The Washington herald., 1907-07-08
Chicago Judge Once Secre-
tary to W. Q, Gresham.
GETS BUSY ON HIS ARRIVAL
S;lrs Up state Department and Al
most Brings About Break Between
Finally Wins out - Has Three
Brothers and All I'm Politics.


uembered here. because Of his service
S. private secretary TO Walter =. Gres-
l-m, from 1888 to 1895.
Judge Gresham had commanded the
giment in which Judge lands father
served. and there had always peen a
warm friendship between Gresham and
tie lands family. When Judge Gresham
WIS leaving for washington to become
Secretary Of State IN the Cabinet Of
Democratic President. and asked young
lands to 60 with him as private secre-
tary. Lands turned Democrat and ao-
copied
He had been practCing law In Chicago,
but clients were few and far between,
and the chance of an official experience
in the National Capital was too allurins
TO resist. The State Department woke
up when Lands came. His manner was
new. his style Of address original. and his
seeming prOfundlty was intermiXed with
humorous way that left the Uninitlated
in doubt as 10 whether the young man
was a joker or a person OF great depth.
Those Were Busy Days.
There was much important work done
IN the State Department while Lands
was there. The Cleveland policy TO put
Queen Liliuokalani on the Hawaiian
throne was undertaken, the Bcring Sea
arbitration was on, the Venezuelan
boundary controversy with England was
conceived. and the AIlianca affair oc-
CURED.
Many people have forgotten the Al
lianca affair." probably. but it was
stirring question at that time. The Al
Hanca. an American passenger vessel,
was overhauled by a Spanish gunbOat
when outside the three-mile limit Of
Cuban Jurisdiction and searched on sus-
plci0n OF being loaded with munitions Of
war for the Cuban insurgents. The gun
boat fired shots 10 make the Alliance
come 10. When the news got 10 this
country, there was a great hubbub and
q strong sentiment was developed in
favor Of demanding an apology from
Spain
J. was said along about that time that
lands came pretty near 10 running
the State Department Secretary Gresham
was too sd % come 10 the department,
and President Cleveland had gone down
the Potomac on duck-huuting eXpedi-
ton Mr Cleveland had failed 10 leave
his address, and there was no wireless
telcgraphy In those days. Meanwhile the
country cried out for action in the Al
lianc2 case.
Edwin Fl. Thl. Of Michigan, was Acting
Secretary Of State. He was all at sea
as 90 what to do but finally, yielding 70
the popular cry OF rs there an American
in the State Department he wrote q
telegram 20 Harnis Taylor, the United
States Minister az Madrid. instruCtIng
Mr.. Taylor 10 demand an apology Of the
Spanish government And. I'm accordance
with custom. he signed il.
"UhI Acting"
Takes Telegram to Gresham.
By the merest accident Private Secre-
tary Lands saw the telegram before it
was sent He took the responsibility Of
Withdrawing it from the departments s
telegraph operator. and hurried with it
over 20 Mr.. Gresham. Under Lands adj
vice Mr.. Gresham scratched out "Uhl.
Acting" and signed his own name A
few days later the text Of his telegram
got into the newspapers. with Mr.. Ores
hams name attached, and the dying Sec
retary Of State was praised from one
end Of the country 20 the other.
According 10 Lands view. the re-
sponsibiEty was GTesham's. and TO him
belonged the credit
When President Cleveland returned
home and learned what had occurred. he
was furious lie declined 20 sanction
the demand for apology and redress, and
1t looked for a while as if he would haul
lands over the Goals.
There were news leaks in the state
Department in that stirring period These
leaks disturbed Mr. Cleveland. The i'm
portant information that Minister Willis.
at Honolulu, had been instructed to Pu.
the crown on Lilig0k8l3nis head again
got into the newspapers before Mr.. Willis
received his Instructions. and the news
that the administration had demanded
the recall of L0rin NJ Thurston. the
Hawaiian Minister in Washington, was
printed prematUrelv.
Cleveland Was Furious,
When the newspapers got hold Of the
Thurston incident Mr.. Cleveland decided
TO do something. He made inquiry and
found out that Lands was q frequent
visitor at the local Press Club. This ex-
cited his suspicion. and he told Secretary
Gresham that Lands would have TO 90.
Mr.. Gresham responded that Lands was
innocent. and if Lands was dismissed
11T Cleveland would have TO find q new
Secretary Of State. 3Ir. Cleveland
wouldn't have il that way. and both
Gresham and Lands remained.
As a matter of fact. Lands was en-
tirely innocent of any connection with
the ThurstOn story leak. Later on Mr
Cleveland became attached 10 the young
private secretary and offered to send him
to Venezuela as Minister. But Laums
had seen enough of diplomacy to know
that Il was not 20 his liking. and DE-
declined. lie preferred law and politics.
When Gresham died, Lands went back
10 Chicago 20 practice law. lie formed q
partnership with Mr.. Thl, who had been
Ambassador 20 Germany, after leavins
the State Department and Frank Jones
who was First Assistant Postmaster Cen
eral in Mr. Cleyeland's second administra-
ton. AS the Youngest member Of the
firm. lands was supposed 70 so ont and
get business. After while Lands with
drew from the partnership. lie was
asked as to what had happened
Withdraws from Partnership.
"Oh, I just called in UhI and Jones and
discharged them was his way Of putting
Il. He was along about thirty years old
then.
Two Of Judge Landis' brothers are
Charles B. and Frederick Charles is q
member Of Congress from Indiana and
Frederick served I'm the House for -four
years. up TO last March. He was de
feated in the election Of 1906. Another
brother Walter, is the postmaster at
san Juan Porto Rico. The remaining
brother. John, a physician. has never held