Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-12-06
DELAWAREANS At
NATIONAL CAPITAL
VICTIMS OF GREED
''Profteering" Landlords Subject
ing Men to Outrageous Ex-
tortions in Rents.
TO ORGANIZE FOR RELIEF


Special Dispatch From Every Evening $
Washington Corre pondfnt
Washington, Dec. 6.-Morc than n score
of Delaware citizens, temporarily residing
in Washington, have asked the Delaware
delegation in Congress to help them TO
defeat G purposes Of greedy landlords
who give them their choice between
eviction and an increase in rent charges
amounting TO extortion. Senator Nolcott
Is ; b ent in Dover. but Senator Bail salu
he would do what was possible lor the
distressed tenants.
The Court of Appeals for the District
Of Columbian recently ruled that me
Salisbury resolution, which protected
tenants from gouglng landlords was
unconstitutional. and the President has
not vet appointcd the rent COMMISSION
provided for in the Ball law. Taking
advantage Of this situation, and also oi
thr tImiditv of many of the tenants as
we'll rs their ignorance OF t3W. the iahu-
lords in many instances nave served
e,crtment notices on them, ana IN many
more instances have notl Icd the oCcu-
pants of their promises that they must
paw unheard Of increases III rents
These landlords hlithcly ignore the
fact that there IS pending an appeal to
fhG L NilFi ENIdl<'S ANIl4HtfiIC NObAb NAlANlA 3
when perfected automatically. stays pro-
ccedingS against tenants protected by the
Salisbury resolution. and they also seem
70 forget that the decision OF the Court of
Appeals docs not become operative until
December Is. Their anxiety 10 mulct
thelr already overburdened tenants has
caused the n TO take premature action !.
ELDERLY WOMEN VICTIMS.
Some of the Delaware citizens whom
the landlords propose to make victims Of
their green are elderly women. These
can easily be frightened into signing new
leases providing for greatly increased rent
demands They are totally unacquaintcd
with law and are easily intimidated by 4
designing landlord or his agent. When
the Salisbury law was declared uncon-
stitutional the landlords went TO these
elderly female occupants Of their houses
and told them they must submit to a new
deal or be thrown into the street.
In some cases the tenants hold leases
signed last October and providing for Q
gwen monthly rental for one year. At
least one elderly woman WAS induced to
surrender her lease snd sign a new one
under a threat of immediate election.
It IS bkelv however, that the landlord
in this instance will be arrested for extor-
ton and intimidation, amounting to
something very ike blackmaiI. Senator
Ball has called the attention Of the United
States district attorney 70 this fragrant
case.
The gre majority OF the landlords ia
Washington appear to want to be reason
able, but there is q substantial minority
that viii take ali they can get within or
without the lsw. The hope Is that the
President hiss been able to find men cap
sble OF filling posts on the rent commis-
SION. As soon SIS this u done the carnival
of extortlon now running riot among the
INSCRIPTIONS landlords will come to an end.
DELAWARE SOCIETY TO AID.
Il Is planned to call specisl meeting
Of the Delaware Society, when efforts viii
be made TO relieve the situation SIS far as
Delsware citizens are concerned. The
society hopes to be able TO take up the
tight for distressed tenants.
Il receive scores Of telephone calls
every day imploring me TO aid some
tenant who is threatened with eviction,
SAID Senator Ball 1t Is physically i'm
possible for me TO give personal attention
TO all cases, but | am doing the best
can. ] only hope that the President viii
see n IN the very near future 10 appoint
the rent commission provided for in my
bill. II he Will do this. weapon to fight
greedy landlords viii be svadable