New-York tribune., 1920-11-28
Financier Who Lost Ex-
change Seat in Stutz
Fight to Confer With
Williams, Call Loan Foe
Denies He Faces
Money Difficulty
Terms Story That Banks
Will Take Charge of His
Present Assets Inspired

Allan A. Ryan. arch foe of the New
York Stock Exchange and a leading
figure in many corporations, left the
city for Washington late yesterday
fternoon to confer with John Skelton
Williams, Comptroller of the Cur
rency and severe critic OF the call loan
policies of the Wall Street banks.
When asked to comment on the re-
port that New York banks were going
to take care of his assets to protect
kis obligations to them Mr.. Ryan cryp-
tically replied. "The story was N
spired Urged to make a full state
ment about the matSer, the recently
expelled member of the Stock Ex
change and chairman of the Stutz
Motor Company, declared that it vas
possible that Mr. Williams would have
something to say to the public about
the incident after the conference at
tie capital o-day.
Fight on Banks Predicted
The fact that Mr.. Ryan was about to
take up the question of his relations
with the banks with Mr.. Williams was
interpreted to mean that he might
start war against Wall Street banks,
already having been through one Of
the most dramatic battles in financial
history with the New York Stock Ex-
change. Throughout Mr.. Ryan's con-
test with the big board, which resulted
from corner in Stutz stock, the
banks, which were heavy lenders to
Mr.. Ryan, whose father is Thomas
Fortune Ryan, continued existing rela-
tions with him.
In his public attacks on Wall Street
methods Mr.. Ryan confined his crit-
cism to the affairs Of the Stock Ex-
change. Observers of financial deve1-
opments are now wondering whether
the action of the banks to safeguard
their loans will mark the beginning O..
an open rift between Allan A. Ryan
and the banks. The fact that Mr.. Ryan
Will confer with the Comptroller is
regarded as significant, particularly
since Mr.. Williams has on several oc-
casions this year bitterly criticised the
Wall Street national banks for charg
ing what he deemed excessive rates
for call loans made for Stock Exchange
purposes.
Mr.. Williamss policy was last
month denounced as a nattack on the
integrity of American bankers. in q
resolution adopted at Washington at
The forty-sixth annual convention of
the American Bankers Association.
Publication Of the story that the
banks from whom Mr.. Ryan had bor-
rowed were in the process of forming
committee for collective action to
protect their loans dragged into full
publicity what has been surreptitiously
gossiped in board rooms OF the fnan
clal district for more than ten days.
representatives of banks interested
yesterday admitted to The Tribune
that they were about to take care of
Mr.. Ryan's assets, and in some in
stances the statement was made that
Mr.. Ryan's assets were more than
ample to take care of the particular
bank in question.
Inc guaranty trust Company, of
which Thomas Fortune Ryan is di-
rector, the Chase National Bank and
the Mechanics and Metals National
Bank, according to high banking au-
thorities, are the institutions chiefly
interested, and the First National
Bank, the Lawyers Title and Trus.
Company, the Empire Trust and others
are said to be concerned to lesser
extent. According to the best infor-
Continued page Ws.vu)