The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-03-01
EYES TURN ID CAPITAL
 MARCH 4 LOOMS
Many Lucrative Appointments Will Be Ready for Distribu- ton as Soon as Harding
 Settled In White House


 there is probably no one so busy ir
 Alabama these days as those repub licans who are hoping to be close
 enough to the tree when the plum. drop to pick up a, juicy one.
 It is assumed, of course, that tho
 republicans will make practically 2
 clean sweep from the federal offices
 in the state and that the places vii
 be filled by the faithful.
 So far as can be learned the req republican leaders in the state havs been unable to get together on a slate. They realize. however, that fl f they can agree among themselves as to who shall have the various places 1 they will be in much stronger position With their appeals to Washington tha il
 If they go fighting among themselves fl With this in view it is understood that some of the leaders expect to go tu l Washington for the inauguration anl
 while there to see if there is not some
 way to reach agreement among them selves, divide the spells and avoid d scram ble.
 1 REVENUE COLLECTOR While little has been said about it | there is probably stronger current 1 Of activity going on in connection with 1 the place of internal revenue coffee l tor now occupied by John D. McNeel
 than for any other. T. H. Aldrich, for , mer postmaster of Birmingham, is said | 10 have the strongest indorsement of | business men of Birmingham that has 1 so far been secured. However some
 Of the leaders in the party organiza ton
 nave not been overfriendly. toward I Aldrich for number of years. These ! leaders include o. D. Street of Gun | tersville, national committeeman, and
 Pope M. Long of Walker county, state | chairman. With the strictly organiza- ton wing of the party it is said that 1 w. F. Ford of Fayette county is viewed with more favor for revenue collector. However, Gordon Ashley of | St. Clair has friends at work, some of whom are conceded to have consider | able influence in the right place. An | other man suggested for the place Is J. A. Sloan of Blount, while the name Of H. F. Little of Sheffield has also been mentioned in this connection. This revenue job is especially ap- pealing because of the large amount of patronage it involves. There are prob l ably 75 places as deputies and in var,- ous capacities which are at the dis posal of the collector, and which must !, be appointed by him.
 l There is another plum toward which
 longing eyes are being cast and that is the state prohibition enforcement of- | ice now occupied by Kelly Dixon of 1 Talladega. Among the names suggest 1 ed is that of c. B. Kennamer of Eto- wah, who made the race for Congress against Rainey and who now has a contest for the seat pending before tine House of Representatives. But there IS another interesting angle to this fight. 1 J. M. Atkinson of Chiffon, who was a delegate to the national republican convention. is said to want to be dis trict attorney for the middle district but in case he can't get that he wants the Kelly Dixon place. His claim is said to be unique in the state When | the first ballot was cast at Chicago Atkinson was the only man in the A la bama delegation who voted for Hard ing. He stuck to it for three or four ballots, so that now he is in position 1 to claim that he is the original Hard ing man in the state. How strongly such claim will appeal remains to be seen.
 U. S. MARSHAL As for United States marshal in Bir- mingham, Pope M. Longs name is tae only one so far prominently mentioned. In this case, however, there is a little complication in the fact that Long, who was formerly marshal, served for about year and a half and completed his term under democratic adminis-
 
 appointed until Longs term had eA- pired. He is. therefore, said to feel some delicacy about insisting upon appointment to the place until Skaggs' term has ended.
 This situation also holds in the case Of the Birmingham postmastership Colonel Aidrich, the former postmas- practically three years after the demo cratic administration came into pow CT, so there may also be some hesj- tancy in throwing out Postmaster Smyer until he has completed his term, even though it laps over into the re- publican administration.
 The assistant postmaster in Bir- mingham. Ed R. Norman, holds his place under the civil service and while it is recognized that the republicans, if they so wished. might find a way to override this and put in a successor, it is not regarded as likely. In connec- tion with the Birmingham postmas- tership it should be borne in mind tha he must be confirmed by the Senate and that the Senate always takes tfe attitude that postoffice appointee must be satisfactory to the member Of 1 the Senate from the city involved It is recalled that a republican President once before sent a mans name t, the Senate for the Birmingham postoffiee, put the applicant naQ overlooked Senator Johnstons attitude. The final result was that the name was with drawn and another candidate was suc- cessful
 DISTRICT ATTORNEY
 As for district attorney in Birmins- ham to succeed Erie Pettus, o. D. Street it is said can have the place for the asking.
 But the gossip even goes beyond the plums in sight, but looks to another seasons crop. For instance they are already talking of Judge Henry D. Clayton's reaching the age of retire. ment from the federal bench in Mont gomery in a couple of years and with out recognizing that Judge Clayton is still very hale ana hearty man and may easily decide not to retire yet awhile, they are saying that the. race for this place among republicans would be between Judge J. J. Curtis of Winston and o. D. Street of Gun tersville.
 Then, too. there are some of the Alabama republicans who would not be averse to leaving their home state for while and accepting some place which would force them to live in the national capital or elsewhere for a time.
 LETTERS T0 THE EDlT0R