The Washington times., 1920-10-01
SEEK A|RT|GHT
D. c. rent LAW
Tenants viii Ask Congress for
Ball Act Revision That
! - COurt-Pro0f.

The Tets Protective League will
ask Congress 20 enact a measure
against rent profiteering In the Dis
trict OF Columbia early In December.
= The league will urge Congress to en-
act law that will amend the Bali
Act to make AZ effective In the courts
In the District OF Columbia
The league, which has been in OPP
Grafton about two years, is taking the
side OF tenants In cases where land
lords are asking an exorbitant rent.
and prosecuting appeals through the
courts at cost. The membership Of
the league is not confined TO the
smaller class OF Washington resi-
dents, but includes such persons as
Postmaster Merritt o. Chance, mem
bers of the Senate and the House
of Representatives. and members OF
the French and Belgian embassies.
About twenty cases a day are now
being handled by the league in the
interests of tenants. A few days
ago they prepared appeals for eleven
tenants in a single apartment house.
There are more human interest
stories told in the offices OF the
league in the Continental Trust
Building. Fourteenth and III streets
northwest. in day, than are heard
in any of the local courts in month.
George p. Hart, general counsel OF
the league. and f. l.. Magruder. sec
Rotary of the league, said today.
WOMAN FAINTs AT THREAT.
Last week a woman in a very nerv-
Gus state entered the office and told
a story of a landlord coming to her
place the day before and demanding
the apartment the next day under
pain of throwing her furniture out
on the street. She tainted during the
weeping recital of her story and had
to be escorted home. In. another case
several tenants of arr apartment house
in Georgetown were thrown into a
state of terror when the landlord came
No the house and demanded that he
be- given immediate possession Of
apartments He was accompanied by
a policeman in uniform and the pres
ence of the policemen, it was said,
frightened the occupants of the apart
ments. In a few cases the league has
come in possession Of facts where
tenants were put out of their homes
without legal measures.
PERsECUTE VETERANS WIDOW.
The league is prosecuting an appeal
in another case where a woman whose
husband was killed in France Is try
ing to keep her family of two chill
dren alive by working in a Govern
ment department. Her rent was re-
Gently raised 100 per cent. more than
she can pay on her meager Govern
ment salary. In another case man
employed in the Government had his
rent raised out OF proportion by
landlord. He has a wife and six
children, and only gets $1,000 a year
salary. He has boy who is going
to high school. and he says that II
he was compelled to pay the rent
asked he would have to take the boy
out of school and put him to work
to help support the family. He told
Mr. Magruder. secretary of the league,
that he wanted to give the boy an
education. and appealed to him to help
him.
A tenant who has a grievance
against a landlord need not be a
member Of the league to obtain ad-
vice, 1t was said. The league was
formed to help everyone, and no dis
crimination-is made because a person
10 not a member of the association.
If, after obtaining the legal advice
the tenant wants to prosecute an ap
peal the league will. handle the ap-
peal for the court costs. The actual
cost TAKING All appear through
the courts, including the court fees,
and clerks fees is SAT
Mr.. Hart, general counsel for the
league. today said that he had NO
complaint to make against the Mu-
nicipal Court, because that court was
giving the tenants the benefit OF
every legal technicality. He said he
was Of the same opinion as the De-
parment of Justice. however, that as
the decision of the Court OF Appeals
was being carried to the Supreme
Court Of the United States, that the
Municipal Court was not bound by the
decision of the District Court of APP
peals.
DEFENSIVE ORGANIZATION.
The Tenants League Is a defensive
organization, Mr. Magruder said, land
We are not fighting the landlords of
Washington in general We are fight
ing, the profiteering landlors, how
ever, and will continue to do so until
the necessity ceases. In several cases
which have been brought to us we
have discovered overt acts on the
part of landlords that amount to an
unlawful act, and we are going to
prosecute them.
THE main objects OF the league
are:
Unity against arbitrary demands
OF landlords, especially when at