Evening star., 1924-11-12
TENANTS LEAGUE
| MAY Be SUED FOR
| PROTEST MEETING
Agent of Clifton Apartments
Considering Action to In
cIude Re>>-sS.
WAS DEFIED IN BUILDING
BY HIS AROUSED CLIENTS
Forbidden to Assemble, They Do So
Anyhow, and Pledge Finish
Fight on Increases.

Fight on Increases.
Legal action will be taken against
the Tenants League. and probably
those who arranged the rentaI-protest
| meeting in the lobby of the East Cliff
ton Terrace Apartments last night, it
was stated today by Joseph Lowe
| rental agent
Mr. Lowe declared that he was in
conference with other attorneys and
had not yet decided on the exact form
of action, but that it probably would
| be a criminal charge He stated that
! action might be brought for criminal
| trespass, and that in some respects
the affair might warrant charge of
| 'incting to riot" He was not definite
] however, about what course he would
pursue.
Mr.. Lowe stated that the lobby of the
! apartment was taken possession of BY
! outsiders and tenants against his will
and the matter involved the right OF
property owners to control their own
property.
Holds Question Vital.
This question is so vital that IL
| interests every property owner in
town. What rights have property
! owners, if people can come in from
the outside and conduct meetings in
their halls and occupy their premise
| against their wishes. 1t is a serious
| situation and must be met" declared
Mr. Lowe.
Mr.. Lowe said that arrangements
| in regard to the rental increase could
be made without any such meetings.
/ When informed of Mr.. loves in
tentions today Mrs. Henry c. Brown
of the Tenants League declared: III
he wants to do it let him go ahead.
We were there by invitation of the
tenants. If he brings action 1 ina gina
he will have to bring action against
his own tenants"
Mr.. Lowe Heckled.
Pledging themselves to move out
in a body rather than pay increased
rents, several hundred tenants at an
enthusiastic meeting in the lobby OF
Clifton Terrace Apartments East
last night entered whole -heartedly
|, into heckling Mr.. Lowe, who came 10
stop the meeting.
Almost an hour before the sched-
uled time the tenants began to gather
in little groups and tell one another
of the rent raises they had received
| :.
| Finally A. o. Reed. a tenant, called
the meeting to order and the crowd
surged into the lobby.
This hallway cannot be used as a
public meeting place. 1 could not
give permission if L wanted to-" de-
clared Mr.. Lowe, as he pushed his
| way through jeering crowd. Howled
| down by the tenants, Mr.. Lowe wa
| powerleSS to prevent the meeting.
Mr.. Reed stressed that the meeting
be carried out in an orderly manner.
We have no i'll feelings, but we don't
intend to pay any increases; we pay
enough; most of US can't pay any
more and we won't if it is at all
possible" declared Mr.. Reed, yield
ing the floor to Mrs. Brown.
Would Defy Landlords.
Mrs. Brown declared: '1f we all
stand together and fatty refuse to
pay the increases they won't put Us
out because they can't do it The
trouble is not the high cost of labor
or materials. we are willing to stand
increases for that, but it is the in
/ iquitous financing. 1 am a sick
woman, with one foot in the grave,
but the other foot comes down hard
on that sort of thing" declared Mrs.
Brown as she directed her husband
to display a chart, the figures on
!
apartment after naming the trusts
now on the building.
Go to the Presidents mansion and
ask what he is going to do with his
Government employees who are in this
building and face the loss of a home"
declared Mrs. Brown.
The crowd insisted Mr.. Lowe speak.
At first he refused, but they became
insistent and he complied with their
request. He stated that he did not
mind talking with the tenants. but
that he objected to undesirable
trouble makers or fools from the
outside trying to conduct a drive for
membership in the Tenants League
in the lobby" Here a man jabbed
him in the back of the neck with Il
pole, to which the financial statistics
of the apartment were attached. Mr..
Lowe was continually heckled and de-
clared he had no desire to speak, but
the crowd urged him on and he de-
clared: Il came here to tell you that
l could not sanction the meeting IL
l SO desired. 1 hope the tenants will
| realize that less than one-third in
| these apartments got raises" Here
a loud hooting and yelling drowned
out the rest of his remarks.
Il am not familiar with Washing
| ton; / come from Boston. There they
| will, at least, give a man a chance"
ne SdlQ. i mere Is an acute SlIua-
tion in Washngton-gover en-
ployes, who have insufficient salaries,
are confronted with the high cost of
living; but calling people names will
| not remedy the situation. It's an
| economic problem; there should be
| more houses. However, speaking not
as landlord, but as an individual, if
you people think the landlords are
profiteering, 1 will endeavor to get
the owners to sell you this building
at the value set by the court, and
| then you may be able to reduce your
| rents" This was received with much
| laughter and heckling.
p. ]. Dougherty, a lawyer, declared
that the court value of the place was
not the assessed value or the market
value, but the value of the building
as it would cost to be reproduced to-
day. The figures of this cost were
| submitted by the landlords, with no
similar figures from the tenants, he
| declared.
Henry E. Schirmer, president of the
| Tenants League, expressed MS in
tention of bringing the matter Before
Congress. Il want the help of all of
you to get a permanent rent bill by
December. Get your facts, so we can
show the Senators; preserve = all your