Aut Vox, aut Vis

The epic poets, through some chance, in all their accounts of the battles of champions, have neglected to supply the world with an adequate story of a battle between a crusader and an efficiency expert. Yet that, too, has striking dramatic possibilities; and observers were, last week, inclined to the view that the country is about to be treated to an example of such a conflict--a battle between a man with a cause and a man with simply an aim; between an indignant voice and well-directed force; between Roy Asa Haynes and Lincoln C. Andrews.

For four years, the champion of the Prohibition Army has been a crusader-- Commissioner Roy Asa Haynes. But now an efficiency expert has arisen to fight with him for leadership. Lincoln C. Andrews, new Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in charge of Prohibition enforcement, looked upon the work of the crusader and found it ineffective. Mr. Andrews is a General (a title he acquired in military service) and promptly he set out to reorganize the Prohibition Army. He decreed 22 new district commanders in place of the present 48 sub-commanders (TIME, July 6), a policy to which Crusader Haynes could little object, as it was aimed directly at the capture of the Holy City.

But when General Andrews proposed to do away with the corps of trumpeters and heralds and replace them with combatant troops, then the old crusader rebelled, crying that no crusading army had ever done battle without music and proclamations. And the efficiency expert made answer that the crusade was nothing, but the capture of the Holy City was everything. All this came to pass last week. To begin with, General Andrews demanded the resignation of Miss Georgia Hopley, whom the crusader had brought with him from Ohio. Miss Hopley's resignation was demanded because she was receiving a salary of $2,500 a year and expenses for going among women's organizations and with a silver tongue creating a sentiment for Prohibition enforcement. Previously, Secretary Mellon and Commissioner of Internal Revenue Blair had indicated that, although they had no objections to Miss Hopley, they did not believe her job had any place in the department. Last April, Mr. Blair insisted that Miss Hopley resign. Her resignation was not forthcoming. But when Mr. Andrews came upon the scene, he simply announced that Miss Hopley had to go.

Mr. Haynes protested. Most of Ohio's politicians protested. For Mr. Haynes and Miss Hopley are close friends of the Anti-Saloon League, whose home and stronghold is Ohio. Hoke Donithen, Coolidge pre-Convention manager in Ohio, protested; C. C. Crabbie, Attorney General of Ohio, voiced his disapproval. Senator Willis, ponderous Ohioan, who hopes some day to follow the exalted path that the late Senator Warren G. Harding trod before his death, paid a personal call on Mr. Andrews. Anon, all the protesters came out by the same door where in they went.

A second conflict followed upon the first. Last winter, Mr. Haynes secured from Congress an appropriation of $50,000, to be expended in the dissemination of information concerning, and appeals for observance of, the Volstead Act. He lias had handsome posters designed with appropriate slogans, urging citizens to beware of bootleggers and their poisons. Last week, he took his pasters to Mr, Andrews who is understood to have cast them figuratively into the waste basket, with the observation that $50,000 could be expended much more effectively.

This second controversy is perhaps not ended yet, but the week's struggle for ascendancy ended with the efficiency expert having the upper hand over the crusader.

But the road of efficiency was not all clear for General Andrews. He had proposed, in reorganizing the Prohibition Army, to replace the 48 state directors of enforcement (with salaries up to $5,000) with 22 district administrators, with salaries up to $10,000 (an effort to get men of better caliber). Last week, Controller General McCarl ruled that the most he could pay his administrators was $7,500. Believing that large amounts of industrial alcohol are being diverted to bootleg channels, General Andrews also wished to have charge of issuing permits for withdrawals of such alcohol. Commissioner Blair, who has charge of this business now and collects the tax on it, insisted that control of industrial alcohol be vested, as heretofore, with him. Secretary Mellon will probably have to decide this question.

But, meanwhile, the efficiency expert is going busily about his plans for converting the crusading army into an expeditionary force with modern military methods.