The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-11-20
JDC
IS To-day
SHORT HISTORY OF THE MAN
WHO IMPOSED THE BiG4FlNE
ON THE STANDARD.

Itat.a #N#HH1 nfa
CHICAGO, Noy. 2O.-Ipdge Kenesaw
Mountain l.anaio, of the United States
district court for the northern district
Of Illinois, who recently inflicted the
famous big fine" on the Standard Oil
Company. is to-day receiving the con.
gratulatlons OF his numerous friends
and admirers upon reaching his forty.
first birthday.
Judge Lands was born November
20, 1866, Just after his father had fe.
turned from the civil war. carry in
his body southern lead received in the
battle OF Kenesaw Mountain-hence
the name Of the youngest Of seven
sons.
When young Lands WIS nine years
old his father moved to L%ogansport,
Ind, and the yonngster worked as a
newspaper carrier and on the farm, in
addition to going to school. When he
finished his first year in high school
he worked SIX months In a grocery
store. Then he studied shorthand and
became a court reporter at Crown
Point. Ind.
Later he attended a bar school at
Cincinnati, and went from there to
Chicago, where he was graduated from
the Union College OF Law in 1899. For
u year anil n half he p%racticed law,
and then the late Walter @. Gresham,
Of President Clevelanl's cabinet, took
him to Washington as his private sec.
rotary. Judge Gresham had command.
ell the regiment In which Lands faith.
err served, and there always had been
n warm friendship between the two
families.
Lands made himself known and
talked about in the State department.
He Ind his own IDEAS on n grent many
subjects. and he was as self.assertiye
as a private secretary could be. In
... ."|
fact, he was often accused Of trying
to run" the State department.
When the Aliianca, an American
passenger vessel. was overhauled by
n Spanish gunboat when outside the
three.mile limit Of Cuban Jurisdiction
and searched on the suspicion that she
was loaded with munitions Of war for
the Cuban insurgents. a strong senti.
ment developed throughout the coun.
try In favor of demanding an apology
from Spain. Finally. Edwin II. Uhl,
OF Michigan, who was acting secre.
tnry Of State, owing to the illness OF
Gresham. wrote n letter to Hannis Tay.
lor. United States minister Mt Madrid,
instrncting the minister to demand an
apology from the Spanish government.
In accordance with custom he signed
1t "uhl, acting"
by accident Acting Secretary Ian.
dis saw the telegram before 1t was
sent and took the responsibility Of
Withdrawing 1t. Then he hurried over
to Mr.. Gresham. Under Lands nd.
vice, Mr.. Gresham scratched out "Uhl.
acting" and signed his own name. A
few days later the text of the tele.
gram got into the newspapers, and
the dying secretary of State was prais.
Ell from one end OF the country to the
other.
President Cleveland had gone down
the Potomac on a duck hunting cXpe.
d!tion, and when he returned and dis.
covered what had been done he was
incensed. He refused to sanction the
demand for an apology. and for a time
1t looked MS If Lands was in for some.
thing unpleasant. Later on Cleveland
took a strong liking to Lands and OF.
fered to send him to Venezuela as
minister. But Lands had enough of
statecraft and declined.
In 1905 Lands was indorsed for fed.
eral judge by Hopkins and Lorimer.
then lenders of the federal crowd in
Illinois. President Roosevelt appoint
ed him federal judge on the strength
Of his political pull" and has not
since had cause to regret 1t.
Lands never was n professional pol.
itician. Oneo + his brothers Is Charles
itician. One Of his brothers is Charles
representatives from Indiana, and an
other Is Frederick Lambs, who was
n congressman for four years up to
Inst March. Another brother, Walter
Lnndls. Is postmaster at San Juan,
Porto Rico.
While possessed Of great dignity
and gravity when on the bench, beft-
ting his gray hairs and pale, ietermin-
ed face, Judge Lands Is n natural
humorist and sees the funny side" Of
everything. In spite Of his gray hair,
he has not the appearance Of an old
or even of a middle.agcd man, and In
spite of his judicial gravity there Is
something youthful and buoyant about