Evening star., 1915-01-05
BAN UPON M 'AD00,
PLEA0F BALTIMORE
Would Also Exclude Controller
Williams From Reserve
Bank Hearing.
BOTH MEN MEMBERS
OF ORGANIZING BODY
Selection of Richmond as Regional
Reserve City Protested-Many
Charges Made.

Exlusion of Secretary McAdoo of the
Treasury Department and John Skelton
Williams. controller of the currency,
ex-off1cio members, from the sitting OF
the federal reserve board to hear the
protest of Baltimore against the Sc
lection of Richmond as the regional
reserve city of the fifth federal reserve
district. will be demanded by counsei
for Baltimore. the protesting cominu-
nity. AS members of the organization
committee which selected Richmond as
the regional reserve city, 1t will be
argued, Secretary McAdoo and Con-
troller Williams are not to be consld-
cred as impartial judges of the rival
claims.
The hearing is set for tomorrow.
Vernon Cook and Charles Markeli Will
represent Baltimore's case. Mr.. Markell
making the opening argument ana MT.
Cook closing. Mr.. Markell, with the
late Edgar H. Cans, prepared the Bal
timore brief, some time ago filed be-
fore the federal reserve board.
Fireworks Expected.
The organization committee is
charged, in the brief already filed as
the basis for the argument, with jug
cling figures to find comparison IA
yorable to Richmond. The hearing Is
expected to develop some fireworks.
Attention is directed in the brief to
the reasons assigned by the organiza-
tion committee for it's selection OK
Richmond over Baltimore. 1t is claimed
that all these alleged reasons are con-
tradicted bv the action of the commit
tee itself in the other districts. In ten
out of the twelve districts the com
mittee selected the largest city IN eae
district. o
especially the Richmond spokesmen,
agreed that the course of business IS
from the south northward Rlch1nonu
witnesses and Richmond's brief before
the organization committee are quoteo
to show that the idea. OF suooIolnatlns
Baltimore and Washington to R!ch-
mond was an afterthought; that ken
mond claimed before the commlttee
that mature had mapped out a hlch-
mond district south OF the fotohaC;
and that Richmond ds she logieal re-
serve city if Maryland were included
in the same district.
Banking Business.
In order to find a comparison 1aVor-
able to Richmond, 1T is asserted the
committee compares not the statistics
of all banks in Richmond and Baltl-
more. but figures for national banks
alone in Virginia and Maryland, thus
ignoring all banking business done by
the state banks and trust companies,
and also treating Richmond as if it in
cluded the whole state Of Virginia, al
though part of Virginia is much closer
to Baltimore than to Richmond. To
avoid comparison of actual figures, the
brief sets forth, the committee also
compared per capita figures for Balti-
more and Richmond. which similarly
applied would show Richmond to be
better entitled to regional bank than
New York, Philadelphia or Chicago.
The committee also quoted figures, it
is declared, to show that Richmond's s
national banks lend five times much
in 1.-The south as do Baltimore banks.
Upon analysis these figures are shown
to include Virginia, but exclude Mary
land, so that they actually show merely
that Richmond lends more money in
Richmond than Baltimore does.
Bank Polls Cited.
1t is pointed out that although the
committee cites it's poll of banks in the
district as supporting it's CHOICE of
Richmond, the committee itself paid
no attention to the poll of banks in
selecting Cleveland instead of Pitts
burgh, or even Cincinnati, or in put
ting the Connecticut banks in the Bos-
ton district and the New Jersey banks
in the Philadelphia district; and, fur
thermore, that the poll itself shows
| that the real sentiment of the district
was in favor of Baltimore rather than
Richmond, Notwithstanding sentimental
considerations, which largely contrib
uted to the vote in favor of Richmond.
The hearing will begin at II O'Clock
| tomorrow in the boardroom in the
| Treasury building. 1t will be open to
| the public. One hour has been granted
each side for final argument. Decision
as to whether the bank is to be moved
| from Richmond to Baltimore or to re-
main in the Virginia metropolis is not
| looked for Immediately.
Robert Dick, forty-nine yeara old,
| formerly a Baltimore attorney, died in
| a New York hospital. He had been