Great Falls tribune., 1922-03-12
lands DENOTES
REST Of LIFE To
NATIONAL GAME
Sport Gains More Than Uncle
Sam Loses in Judges Re-
signation, Says Sanborn.
BY l. e. SANBoRN

Chicago. March 11.-Organized base
ball gained more when Kenesaw Noun
tain Lands resigned from the federal
bench to devote the rest of his life to
the national pastime than Uncle Sam
lost.
There are other jurists capable OF
interpreting the laws of the land-in-
Guiding the Volstead act-vigorousiy
as did Judge Landis. Uncle Sam can
find a man who. not only is acquainted
| with the laws but will enforce them
not find another man with II years
training as a jurist, renowned as the
exponent of the square DEAL" who
was also a thirty-third degree "fan,
with the best interests of sport always
at heart, and a thorough knowledge of
baseball.
Generally speaking, law and baseball
never before have mixed successfully,
because the laws of the diamond pas
time are peculiar to themselves and
have even been attacked as violating
technically some of the laws laid down
by the alleged highbrows who regulate
our conduct from the two wings Of the
capitol at Washington.
Opposed to Technicalities
Organized baseball has nothing to
fear from Commissioner Lands on the
grounds of technicalities. His reputa-
ton as judge who always sought the
truth and made his decisions accord
ingly is we'll established. The tricky
lawyer who tried to protect client
to go before Judge Landis. A friend
of mine who has practiced law for
many years once gave me verbal pic
ture of the high commissioner Of base
ball by an hypothetical case.
''If John Jones borrowed $500 from
John Smith," he said. ''and gave him
a note reading six months after date
l promise to pay John Smith $500. with
interest at per cent Jones could hire
q lawyer to go into court and set up
the claim that the note was not legal
because it should have read, for value
received I promise to pay. etc
Before some judges that might OBJ
tain stay in the execution Of judg-
ment and costly delay. But | would
not go before Judge Lands with that
up behind the bench. look Jones in the
eye. and ask, Jones. did you borrow
$500 from Smith, Jones would have
to tell the truth. and the Judge would
say. Then pay him or go to jail for
obtaining money under false pre-
No Secret Agreements
Organized baseball has suffered lot
from promoters who have tried to
evade the rules of their business by
technicalities. Secret agreements, con-
trary to the regulations governing the
transfer of players, have been made
and the culprits have escaped punish
ment in the past Players have been
kept from advancing to higher classes
in this way and some technical loop
hole usually has protected the club
owners.
Nothing of that sort will get by Com
missioner Lands, for he is bitter
foe of the technicalitistic law breaker
Already he has made that plain by sew
eral of his decisions. Now that the
high commissioner has resigned from
the bench he can devote all his time
and attention to professional baseball.
He will have opportunity to make orig
inal research into the doings of the
and the players may be sure
the commissioner will protect their in
terests. for he has always been
rooter.
Babe Ruth's Friend
Babe Ruth and his-friends may take
exception to the statement that Com
missioner Lands is the players best
friend, but the Tarzan of the diamond
broke a plainly worded rule which has
existed for many years. and in doing
it, after being fully warned. Ruth
openly defied the high commissioners.
1t became a question whether or not
one star player was greater than or
ganized baseball and drastic action was
necessary to maintain the discipline,
without which the national pastime
would become joke.