Evening star., 1922-04-14
RENT ACT DEBATED
IN MANY LETTERS
Question Argued Pro and
Con by Writers to The
+ Evening Star.

pOnentS OF the. Ball rent law received
by The Evening Star Indicate that
sentiment for the continuance of the
present act is we'll defined and sharp
ly outlined.
The letters received from the op-
ponents of the measure in the last
two weeks outnuusber those received
from the measures supporters.
From the opponents comes the plea
that the rent act is unjust class leg
islation infringing upon property
rights. The proponents, on the other
hand, maintain that the law is prov
ing advantageous to the workers OF
the District, although the property
position.
Flora Mcdonald Thompson. chair
man of the housing committee of the
Housekeepers' Alliance, sent in one
letter for publication, which reads in
part:
Your editorial in last nights Star.
april %, THE Navy and Sovictisin,
admits of Interpretation as u menace
to Congress. You say: Wherever
there appears a soviet head-crack 1t.
Would you apply that to the soviet
heads in Congress. bent on re-enact-
ing the Ball rent law. to destroy con-
stitutional rights in home ownership
and reduce family existence to the
hard terms OF a houSlng-not nome
making-project?
You better watch out, or the "Stah
gan of Washington home interests.
ter to that false thought which any
rational being, animated by moral
principles. must join with Secretary
DENLY to deplore."
Asks Of Housekeepers' Alliance.
From William Sheriff Jones of 202
9th street southeast, however, there
arrived letter raising an issue with
the Housekeepers' Alliance. An alb
stract from that letter reads as fol-
lows:
AN article in The Star, March 81.
1922, announced that the Housek eep-
ers' Alliance had sent letter to the
Senate District committee urging
that Legislation extending the life of
the Ball rent act be postponed until
quoted in part as follows: ON behalf
of the homemakers OF Washington
etc, etc.
Il wish to ask through your COL
umns, the following questions:
'(a) How many of the homemalk-
ers of Washington does the House
keepers Alliance represent?
'(b) Is 1t as many as l per cent?
'"(c) How many members of the
Housekeepers' Alliance are property
owners?
"(d) How many of them receive in
come from rents of houses, rooms
and apartments?
'.(e) Is it the desirdpef the House.
keepers Alliance to have it lawful to
raise rents to such an extent as to
force the tenant to become home pur-
chaSers?
Majority Are Tenants.
1.-THE majority of homemakers in the
cfrio of
them would not wish to own a home
in the District and most of them
could not raise the initial payment
required to make such purchase.
Why should rental be more than a
fair return on the investment repre-
sented in the property?
THE majority of the homemakers
of the District are not represented
by any alliance, but they do want the
Ball rent law continued. More of the
tenants of this city should avail
themselves of the benefits of this Law.
"The law should be extended to pre-
vent persons from obtaining leases
on a number Of apartments and rent
ing them furnished at double the
amount they are paying for them.
to feed out of the tenants rent al
lowance and this subletting at a
profit should be abolished"
S. r. Blanton. manager of the Blan-
ton Realty Company, of 1902 Vermont
avenue, also wrote a letter on the
topic. In part, it reads:
"A good many people are discussing
the Ball law and I would like to add
my bit to the common cause. Land
lords are. of course against the law.
Its enlargement: II may quote a su-
initiates property rights. Some peo-
pie are willing to make sacrifices. to
go without luxuries. willing to deny
themselves such things as cigars,
movies, fine clothes. holidays and va
something for the protection of old
age, which may be likened to the
night that cometh when no man can
work.
THE Ball law says to all such:
You have no right to receive an in
the control Of it out Of your hands
entirely and do with it as seemeth
good in our sight
Lost $500. Rent and Furniture.
More than a year ago I rented a
house to a tenant. 1 advertised the
house and the price; he came, saw,
paid one months rent in advance
When the rent fell due again he
came over and asked for q. reduction,
saying that he would take a years
lease on the place If I would reduce
the rent a little. I reduced the rent
lease. He went to the rent commits
sion.
THE commission reduced the rent
nearly one. half, SO that the rent fixed
was less than my payments on the
property, to say nothing of taxes in
surance, upkeep. etc. OF course, l sold
the property-and for $500 less than I
had been offered for it sometime be-
fore The bona-fide purchaser. after
paying lawyers fees for some eight
months. finally got possession. But
when the tenant moved out he took
my furniture, which was in the house
when he rented 1t. along with him. So
1 lost $500 on the price of the prop
erty, several months rent and my
That is what the Ball law does for
property rights. / have not rented a
house since-and would not If had a
hundred
Another letter from Annie R. Kiesel
ring to the rent act.
In part, the letter states:
I am one of many who have been
forcibly struck by the Ball rent law.
librium 1 would like to ask some
questions. 1 learn through one of
your correspondents that Senator Ball
is not given to answering questions
very satisfactorily, SO I address my
questions to whom they may concern.
ITO start out. would like to know
If 'Ballshevism' is a mild form of
bolshevism. Some Of the conditions
have observed under it's rule proves
almost as disquiting.
Has Learned Many Things.
Being obliged by the decision OF
the Rent Commission to seek new
quarters, I have learned many things
nY0narfv 10 de