Evening star., 1935-05-12
La,0 Enacted in 1913
Continued in Force for
More Than 5 Years.
Provisions of Legislation
Brought Long Series
of Court Fights.

1925, It had been rendered impotent
by the court decisions. During those
close months numerous injunction
suits were filed, restraining 1t from
acting.
Permanent Law Urged.
But, despite these adverse rulings
by the courts, the movement to keep
the commission alive went on in Con-
gress. During the Winter Of 1925
with the date approaching when the
commission would disband, suggestions
were advanced to enact permanent
rent law. In February the House
District Committee reported out q
measure which would have extended
the commission again, until May
1927. Apparently taking note Of what
the courts had said about the pass
ing Of the emergency, the commit
tee amended the section of the orig
inal law which referred to the World
War emergency, and sought instead
to justify continuing the commission
on the basis of the police power of
ance Of its power to exercise exclusive
legislation over the seat Of the Gov
ernment"
This bill had two other new chap
ters, to regulate the real estate busi-
ness generally and to prevent fraud
in real estate transactions. One Sec
tion provided for the licensing of real
estate brokers and statesmen The
other was intended to prevent ficti-
tious sales and the making Of f1c-
titious trust deeds on property.
Blanton Takes Hand.
When the House District Com
mittee reported this three-fold bill,
Representative Thomas L. Blanton,
Texas Democrat, decided to take a
hand in opposition to prolonging the
existence Of the Rent Commission,
and he did it with his customary
vigor.
Mr.. Blanton was strongly in favor
Of the two other chapters Of the bill
to prevent fraud in real estate sales
and to license those engaged in the
real estate business. In fact, he had
sponsored separate bills on these sub
jects. But he was just as strongly
against continuing the Rent Comnis-
sion, and the minority report he filed
in the House on that occasion con-
cluded with the statement that It's
continuance would cause property
values in the District to slump at
least 33b per cent. "Such slump" he
added, would cause thousands of
families who have bought homes and
paid all they had as q cash payment
to lose everything"
The Texan began by pointing out
that he had supported the Salisbury
resolution, the original Rent Commits
sion law, and its continuance I'D to
May, 1922, as emergency measures
made necessary by the war.
This Rent Commission. which was
purely an emergency of war and when
hrst initiated was declared to be
temporary, should have expired and
gone out Of existence on May %.
1922, said Blantons minority report.
Cites Passage OF Ball Bill.
Congress. however. had passed a
new Ball rent act at that time. Mr..
Blanton pointed out, extending its
life two more years, to May %, 1924,
and increasing the commission to five
commissioners, was passed by the
Senate. It also provided that where
the landlord collected more rent than
was authorized by the commission the
attorney furnished by the Govern
ment at $1,000 should recover same
by suit for such tenant I realized
then that the next step would be to
make this commission a permanent
institution of the Government, and I
then did everything within my power
to defeat 1t, but the House passed it.
And since 1918 property rented here
In the District of Columbia has been
kept from its lawful owners by law"
Further on in his report, the Texan
stated that "at all times during the
past three years there have been
several hundred desirable residences
vacant IN Washington because the
owners did not want to take chances
on getting in their property an un-
desirable tenant, which they would
not be able to put out by law. These
owners would have been glad to rent
such properties had it not been for
such Rent Commission. The owners
of several thousand vacant lots would
have been glad to erect substantial
houses on same for rent had it not
been for such Rent Commission"
Expenses Were 100000
That Congress came to an end on
March 4 without passing the rent act
continuing bill. and two months later
the commission finally closed its
doors and went out of existence, on
May %. 1925, nearly six years after
the World War had ended. During its
existence the expenses Of the COM
mission amounted to slightly less
than 5000 900. Its officials estimated
it brought about yearly reductions in
rents amounting to about 100000,
and increases amounting to 500, 600
A total Of 9,441 cases were docketed,
of which 6,555 came up for hearing.
Determinations were made in 6,33S
cases, 63 were held up by intunctions,
401 were not calendared for hearing
and 464 were not disposed of. OFF,
cials Of the commission explained the
number of cases does not indicate the
number of rents affected, since one
case often related to the rents of an
entire apartment house.
It Is doubtful II any law In the
history of the District was ever the
center of so much strife and contro-
versy. The six-year period was marked
by frequent hearings before House and
Senate committees. protest meetings,
Of tenant groups on the one hand. and
property owners on the other. Those
who opposed the repeated extensions
of the law believed Its existence was
retarding the new housing develop
ments needed to meet the growth of
population. The supporters Of the
law argued that rents would 60 up II
the law were not extended.
Glance Back Pertinent.
A glance back at that turbulent
period Is pertinent at this time, be-
cause some Of the measures being pro-
posed in the present Congress are
almost identical with the terms Of the
Ball law and the Salisbury resolution,
which led to so much litigation q
decade or more ago.
In fact. the Ellenbogen bill, which
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