Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-05-01
Official of Institution Insists
Information Always Was
Furnished Controller.
EFFORT MADE TO OBSCURE
THE REAL ISSUE. HE SAYS
All Sorts of Rumors About Develop
ments in Case, But None Is
Confirmed.

The issuance of a statement today by
m official OF the Riggs National Bank.
In which II is said that the controller
Of the currency has tried to convey tho
impression that the Riggs Bank has
refused to furnish or has objected to
furnishing the controllers office IN
formation all banks have been required
to and do furnish. was the only devel-
opment made public today In conneo-
ton with the controversy between tho
bank and the Treasury officials.
While. under the surface, all sorts
of rumors are going about as to de-
that there is possibility Of the diff
ferences between the bank and the
Treasury officials being patched up.
nothing definite materialized today as
to these inta tangibilities. In some
quarters last night there was dis
position to regard the interview in The
Star yesterday afternoon with United
States Treasurer Burke, in which he
of Judgment until the case gets settled
in the courts. as indicating the possi-
bility of peace being made between the
bank and Treasury officials. but such
possibility amounted today to nothing
but rumors. which are generally being
talked of in the street by those who are
watching the case.
The statement issued today by the
bank official was follows:
THE statement given out by tho con-
troller of the currency last evening is
intended to convey the impression that
the Riggs Bank has refused to furnish
or has objected to furnishing his office
Information all banks have been re-
quired to and do furnish. The Riggs
National Bank has had no controversy
whatever with Controller Williams
concerning any of the many calls he
respect to the frequent changes and
additions which he has made on the
statement blanks, and 1t has freely and
fully responded to every such general
request, besides numerous special de-
mands since he came into office. The
effort thus to segregate the Riggs
Bank, to put it in a class by itself, as
being in opposition to those calls for
lawfully make on any and all banks is
an attempt on his part to obscure the
real issue between the Riggs Bank and
the controller.
THE controller may do many things,
even within the law, which are burden
some and vexatious. but the Riggs Bank
does not and never has offered opposition
to them What the Riggs Bank has COM
planned OF is that, broad as his lawful
powers undoubtedly are, Controller Will
IiamS has exceeded them so far as II Is
concerned, even to the extent Of violating
the law. He has literally been law unto
1t was to keep Controller Williams within
the law that the Riggs Bank was COM
PEELED to resort to the courts
Statement by Mr.. Williams.
The banks statement was called forth
by the following statement issued last
night by Controller Williams, concerning
report printed in The Star yesterday
afternoon and in some of yesterday
mornings papers:
When attention was directed to the
statement appearing in an evening pa
YER that counsel for the Riggs National
bank had said The additional informa-
Ion on the new forms for reports of
-ordition just sent out to national
inks had been demanded Of the Riggs
National Bank in particular in the
past and that the sending out of the
new forms for statements by the Office
of the controller ." is a belated
attempt to obtain from all banks in
formation which the Riggs bank had
charged has been asked of that bank
only III the past to such an extent as
to constitute the harassment and per-
secution of which the bank complain
r.I,' IL was officially stated at the office
of the controller of the currency that
the statement thus attributed to the
counsel for the Riggs National Bank
was wholly untrue, and that no portion
OF the additional information ca He'd for
in the new reports of condition has
been asked from the Riggs National
Bank during the examinations which
have been made of that bank beyond
the Information which every national
bank examiner has for years past been
required to get from every national
bank at the time of each examination"