The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-03-23

The eyeSOre courthouse and cials and the latter has established ar agency.
 They come to Birmingham because Birmingham is large freight pro. ducer. They have found it worth while to have their own people here rather than trust to chance in the routing of shipments over their lines through the good offices of the agents of other lines.
 Birmingham is rapidly developing into the southern headquarters of all the great northern and western rail- roads because the freight is available and this is an admirable center for southern operations. Many agencies that should have been here long ago, but have remained in other cities be- cause they happened to be there be- fore Birmingham got on the map, have found it necessary to move here in order to properly transact business.
 Representatives of large jobbing houses who sell the iron, steel and coal producing concerns of the dis trict, are also finding it more ad- vantageous to be on the spot all the time. than to come at stated inter- vals. The business they do is of such magnitude that it requires constant attention.
 Birmingham is fast filling up with new corners of these two classes. Sporadic Outbursts
 of "Wets" and "Drys" A REVIVAL of hostilities between EA the wet and dry forces may create an impression among the more hopeful ".wets" and pessimistic "drys'' that the issue has not yet been set tied. To all intents and purposes, there is no longer any prohibition question in the United States. Light skirmishing here and there may be regarded as the mere popping of pis- tols after the big guns have ceased to roar.
 The Anti-Saloon league, which ob- tained strangle-hold on the legisla- tive machinery of this country, has not weakened it's grasp. Whenever it cracks the whip Congress and state legislators obey. Possibly it may be thought necessary to strengthen the prohibition laws now in force, but that will not present any serious diff faculties to the Anti Saloon league. It's merest whisper reverberates like thunder in the ears of congressman fearful of losing his job.
 Perhaps a great deal of the pro- hibition talk that is still being heard is due to the fact that militant pro- hibitionists are too impatient to make the United States veritable Sahara and the anti-prohibitionists. imagine that large quantities of liquor will continue to be made and consumed in this country. Some sensible observa- tions about bootleg" whisky are con- tributed by Robert Quillen to the Sat urday Evening Post, He relates the experiences of man who thought there would always be plenty of whisky-for a price-but became a ,teetotaler after being poisoned. by a bootlegger's wares.
 There is a great deal of moon shine" whisky being made throughout the country. No one denies that. Here in Alabama, and particularly in Shelby county, where illicit dis tillers are so numerous and so active that the federal prohibition officer has appealed to the governor for help,, there is enough "moonshine" made every 30 days to fill lake of considerable size. But by the time it reaches town. and is diluted. rdoc- tored" and adulterated in various ways by the "middleman," who wants to make a gallon go as far as pos-