The Cordova daily times., 1921-04-13
REVENUE JOB BRINGS FORTH
 BIG STRUGGLE;
Prohibitionists and Anti Pro hibitionists Stage Big Fight for Appointment of Favorite as Commissioner
BY COL. WINFIELD JONES

| sioner of internal revenue. There are many candidates. Under the sur face of the contest brisk fight is 1 being waged between prohibition and i-prohibition forces for the ap- pointment. The reason for this is that the recommendation of the new commissioner of internal revenue for the appointment of prohibition con- missioner will go long way with the president and the secretary of the treasury. What these two of ficials say to the president about the appointment of the prohibition commissioner will mean the selec- tion of the successful candidate for the place.
 Upon the kind of prohibition con- missioner who is appointed will de- pend in great measure rigid or lax enforcement of the prohibition laws. A commissioner who by conviction is favorable to the liquor traffic will ln all probability be lenient, if not lax in the enforcement of the law and the prosecution of moonshiners and | bootleggers. On the other hand commissioner who is opposed to the ] liquor business cannot help but en- force the law with vigor.
 That this situation is recognized l by the liquor interests-what remains of them after the partial destruc- 1 tion of their business by the eigh- teenth amendment-is shown by some of the candidates they are backing for appointment as prohibition com mission. The trail goes back even further than their advocacy of cer. tain candidates for prohibition com. missioner. They are even urging selection of certain candidates for the cOmmtssiOnership of internal rev enue, hoping to thus get the inside track for appointment of a man who is in sympathy with their plans for prohibition commissioner.
 That the situation also is recog- nized by the prohibition forces is shown by the quiet but persistent opposition of certain officials of the Anti-SaloOn League of America tG some of the candidates for internal revenue commissioner, and particular ] " against some of the candidates for prohibition commissioner.
 This fight has not been brought out yet to public gaze in the press. But well informed Washington observers i know that it is nevertheless being Waged with more vigor than probably any other appointment not yet made l by the White House.
 The liquor interests are determined to get man as prohibition commis- sioner who' if possible is a liquor sympathizer or at the very least an appOintee who is not hostile to their interest. The anti-saloon league is equally determined to have as pro- h1b1tion commissioner a man who is not an outright prohibition sympa- thizer and who will at least enforce the prohibition laws up to the hilt.
 Already movement is forming among senators and representatives who will serve in the next congress to increase the alcoholic content of wines and beers to six or eight per cent. If this were done prohibition would be farce, for wines and beers of that alcoholic content would have the same intoxicating properties of most of the wines and nearly all of the beers sold before national prohi. bitiOn went into effect There was hardly any beer on the market in Ipre-prohibition days that contained Emore than eight per cent of alcohol and most light wines contained about that percentage. The present lawful content is one-half of one per cent not enough alcohol to accumulate a respectable flag" ii several gallons of the stuff now sold with that con- tent are imbibed The kick" is missing
 Of course the movement to increase the intoxicating qualities of wines and beers in the next congress will be bitterly opposed by the anti saloon league. Judging from the past success of the league, first in ob- taining local option all over the country, and at last the eighteenth amendment, the league will be able to successfully resist the campaign of the wine and beer advocates In con- gress. In this effort the league will be powerfully assisted by the newly organized National Woman's Party, which is as bitter foe to liquor as the league itself.
 Advocates in the next congress of bringing back real wines and beers