Evening star., 1925-02-25
RENT BILL DOOMED
DESPITE COOLIDGE
PLEAFOR PASSAGE
Hostility to Measure Shown
by Rules Committee in
Denying 1t Vote.
SUPREME COURT STAND
is CITED BY OPPONENTS
Might Have Been Chance for
Anti-Pyramiding and Licensing
Act, One Member Says.

The last hope for action in the
House on the District rent bill went
glimmering when after a hearing
the rules committee laid the resolu-
/ ton offered by Chairman Reed of
! the House District committee on the
table.
During the hearing the committee
! showed itself almost to a man as
| not only averse to granting privi-
! legged consideration to this legisla-
! ton in the present congested situa-
tion, but as doubling the wisdom of
! attempting to pass such legislation in
] view of the United States Supreme
/ Courts decision.
! Chairman Reed of the House Dis
I trict committee and Representative
/ Lampert of Wisconsin. chairman of
| the subcommittee that conducted
I hearings on the rent bill, and Repre-
sentative LaGuardia of New York
urged that a rule be granted making
| the rent bill in order. Vigorous op-
! position was voiced by Representa-
! tive Blanton OF Texas and Repre-
sentative Gilbert of Kentucky, both
! members of the House Legislative
committee on District affairs, and by
! Representative Tincher of Kansas,
! Republican leader on the floor.
Recalls CoOlidge's Plea
! Representative Reed told the rules
committee that this was the only legis-
/ lation on which the committee had re-
! ceived a letter from the President
setting forth a special interest in
i the proposed legislation. Chairman
| Smell of the rules committee and
Minority Leader Garrett both questioned
/ Representative Reed regarding just
/ hny ctr 1clz he
the bill and whether the bill on the
calendar is the same the one sub
mitted by the President for considera-
tion by the committee.
} Representative Reed said that the
President approves the principle of
! the bill awaiting action and that his
original bill provided for permanent
/ rent commission, but that both the
! Senate and House showed an aversion
/ to continuing the commission for
more than two years.
! Representative O'Connor of New
! York brought out that the District
committee had the rent bill up for
/ consideration last Monday.
Chairman Smell said that he had
/ been told by members of the District
! committee that this measure was
/ brought out of the committee by
accident that the committee is not
/ for il and has arranged the program
!
! calendar where it could not be
! reached.
! Asks Right of Control.
: Representative Bankhead of Ala
/ bama asked on what constitutional
powers the District committee predi-
Gates its right to control private prop
! erty.
Representative Lampert pointed
/ la
I was up for consideration a special
rule had been obtained and the bill
passed. He said that he considers
| the rent situation worse now than
I then, and said there is a shortage of
: the class of houses needed by Govern
ment workers. Representative Bank
! head asked him If he believed that
/ passage of this legislation would lead
I to the construction of such houses
/ for cheaper rent.
Representative Johnson of South
| Dakota. member of the rules COM
mittee, questioned whether in view of
/ the corgested calendar there was any
chance of getting this legislation
through the Senate even If a rule was
! granted. He voiced the opinion that
/ the District committee had had more
time relatively in the present session
of Congress than any other large
committee.
Representative Blanton said he be-
! lieves that President Coolidge would
veto this bill even IL Congress passed
it. He reviewed the history of the
rent bill, pointing out that the Su-
preme Court had declared 1t unconsti-
tutional and that courts had issued
restraints in 40 cases. The entire Rent
Commission with its retinue of attor-
neys and clerks has been drawing
salaries and doing no work because
its hands were tied by this court or
1 Il l.
proposes to continue the Rent Com
mission under such conditions
He explained the two other provi-
sions of the bill providing for legis-
lation to prevent pyramiding OF
trusts and for licensing real estate
agents and statesmen, saying that If
a special rule was granted on these
two provisions and cutting out the
first title of the bill continuing the
Rent Commission there would be
no voice in opposition to it.
He explained that if the President
and his party leaders in Congress
had a sincere desire to see the rent
| bill passed 1t could have been done
under a special rule or under suspen-
sion long before now.
Holds Majority Satisfied.
Representative Blanton said that in
the last six years no houses have been
| built for rent, but many for sale and
high class apartment property has
been built He expressed the belief
that So per cent of the tenants in
Washington are satisfied and that
about Is per cent have been made dis
contented and complaining by the
avarice of landlords.
He said that a personal inyestiga-
tion had shown him that hundreds
of thousands of tenants are salts
fed and have no complaints to offer.
Representative Tincher said he was
not surprised that any self-respecting
investor should withhold his money
from investment in rental property
in Washington under existing condi-
tions. Congress could not do q
more vicious thing than to continue
the present practice" he added. He
declared himself opposed to the rule
and the legislation because 1t does
violence to the principle of private
ownership of property. He recalled
that Secretary Hughes refused to rec
ognize Russia because that govern
ment would not grant the right of
individuals to own property.