The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-10-21
FEDERAL BUILDING BOSSES
M0NARcHS OF ALL IN SIGHT
Custodians of Edifces Some times Clash With the
 Occupants.

 tween federal juges and the treasury department. These arise from the fact that the federal courts are mostly housed in federal buildings, which are in control of the treasury department The judges become accustomed to their surroundings, and sometimes when congress decides to rebuild or another government tenant wants more room the federal judge declines to stir on being asked to move, says The Washington Post
 A federal judge in New England went so far recently as to irnprison for contempt the custodian of a federal building who had removed some of the judges belongings from room in the building. The treasury department promptly notified the department of justice and suggested that the judge was evidently not aware of the law which gives the treasury department control over the apportionment of space among the governments ten ants, law intended to meet just such emergencies as that presented by the arbitrary New England judge.
 Judge Lacombe of New York got in- to a dispute once with the treasury department over an order issued to the custodian directing the removal of certain patent models from room adjoining the courtroom in the post off1ce building. He insisted that the court had control of the building, He pointed out thlt the building was of- fieially designated as United States Courthouse and Postoffice," and, inas- much as the courthouse was mention ed first the court, if he deemed 1t necessary could occupy the whole building to the exclusion of the post once.
 It became necessary finally to call Judge Lacombe's attention to the lease for the site, which provided that if it should ever be used for other than postoff1ce purposes the title would resort to the grantor. This eff fectually squelched the encroachment of judicial authority.
 The most recent case of the kind has come to. light in Macon, Ga, When the government began the erection of a new public building at Macon on the old site, the federal tenants were transferred to a new office building a few blocks away, where the treasury department rented two floors. Harry Stillwell Edwards, the author, is post master and ex-otficio custodian. Hav- ing seconded the nomination of Presi- dent Roosevelt at the last national convention, he is supposed to have a drag equal to that of John Temple Graves.
 The local Elks' lodge had quarters on the seventh floor of the building. MT. Edwards engaged the fifth and sixth floors. The Elks of Macon stay up late nights, and also play billiards, Fearing that the billiards might dis turb Judge Emory Speer of the fed eral court, Custodian Edwards thoughtfully placed him on the fifth floor. ss
 The judge did not like this, because, according to what those who pretend ed to know, say, he discovered that the sixth floor commanded better view of the sunset, Therefore, the judge was shifted to the sixth floor by the author postmaster custodian.
 Soon he complained that the Elks annoyed him by their billiard playing, and he asked that they vacata. Now it appears that the Elks are highly es- teened tenants in Macon, and they had been favored in their lease by a condition that no other tenant should be permitted to interfere with them.
 When the custodian explained that he could not remove 200 Elks under such circumstances the judge com plained to the treasury department. The treasury officials confess their i'm potence in the premises,
 The situation will soon be relieved when Judge Speer betakes himself to the mountains for the summer, but it will be renewed in the fall when the judge returns to hold court and view the beautiful southern sunsets from the sixth story window and the Elks are again busy at billiards. New York Tribune.