South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-07-17
CONT ROLLER OF
CURRENCY SCORES
SENATE CRITICS
Williams Appears Before
Senate Banking Committee
and Answers Opponents.

WASHING OK. July John
SHELTON Williams. comptroller OF
the currency. appearing before the
senate banking committee. which is
considering his nomination Wednes-
day struck back AT his critics. pass
ed the lie 20 former Sen. Weeks Of
atassachusetts. who bitterly opposed
fis nomination at the last session
and denied charges recently made
thai he had caused the withdrawal
OF Red Cross funds from certain
Washington banks. Mr. Williams
announced when the committee ad-
iourned until next Friday that he
would at that time reply 20 allega-
tions made by John Poole and
Frank ]. Hogan. local bankers. rela-
tive TO alleged discrimination
against certain banks.
Mir Williams gave his testimony
Wednesday after A. r. Jones. repre-
senting stockholders of the defunet
First National bank OF Uniontown.
Pa. OF which J. V. Thompson. mill
iionaire coal and land owner. was
formerly president. had charged
Comptroller Williams with misman-
agement OF the banks affairs so as
10 cause the stockholders a loss Of
S2,7sO,OOO.
Refutes HOgan's Testimony.
Jesse G. Adkins. one OF the attor-
reys for the government in the
Riggs bank case, and another wit
r.rr
Mr. Hogan that the comptroller had
prosecuted the Riggs bank and
charged that the bank had repeated
Is violated formal banking statutes
until compelled 10 desist by Mr.. Will
liams.
The comptroller read 70 the COM
mittee a letter which he recently
sent 10 Sen. Owens of Oklahoma
former chairman of the committee,
alleging that the resolutions pre-
scented TO the committee last session
by former Sen. Weeks. from the
clearing house association OF Win
chester, KY, and Lexington. KY,
were 'impositions upon the commit
tee" Mr.. Williams declared no
such organization exists in the for
mer city. but that the resolutions
were "concocted by two junior local
bank officials" apparently at the
instance or influence of some person
or persons whose identity has not
yet been disclosed, in an effort TO
deceive the senate committee and
injure me-"
The comptroller quoted Sen.
Weeks as telling the committee
that in FIVE years he had not receiv-
ed a communication which had
mot been critical of the comptrol-
Ter" In reference to this, Mr.. Will
liams in his letter charged that he
had proof that the former Massa-
chusetts senator at that time had in
his possession a letter from a for
mer president Of the Kentucky
Bankers association, protesting
against the senator's opposition.
Statement OF Weeks.
THAT statement was made by
him (Weeks) deliberately, and the
record shows that in making it he
uttered an untruth," Mr.. Williams
in the letter asserted.
Replying to charges that Red
Cross funds had been withdrawn at
the instance of the comptroller from
the Federal National bank in Wash
ington. Mr.. Williams read letters of
denial from Hugh S. Bird, assistant
treasurer, and + c. Haneke, second
assistant treasurer OF the Red Cross
The letter OF the latter asserted
that MIR. Poole has deliberately
given the committee information
that is absolutely not true" Mr..
Bird explained that $3S9.OOO had
been withdrawn, but said this was
done owing TO the fact that the
money belonged to a separate divis-
ion and had been deposited by mis-
take in that bank