The sun., 1919-07-20
M'FADDEN TRIES TO
TMPEACH WILLIAMS
Comptroller Challenges Ac-
cuser to Appear Before Com
mittee Of Senate Monday.
HOUSE MAY TAKE 1T UP
Sale of Arlington Hotel and
Bank Failure Involved in
Incipient Scandal.
Special DeSpdfch 10 TIE SrN.

WARRINGTON, July 19.--Impeachment
Of John SHELTON Williams. Comptroller
Of the Currency, will be sought on the
floor of the House II he is continued in
Office by the Senate confirming his nomi-
nation, Representative McFadden tPa-)
told the House Rules Committee to-day.
Mr.. McFadden in urging the commit
tee to order an investigation OF Mr..
Williams's official conduct Of his ONCE
said there was ample ground for i'm
parchment on charges which he would
submit to the investigating committee.
One Of these charges was placed before
the committee to-day. Mr.. McFadden
asserted that the Comptroller shared in
a commission that his brother, Louis B.
Williams of Richmond, Va. received for
the sale to the Government of the Ar
lington Hotel property here. The sale
was made through the williams brothers
by Richmond syndicate for $4,000, 900.
Louis B. Williams was paid s25, 900 as
his share of the commission for the sale.
which Mr.. McFadden sought to show was
completed partly by the official influence
Oh Jonn SKeltOn Williams.
Mr.. McFadden also charged that evil
dence to prove his charges was being
destroyed. but that he was certain his
claims could be substantia:ed. He said
he could produce papers showing the
transfer Of funds and bank records. The
property in question Is now being used by
the War Risk Insurance Bureau. the
proposed hotel having been completed
by the Government as a large modern
Office building.
Concrete Evidence Wanted.
Representative Pou IN. c. insisted
that Mr.. McFadden must produce con-
crete evidence before the committee
| man Campbell (Kan), however. held
that the charges might be the basis for
| impeachment. and that since Mr.. Will
Jams had publicly invited investigation
| documentary evidence OF the charges
was not necessary before ordering the
inquiry. ...
ION the other hand" said Represen-
tative Rodenberg (Ill.). Il consider the
charges so serious that they cannot be
| ignored. II proven they would lead to
the Impeachment of the Comptroller"
AS a further basis for impeachment
Mr.. McFadden also repeated charges
l
run on the First National Bank of Eas-
| ton, Pa
| This was done" Mr.. McFadden said.
| ''by Mr.. Williams's action in writing let
tiers to depositors urging them to remove
their deposits. A temporary injunction
to restrain Mr.. Williams from using his
authority to interfere with the business
| OF the bank and ruin It is now pending
| In the United States District Court for
| the Middle District of Pennsylvania
| The injunction would restrain the Comp
| troller from asking further Information
concerning tho bank
| The Rules Committee will meet Mon
day to take final action on the investi-
CATION.
| John Shelton Williams in a statement
said the charges made by Mr.. McFad-
den were utterly without foundation
and "faisehood from start to finish
He declared he had no interest in the
sale OF the Arlington property to the
| Government and received no compensa-
ton in connection with II.
Mr.. Williams said the Richmond Law
| firm Of williams & Mullen had been
attorneys for the owner of the property
for many years and that II any COM
pensation was paid to II the payment
was for professional services, addins
that he had no interest In that trans.
action.
| William, Bats McFadden.
In his statement Mr. Williams said
he had been urging Mr.. McFadden by