tenants under the laws that pre-
vailed prior to the passage or the
Salisbury law. The situation now
reverts to the status obtaining before
the war.
In this unfortunate situation, with
homes and apartments so scarce in
this city that it is virtually impos-
sible to obtain housing of any kind
except at excessive prices, profiteer-
ing landlords are in position to ex-
act, or attempt to exact, the veritable
pound of flesh"
sonething Must he Done.
And many of these landlords will
get away with their miserable work
unless there is speedily organized
some sort of semi-municipal or civic
body that will stand between them
and their greed and give reasonable
protection to tenants who are already
paying just rents.
The District Commissioners may
take cognizapce of the situation In a
few days III an attempt to guard
against grave evils that are sure to
arise. They have no legal power to
interfere but they may hnd IL possible
| to create some body that Will exer-
, else a moral influence through pub
licity, in restricting .excesses that will
| be intolerable and unbearable with
, the severest part Of winter now COM
ing.
The greatest trouble is that the
mass of people who rent houses and
apartments do not understand that
! even under the old laws, which will
govern at least until the rent commits
/ sion to be named by the President
comes into existence, they have one
recourse to which they can resort to
avoid eviction at the hands of greedy
| landlords. That is somewhat costly
| but IL resorted to will tie up land
| lord from one to two years. 1t will
at least prevent a tenant from being
set into the streets IL he has the
money to make the fight
Poor MuA suffer.
| Poor peopl without the money to
defray the costs OF this step are the
ones who are going to suffer and il
is for these people that something
| will have to be done as quickly as
possible.
Under the procedure that will gov
ern until the new rent law is oper-
ative, through the appointment by the
! President Of rent commissioners, a
q landlord may notify a tenant that he
wants the premises within thirty
i days. II the tenant refuses to yield
! in that time the landlord goes to the
, Municipal Court and asks for serv-
! ice upon the tenant of a seven days
| summons bringing the case to trial.
4 AS the old law gives the landlord
every possible advantage the prob
ability Is that court would be com
4 ment of eviction.
But right here the tenant can pre-
vent being thrown into the streets by
appealing to the District Supreme
! Court.
The tenant. who is the defendant,
! will be compelled to give a bond for
| liability should the decision be
against him, as it probably would in
| the end, but the appeal can hardly be
/ heard in the crowded condition OF
| Supreme Court dockets inside OF
] eighteen months or two years, and
! the tenant remains undisturbed dur
| Ing that time. The bond Will cost
him something. but the amount is nQt
large compared to the danger of be-
ing put on the streets without a place
| to go.
Goes To Supreme Court.
Without doubt the decision of the
Court of Appeals will go to the
United States Supreme Court, but a
decision from that body will be many
! months away. There were four cases
/ in the Court of Appeals involving
| constitutionality of the law. Chapih
Brown was the attorney for the ten.
| ant in one of the cases and out Of the
| four there will be one appeal They
will be promptly passed upon.
| The Court OF Appeals decision is
regarded almost everywhere among
\ local lawyers as greatly weakening
| the Ball rent law which will become
| operative so soon as Commissioners
named by the President are confirmed
by the Senate. The Ball law provid ed
| that the salisbury law should be eff.
| fective until sixty days after the Rent
| Commission was confirmed. The de.
/ cision knocks out that prop and leaves
/ nothing but the other portions Of the
] Ball law TO be enforced.
The opinion is widespread that on