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WILD DAY ON 'CHANGE NATIONAL BANKS WEATHER FINANCIAL STORM. NEW YORK, October 23.-In the financial district yesterday there was a tendency to put the blame for the present trouble among the trust companies upon the republican party. After the life insurance investigation there was a demand on the legislature for an investigation of trust companies. The late Gov. Higgins and republican powers in the legislature stopped the movement partially to protect ex-Superintendent Kilburn of the banking department. In place of an investigation, which would have straightened out the tangle, the legislature passed a law providing for a 15 per cent reserve fund. That this reserve does not protect has just been demonstrated. Wall street was alive with rumors that other trust companies were in such condition that they could not afford to rescue the Knickerbocker: that Thomas Ryan had come under the ban of the clearing house committee and was to be forced out of banking, as was Morse, Heinze, the Thomases and Barney. This rumor finally took definite form in a report that Mr. Ryan had been asked to withdraw from the Morton Trust Company. There followed a run of slight dimensions on that institution shortly before the closing hour. It was handled without trouble. Morton Speaks for Ryan. Levi P. Morton, the venerable president of the Morton Trust Company, who spent a full day in the financial district for the first time in months, was sufficiently worried by disquieting reports to issue this formal statement: "The story in circulation that Mr. Ryan has resigned or intends to resign as vice president of the Morton Trust Company is pure invention. Mr. Ryan has not resigned and has no intention of doing so. It has never been discussed or even suggested." Mr. Ryan made many trips yesterday from his office, in the Morton Trust Company, to the office of Valentine P. Snyder, president of the National Bank of Commerce. He made one trip without his hat, waving off interviewers as he hurried along. "I've heard nothing of it," he said when asked if he was going to quit his banking directorates. George B. Cortelyou, Secretary of the Treasury, came from Washington in the early evening. He had a conference with Hamilton Fish, assistant treasurer here, over the disposition of the $6,000,000 which Washington is sending to relieve the situation. They also discussed the need of more money. At the Manhattan Hotel he received J. Pierpont Morgan, who was accompanied by several of his banking associates. He had other conferences over the telephone and had promised a statement before going to bed. National Banks Weather the Storm. The national banks were able to weather Monday's storm without assistance from the clearing house, with the single exception of the New Amsterdam National Bank, which needed help with a debit balance of $341,000. This is one of the banks from which Charles W. Morse was forced Saturday. The array of debit balances at the clearing house was somewhat startling. The National Bank of Commerce, which has been clearing for the Knickerbocker Trust, headed the list with a debit balance of $7,000,000. It was met promptly and without clearing house assistance. The Mercantile National Bank, from which F. Augustus Heinze was forced, showed improvement under the management of Seth M. Milliken. Its debit was $454,000, the lowest since Thursday, and its own funds were available. Other debits were the National Bank of North America, $543,000; the Mechanics and Traders', $335,000; and the Oriental Bank, $147,000. Members of the clearing house committee held several conferences and were ex-
