Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1920-06-04
The Revolt of
the Consumer
BY Frederic J. Haskin

that Middle Glass Union is not an en-
tirelv impossible organization. 1t has
long been nointed out that only about one
and one-half per cent of the population
belongs to the oapitallstIc class ana
about six per cent to the UNION abof
class, but that these two classes because
of their strong organization are, even as
upper and neither mill stones, grinding
between them the huge, inartic,ilate and
unorganized ninety per cent known ms che
middle class, and squeezing every cent
from its shabby pockets IN a most neon
siderate manner.
This dcplorable situation, according to
j. X. Patterson, president OF the Rogers
Park Tenants Protective Society. is largely
due 10 the passivity of the prosecuted
The people of the middle class says
MIR. Patterson, have had less class con-
sciousness and community spmt than those
of any other class rs long as life was ialrlV
easy for them they preferred TO hc sell
conferred and detached. Even when pro-
hfccring and labor unrest combined tomake
life far from easy. they were slow to realize
that they had any power within their
ranks to combat these forces. For one
thing their very bulk and diversity OF
occtfpations made it hard for them even
10 see the practiCablty OF organizing IL
remained for the rent protitccr To give them
one urgent grlev -6ce III common ana LOT
tins. at least, " i've the grasplng land
lord our thanh
HOW IT STARTED.
Tho Rogers Park Tenants Protective
Socirty did not know that il was gong
Ia bc so powerful when IL started ! ""
months ago the owner Of the Skobelin
Apartmcnts IN Rogers Park informed the
inglatcs thereof that thclr rent was going
~ bc raised from fifty 10 ono hundred per
cent The tenants knew that tins was an
unreasonable demand They also knew that
tbcy could NOT an find other homes III the
short time they were allowed They were
rxa4pcratcd to the point of action 1T last
after Years Of patience And So tins hand-
It'll III tenants got together NJ hrst more ~
trl H. placatc their landlord then to DEFY
lam
Bot the time had long been ripe for
l,rgsr orranlgation evidently. and this
mist move Was all that was needed e
t,rt ii rolnp People in the ncighborhnod
eoi wind IT the tcmcritv Of these Sko-
clIn tenants who were daring to talk
rafk IL thclr landlord and came hoCking
IL ion their ranks \ small rod card sud-
denly appeared in public places hearing 2
message of hope Il the desperate renter
Rent raiScd' Boosted sky High
# incurred IN sympathetic capitals. Don
Rc 4 .Icllv FISH. it admonlshcd, is ono to
the meeting III the Rogers Park Tenants
Protective Society II the assembly room
II tho Eugene tleld School
: The hall Was crowded IT the first meeting
aad has been crowded every iuesdaV eve
rine since The society has an active
membership of two thousand and many
-ympath,zers and IS growing rapidly II
d i ri tam EsH.9T Il
al three. one representative for the society,
>nc for the Cook County Real Estate
board. and one neutral member NJ mem
/ crs of the society can como hero I" receive
free legal advice from the society AZ
tnrnevs and IT, arbltratc With unreason-
aisle landlords. " hen the landlords refuse
to 10 reasoned with the society taxes nc
case INTO court for the tenant II has ait
ready Won tho first three q the many
eases which are now IN court.
-,,,-> nm t,,r,I.,t4T rT-Rrs
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l4R - pm ia~ f ,,,,l,-
>iiliilhH ~. y. ,'s.,,Ii,. l,,-o. L, tbo
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,,' ,,,t III ,rti
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-. Il. . Il, ,,,ss i, .,,lr ,e,,,,,aic,,
ar +, ostracihe offenders The women OF our
organization are especially u>einl ~ tins
They do battle fercely tor what they con-
~idcr to be a holy cause They fee that
they arc fighting for the preservation 81
Tie home for a wholesome community
Il which To bring mp their children and
i5ev arc living up nohly t. the wcli-knoWn
rcput alton OF tho female Cd the species
Besides tho social element ~ our
publicity campaign We arc using the news
papers and the movies. The papers arc
lad to helm lis by printing instances q
sec unfaincs~ Of some landlords For IN
,tance there was the case oi the young
couple whose lease sad that there should
bc onIv two occupants thciy apartment
The stork inoppoltunelv brought thlrd
occupant before tic lease had expired
vhcrcupon the hcartjcss landlord immcdl-
:.fcly broke the lease, cvIctcd the luckicss
parcnt~ and their presumptuouS clild 50
that he could rent their HON 10 new tenants
N a greatly advanced rate. Another
cas-. which gave much untay0rabie pub
Ic,tv Il a landlord Was one IN winch the
y