Evening star., 1924-10-18
WHITE HOUSE WILL
A|DHOUS|NGF FIGHT
SIemp Assures Tenant
League Committee Presi-
dent Is Interested.

Steps were taken by the White
House today to determine the exact
housing situation in Washington and.
IL possible. to bring about relief.
This resulted from a call made to
the White House by a committee
appointed by the meeting in the Ma
sonic Auditorium last night under
the auspices OF the Tenants League
of the District. The committee did
not see the President personally.
but they described the situation to
c. Bascom Slemp. the Presidents
secretary. and left with him a copy
Of petition adopted at last nights
meeting asking the President to do
what he can to bring about the de-
sired improvement
Mr.. Slemp told the committee that
Peyton Gordon, United States attor-
ney of the District. would be asked
why there has been such a delay in
his Office in the matter of action upon
the Senate District committee report
on housing conditions here. and that
regarding the use Of the Ellipse as
a temporary housing place for fam
lilies who are in danger of being
evicted from their homes he would
take it up with the War Department.
which has jurisdiction over this Gov
ernment reservation.
Assures Presfdent's Interest.
Secretary Slemp assured the callers
that the President was deeply in
terested in the housing situation of
the Capital and that he feels certain
that the President would not hesitate
to initiate any movement that would
bring about general relief from the
so-called present emergency. Mr..
Slemp suggested to the committee
that after he has received a report
from District Attorney Gordon and
the War Department he would again
discuss the matter with the commit
tee at which time some definite con-
cluSion would be reached.
Those on the committee were Ed
ward H. Schirmer, investigator for
the Senate committee on housing
conditions in Washington; Mrs. Will
liam E. Cha NIB erlain. presiden of the
Housekeepers' Alliance. and Mr.. and
Mrs. Henry G. Brown. the former as
sistant secretary of the Y. M. c. A.
The league claims that 1000 ten
ants have been threatened with evic-
ton since October 1.
The action regarding presentation
of the letter to President Coolidge
was taken by the meeting last night
after addresses had been made by
Mrs. John n. Speel, president Of the
District Federation of Women's Clubs
and vice president of the league.
Mrs. Clara Sears Taylor, member of
the Rent Commission, and Mrs. Cham
berlain.
These speakers sketched the situa-
ton as they found it between land
lords and tenants. They outlined
possibilities of wholesale evictions
and urged tenants to start fight to
finish by refusing to pay increases
in rents and by refusing to move
when served with eviction notices un-
less ordered to do so by the Municipal
Court after a bearing.
The letter which was drafted and
adopted by the league as its express
sion of the situation existing in
Washington and as its request upon
the. Chief Executive reads as follows:
ITO the President of the United States
=. Of America:
I'VE, the residents Of the District OF
Columbia and citizens of the United
States, petition you, the Chief Execu-
tive of the Nation and Commander -in-
Chief Of the Army and Navy, to grant
the Tenants League OF the District of
Columbia permission, should the neces-
sity develop, to use the Ellipse as well
as Army tents and camping outfits for
JContinued on Pase 2, Column ~