The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-03-21

alcohol. And therein lies more uou-
BILE from the Porto Rico decision.
Hits Corn Belt
For 1t brings the corn belt boys up
standing-and screaming. They nave
fought bitterly for years for all kinds
| OF legislative devices to increase the
price of corn. Many of them backed
the proposal to force all motorists to
use mixture of alcohol--made from
corn-wlth their gasoline. This was
| never enacted. but there has always
beer pressure for 1t, and 1t illustrates
their Interest In any proposal affecting
the use Of corn.
Now whisky men agree that neutral
| spirits for blending with straight whls-
ky should be made from grain. They
| insist that the taste is different; that
| alcohol made from molasses does not
| produce as delectable drink as II the
| alcohol had been made from grain, de-
| spite the chemical similarity.
And 1t SO happens that the. prime
movers for this dispensatlon to Porto
Rico on molasses, outside the Porto
| Rico interests themselves, were liquor
people. Those most interested happen
to he located In Philadelphia. Which
presents a double-barreled argument
| for opponents of the concession.
Louisiana finds herself supported by
| the corn belt In protesting against this
upset on the sugar quota, whereas just
| recently the corn belt was gore with
the liquor people for using molasses
from Louisiana. Moreover, the corn
| belt boys are sore because II the price
| of molasses had kept on mounting, as
| the Louisiana planters had hoped 1t
would. the liquor people would have
| turned back to corn anyway.
But the end Is not yet For the
| liquor people are not satisfied, even
with the concession on Porto Rican mo-
lasses. Now they want the same con-
cession made for the PhilIppines--de-
spite the fact that the sugar interests
were most potent In the fight to give
the Philippines their independence In
the hope of eventually getting rid Of
Philippine competition on sugar.
SO now the Philippine agitators will
! join the liquor people In insisting on
having Philippine molasses-in excess
Of her sugar quota--admitted into the
| United States. And the corn belt boys
are preparing to make Mr.. Wallnce's
life miserable.
Long Perturbed
Huey Long Is said by some close
| friends to be Just little perturbed
! about the selection Of ex-Gov. Dan
Moody OF Texas to prosecute alleged
tax evasion cases in Louisiana. This
Is one reason Long has been making
such crusade against Postmaster
| General James A. Farley. He hopes
to do Just about what Senator Burton
X. Wheeler did to Attorney General
| Harry M. Daugherty. And what Sem
ator James Couzens of Michigan did to
Secretary OF the Treasury Andrew w.
| Mellon. In short, to beat them to the
| punch. So that when later develop
ments are aired the country will get
| the impression that Long Is being per
secuted"
II is no secret that the government
! thinks 1t has the goods on Huey. There
| is no doubt whatever that Dan Moody
was convinced. In his recent inter-
views here with Department Of Justice
and treasury officials, that they had a
good case.
The really interesting part OF the
story is why Moody was picked. 1t
was on the recommendation of some
very high New Deal advisers who
knew the Texas situation intimately.
They clinched their case for Moody
when they told OF the prosecutions
that made him famous.
At that time Moody, only thlrty-two
| years old. was attarney general OF Tex
as. He went after a>group, which was
suspected OF having made some fat
/ pIUlliS uHl VI Ipdu fuUtFhGlS.- I1t ulN
mastery Job Of investigating first,
and then so enmeshed the small fry
that before they knew what they were
doing they had dragged the hgher-ups
into the picture. So the astonishing
picture was held up to Texas of actual
ly putting the big fellowship men be-
hind-ln Jail.
Made Moody Hero
All Of which made Moody a hero.
He was elected governor and then re-
elected. In fact, his popularity lasted
until he. although Baptist and a
thirty-second-degree Mason, decided to
| support the nominee of the Houston
convention for President. This hap
| pened to be al Smith, and Texas did
not take kindly to Smiths candidacy.
Nor to its popular governor supporting
/ him. This Is Important Mt the moment