Show Round Merry By DREW PEARSON and ROBERT S. S ALLEN WASHINGTON The The reams and reams of ot Washington's official handouts have not announced an announced an an- it but Ben Cohen other half hal of ot the famous lamous team team- to resign Ben Cohen is not nearly as famous as his partner Tom Corcoran but his work vork will probably probably probably ably live longer It was Ben who locked himseLf himsel himself him him- self sel up in a hotel room for 44 hours until he pounded out the first draft of the s securities act first major crusading legislation passed bythe bythe by bythe the new deal and one law which even its eneT ene- ene T if now agree agree has helped to reform Wall Wall Street It was Ben Cohen also who wrote the law regulating the stock exchange the holding corporation cor cor- cor act and much of the reform legislation legislation legislation legisla legisla- tion for which Roosevelt's enemies criticized him so severely but which Willkie in the last campaign pledged to k keep ep on the statute books When Tom Corcoran stepped out of the government government government gov gov- last winter he tried to persuade Cohen to go with him But the tall scholarly retiring refused He had no torn tom ach for private law practice was eager to aidIn aid aidin in the defense program Since then he has helped formulate plans to meet the electric power shortage went to London as legal aid to Ambassador Winant and declined an appointment appointment appoint appoint- ment merit as f jt t member of the securities and exchange exchange ex ex- ex change commission For the present Bens Ben's plans are indefinite He intends to take a short rest the first in years Then he may train to be a radio technician technician cian clan and enlist in inthe the British forces Corcoran Wants Back Meanwhile Corcoran now one of the busiest and most successful attorneys in Washington is eager to get back into government harness again He has his heart set on the vacant solicitor generalship and is making strenuous efforts to toI toland I land gland land the post The president personally very fond of the dynamic time one-time would gladly appoint Corcoran But senate leaders have strongly advised against it They warned that Corcoran's confirmation would precipitate a furious factional fight among Democratic senators senators sen sen- that would be inadvisable at this time But Corcoran not iI discouraged d is making strenuous undercover efforts to win the prize He admits there probably would be a bitter row but claims that in the end he would be approved Some of the leaders do not deny this but they contended that the need for party unity is so great that the battle should not be forced Snow Plows Already Donald Nelson was showered with y lato-y messages on his elevation to priorities priorities chief but one message almost floored him It came from Nelsons Nelson's close friend James S. S Adams chief of the automobile railroad railroad railroad rail rail- road and agricultural equipment section In congratulating you on your new job wrote Adams Im sending along alonga a little reminder reminder reminder re re- re- re minder of or one of the things you will be up against Read the enclosed tele telegram ram which I received this morning I From the window in Nelsons Nelson's floor fifth office office of of- fice white-clad white figures could be seen playing tennis under a hot sun on public courts across the street The temperature hovered in the low low A sleeved shirt-sleeved policeman on the street corner mopped his steaming brow But the telegram in Nelsons Nelson's hand hand- from a Philadelphia Philadel phia machinery distributor read When are you going to make it possible forme for forme forme me to get some snow plows I would a damned sight rather be bombed by Hitler than starved out out out-by by priorities Wine Tax Boost You can th thank the whisky lobby for the increased increased in in- creased cost of your wine due to the steep tax boost in the defense tax bill However the lobby got a lot of help from irom Stew Stew- Stewart Stewart Stewart art Berkshire head of the treasury's alcohol tax unit When he first testified before the house ways and means committee Berkshire strongly strong strong- ly recommended that the whisky tax be increased increased in in- Increased creased 33 13 3 per cent and 16 23 3 per cent on light and sweet wines This was acceptable to wine producers but whisky interests hit the ceiling Overnight a powerful lobby descended on Washington and the cry was raised that the treasury was trying try try- ing to put distillers out of business by giving their wine competitors an unfair tax advant t tage ge Members of the house and senate were besieged in their offices by day and at night invited to swanky day a hotel suites where free liquor fIo flowed ed like water interspersed with powered high-powered arguments for hiking the tax on WIres wines In the tho midst of this pressure high campaign Berkshire suddenly underwent a change of heart He again went before the committee e this time a door closed-door session and recommended recommend recommend- ed that instead of his original flat fIat 16 3 2 per cent increase on wines the tax on light wines be boosted per cent and on sweet wines 95 per cent This meant lifting the levy on light wines containing 14 per cent or less alcohol from 6 to 15 cents a gallon and on sweet wines 14 to 21 per cent alcohol from 18 to 35 cents a gallon i However the wine boys were not without their potent friends Representative Bertrand Gearhart of California fought Berkshire and the whisky lobby so vigorously that the committee com corn turned them down But they had better luck in the senate The senate finance committee by the close vote of Cf 10 to 8 approved the higher schedule after cutting the proposed light wine tax from 15 to 10 cents However before belore this happened Berkshire was put through a rough third de de de- gree Senator Bob Taft of Ohio bluntly asked him what prompted his drastic revision of the wine assessment Oh Berkshire replied brightly we didn't realize we could get more revenue from wine in our Initial study D Distributed by United Feature Syndicate |