THE WORK OF COMMISSIONERS 105
said, “equal rights.” Leipold then suggested that
“equal rights and equal duties” go together.
Creswell persuaded Purvis to take down his
sign.”
There were other causes of the lack of harmony
among these officials. As Leipold was regarded
by the Treasury Department as the most competent
 and responsible commissioner, he received
advice from the Secretary of the Treasury in
regard to the business. Both Secretary Sherman
and his successor, Secretary Boutwell, disliked
Creswell and held Purvis in slight regard. Purvis
and Creswell resented this attitude of the Treasury
 officials and vented their outraged feelings
upon Leipold. When law work was needed Purvis
 wanted to employ Negro lawyers, but Leipold
would have none of them. Leipold suspected
crookedness among the former trustees and collected
 information upon which to base prosecutions
 against some of them, among them Purvis’
son who had been interested in loans made by
the bank. Creswell advised against prosecutions,
and Purvis, a warm partisan of the trustees,
stoutly defended all their activities. He accused
Leipold of “ingratitude” because he wanted to
prosecute those who had nominated him as commissioner.
 Leipold met such strong opposition
from his colleagues that he found it impossible
to prosecute any of the trustees even for such
doings as the Seneca Sandstone deal.
THE INFLUENCE OF THE TRUSTEES
The trustees of the defunct bank continued to
? Bruce Report, pp. 62, 74.
8 Bruce Report, pp. 91-95.