Evening star., 1915-04-15
Senators Oppose Controller.

| senators oppose ContIOlief.
4 With reference to the report of yes
| terday that a western senator intends
/ to introduce a bill in Congress doing
away with the so-called super
numerary office of controller Of the
| currency. now that the federal re-
serve board is at work. it was said to-
day day that, that many senators and repre-
Sentatves in Congress have an init
! mate Knowledge Of the conduct of the
| controllers office, and propose to take
\ UP that subject in the future
IN this connection attention was
! Ealled today to speech senator Weeks
made during a debate in the Senate
/ January %. in which he said:
IL should be kept in mind at all time s
| that large percentage of the business
men of this country under present con-
ditions. with the possibility of having
| government bureau pla cling in their path
restrictions and obstacles which will i'm
peril or at least injure their business
operations. will not express opinions
tnat are unfriendly to the administra-
tion. l propose at some time, when I
nave the time. to put into the Record
some of the activities OF the controllers
once in connection with certain bank
| ing interests during the last years
time, and in my Judgment it will aston
lSh the american people to see the ex-
tent TO which bureaucracy is trespass-
| me on the reasonable and proper rights
OF business business organizations. Why. the
! controller of the currency has even gone
| SO Tar as to recommend in his annual
message this year that an infringe
ment upon the regulations Of that bu-
reau by any citizen engaged in the
banking business shall subject the of
Tender to a fine, to be imposed by the
controller himself-and this under a
mere regulation. not a law at ali"
During the debate Senator Bristow
asked Senator Weeks:
Let me inquire Of the sena tor if in
ms opinion, the administrative policies
to which he refers-of the controllers
office and of the federal reserve board
are not very similar to the adminis-
trative policies of the Car of Russia
and Just as tyrannical and unreason-
able and undemocratic in their meth
odso''
To which Senator Weeks replied: II
think they are more so, Mr.. President.
I regard the Gar of Russia as molly
coddle compared with them"
q. s. Attorneys Consult.
Assistant Attorney General Warren,
Louis Brandeis and Jesse Adkins, spe-
cial counsel in the defense of the suit
brought by the bank, were in confer
ence all morning and through the
early afternoon today.
John Shelton Williams. controller Of
the Treasury, was early at his desk. His
oiiiCc StdIl Olu lDl make monday WIN
the other clerks of the Treasury De-
partment. but was busily at work
throughout the usual work hours. Con-
troller Williams had no comment to
! make on the development of the situa-
tion.
The equity courts are some months
behind on their dockets and unless the
Riggs Bank case is speeded it is re-
garded as unlikely that final hearing
on the merits can be reached before
mo Of fho rrfo
Fear No Injunction.
Reports of yesterday that Treasury
officials and counsel might evershadow
the injunction proceedings filed by the
bank with a counter attack upon the
bank officials alleging violations of
the national bank act were not taken
seriously by bank officials today. They
| declared that If any such proceedings
had been possible they would have
been begun long ago
Up to this afternoon no explanation
mas been offered as to the question of
veracity between the Treasury Depart
ment and the Department of Justice
concerning just when Mr.. Brandeis was
| brought into the case as counsel for
the government officials.
An official of the bank is authority
/ for the statement that Controller Will
llams consulted Mr. Brandeis in the
matter of the Riggs Bank as early as
! last February, and article 81 of the bill
| of complaint filed by the bank declares
| that Mr.. Williams showed to a person
| not in government employ copy of
| correspondence between the bank and
Mr.. Williams Office
| Mr.. Williams statement on the sub
I ject of Mr.. Brandeis' employment was
that he had been retained some weeks
ago"
| The Attorney General. in a statement