The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-14
.BRANDE|S EMPLOYED ID DEFEND M 'ADOO AND JOHN WILLIAMS
Government Will Back the Treasury Officials to Ut termost in Legal Fight,
 Is Claim

Washington, April I3.--DcveIop- ments today indicated that the gov trnment intends to do It's utmost to back up Secretary McAdoo oe the treas- ury and Comptroller of the Currency Williams in the legal fight precipi- tated by the Riggs National bank, com join these officials from alleged at- tempts to drive that institution out of business through systematic and long continued persecution.
 Attorney General Gregory announced to- night that the department of justice had employed Louis D. Brandeis of Boston to defend Messrs Williams and McAdoo in the injunction proceedings. He declared his department and the treasury were cooperating in these proceedings It be- came known also that Jesse C. Adkins, former assistant attorney general, also had been retained in the case.
 Officials declined to say whether the government at this time contemplates any affirmative proceedings in addition to the defense of MT. McAdoo and MT. Williams in the injunction case 1t was denied. however, that the bureau of in- vestiga ton of the department of justice had undertaken any investigation of af- fairs of the Riggs bank.
 Lawyers fin the case gave attention to- day to the question of whether the comp trollef had exceeded his powers in cer- tain acts of which the bank complains, and 1t was maintained that for the sake of precedent to be established this alone would be sufficient to insure strong de- fensc by the government. It was recalled that while the courts have declined to in- terfere with the ordinary exercise of the executive functions by an officer of the government, the supreme court has de- cided that where an excess of such power is disclosed an injunction may be ob- tained
 That the present case may go to the supreme court seemed entirely probable for both sides apparently are preparing to fight to the end
 The bank tonight gave out statement reviewing charges made by MT. Williams last night It called attention to MT. Williams announcement that investiga- tion of the bank had disclosed irregular ities and that the department of jus tice had engaged the services of Louis D. Brandeis some weeks ago as special
 
 cited that at noon today Attorney Gen eral Gregory stated that MT. Brandeis had not been engaged by the department of justice and that the statement that he had been retained was incorrect at the time it was made.
 GregOry's Statement
 MT. Gregory's own statement in regard to the employment of MT. Brandeis given out before that of the bank, follows:
 The department of justice has em- ployed Mir. Brandes as special counsel to assist in the defense of the injunction proceedings brought by the Riggs Ma tional bank. Up to the filing of the suit yesterday the department of justice had not had before it for official considera- ton the controversies between the treas ury department and the Riggs National bank. but knew in a general way that these existed, and might result i'll some character of litigation. The department of justice and the treasury department are in accord and heartily cooperating in this suit"
 The bank. in it's statement, declares that MT. Williams takes credit to himself for the fact that the bank is solvent when in fact he caused the withdraw wal of hundreds of thousands of dollars during the summer and fall, of 1914, tat time when financial conditions were exceed ingly uncertain in this country because of the great war in Europe" The statement answers Mir. Williams (Csntinaed on Page sevsn)