Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-11-20
TENANTS REJECT
LANDLORDS AID
Rent Commission Proper
Body, Says Letter to Real
Estate Board.

The proposal of the Washington
Zeal Estate Board of II joint commit
zee of realtors and landlords to assist
those tenants who have been abused
and harassed by unjust and unfair
landlords was rejected by the Ten
ants League of the District in a
aommunicati ton sent to the Real Els
tate Board last night. The letter
Mas signed by Edward Fl. Schirmer,
president, and Mrs. Henry c. Brown.
secretary o. the league, and gives as
the outstanding reason for their OPP
position the fact that the Rent Com
mission is the proper body to care
for such cases.
In a formal statement issued by the
District of Columbia Federation of
Federal Employees covering the pres
ent situation the suggestion by the
realtors was also opposed on the
same grounds.
Growing Opposition Seen.
Further spread in the opposition
by the tenants was indicated when,
at meeting at the Plaza apart
ments last night, representatives from
the Madeira, the Westover, an apart
ment house at Twentieth and i
streets and several small apartment
houses in that vicinity merged with
the Plaza branch of the Tenants
League into an organization to be
called the West End branch of the
Tenants League.
sympathy for the tenants was eX-
pressed 10y several persons who at
tended the meeting of the executive
committee of the Columbia Heights
Citizens Association last night. y
communication from the Tenants
League and the Clifton Terrace COM
mittee was referred TO Charles T.
Clayton, chairman of the aSSocla-
tons law and fiscal relations COM
mttee, and a speaker from the ten
ants organization was invited to ad-
dress the regular monthly meeting of
the association on December ,. Mrs.
Brown stated that a representative
from the Mid-City Citizens Associa-
ton had called upon her and request
ed information on the work of the
league and expressed the sympathy of
that association with the attitude of
the tenants.
Emergency Question.
While Senator Ball yesterday de-
clared there was no housing emer-
gency in Washington, p. J. Doherty
of the Clifton Terrace committee to-
day stated: The emergency is as
great, whether it is the result of fic-
titious and uneconomic pressure or of
q great war. An emergency is as
serious ana mendclng Wnen IL arises
unnecessarily. It's community effect
Is more disastrous because of the
popular conviction and knowledge
that the situation is unnecessary and
Gnjustified and is known to be the re-
suit of deliberate greed"
Mr.. Doherty said that rise of So
per room on 1000 rooms resulted In
$4,000 return to the owners, which
Increases the value of the building
81 900 600 At one "swoop.' This is
more than 1000 Government en-
ployes can save in lifetime" he
said
The letter addressed TO the
Washington Real Estate Board from
the Tenants League. rejecting its
proposal and containing suggestions
asking the realtors to publish their list
of members. the tenants can go to
those who desire to treat them
properly, to stop realtors getting
injunctions against the Rent Commits
sion, stop personal attacks cooperate
with the Tenants League and help
prosecute those responsible for the sit
uation. read, in part. as follows:
I'VE already have board, in the
Rent Commission, established under
a law passed by Congress-the MEM
President of the United States, to
furnish assistance to tenants threat
ened with abuse. We believe that
such a legally appointed body has,
to the minds of law abiding citizens.
authority to aid the tenants of
Washington. such as joint COM