The Washington herald., 1914-04-09
bank sQUABBLE
| RILES SENATORS
Southern Democrats in Live
ly Tilt Over Selection
of Reserve Cities.
REPUBLICANS KEEP OUT
Williams Berates Party for Making
Spectacle Because Some Were
Left in the Cold"
REPUBLICANS KEEP OUT

The heartburnings of New Orleans over
the disappointment engendered through
that city being overlooked by the organi-
zstion committee of the new Federal Re-
serve Board were given an airing In the
Senate yesterday by Senator Ransdell. Of
Louisiana. Senator Ransdell presented a
petition and a resolution, the result of a
mass meeting OF Crescent City business
men. mostly Democrats. denouncing the
location of banks at Atlanta and Rich
mond. while New Orleans was left out
in the cold.
The reading Of the resolution started a
fine family row among the Democrats.
Before the clash had ended Senators Mar
tin and Swanson, Of Virginia; Williams.
Of Mississippi; Hitchcock, Of Nebraska;
Smith, Of Georgia; MARITIME, Of New Jer-
sey, and Sheppard. of Texas. had taken
a hand. The Republican side of the
chamber kept out OF the miX-up.
Senators Martin and Swanson. of Vir-
ginia, interposed defenses of the selec-
ton OF Richmond. Senator Smith. Of
Georgia, did some explaining. backed by
statistics, with regard to Atlanta Sem
ator Sheppard related briefly the story
Of the discovery of Dallas, Tex.
williams Berates Party.
When Senator Williams, of Mississippi.
interjee1<d himself into the debate IL was
for the purpose of berating his fellow
Democrats for their participation in the
unseemly strife. Also he said that the
Democratic party was beginning to do
just what Gen. Grant and other Repub-
licans had alleged she could always be
trusted to do.
THE poor, dear old fool Democratic
party" said Senator Williams, lis going
through the same old game that she can
be trusted generally to engage in soon
after she gets into power Here We Dem
ocrats are quarrelling with one another
because this city or that particular city
was not made a Federal reserve center.
why, IL the twelve Apostles were here
and constituted a Federal Reserve Board
and attempted to designate cities for this
system, there would have been indigna-
ton meetings held just the same, and
words of scurrility and violence would
have been uttered at these meetings."
The debate which followed the intro
duction OF the petition by Senator Rams
dell was as lively as it was accri-
monious.
The people Of New Orleans are very
much stirred up over this NATTER said
Senator RansdelL, ''and I hope no OBJ
lection will be made to the printing in
the Record OF the brief filed by Sol Wex-
Ter, of New Orleans, before the organiza-
ton committee when he was asking for
Federal reserve bank for New Or
leans
Hitchcock In Arena.
Immediately Senator Martin. of Vir-
ginia, objected. This aroused Senator
Hitchcock, OF Nebraska, a member of
the Committee on Banking and Currency.
and a Democrat, who has stanchly op-
posed the twelve bank system He said:
Il want to call the attention Of the
gentleman of Virginia that there is some
question as to whether or not the spirit
as well as the letter of the law was not
violated by this board in the naming Of
the various bank centers. i think that
the briefs and statement of all cities
which applied for these banks should be
printed in the Record. 1 would support
a resolution calling upon the board for
the facts and the reasons for selecting
the cities named. so that we could see IL,
the spirit Of the law has been carried
out"
Senator Martin advanced the opinion
that the action of the New Orleans mass
meeting was a direct attack upon the in
tegrity of the membership of the organi-
zation committee. Senator Swanson
wanted the brief and statements printed
as a public document. Whereupon Sena-
tor Ransdell remarked that no one ever
read a public document anyhow, and he
preferred the congressman RECORD. Also,
he declared, that the people of New Or
leans were within their rights in their
meeting of protest and that they would
not stop fighting until the matter was
brought before the full membership of
the Federal Reserve Board.
The Republicans were much amused at
the spectacle presented by the warning
Democrats, and finally Senator Cummfns
asked that the Vice President restore
order as the Republicans did not want to
miss any of the show, for at this juno
ture Senators Ransdell, Martin, Swanson,
Smith. and Sheppard were ell upon their
feet shouting for instant recognition. At
ter the gentle tapping of the gavel had
restored comparative quiet, Senator Will
Jams said:
Making Spectacle OF Itself.
"A moment ago the Senator from Iowa,
asking for order, remarked that the
Senators upon his side were deeply in
terested in the spectacle now presented