The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-02-18
JUDGE lands
QUITS BENCH
FOR BASEBALL
Mails Resignation to President
Harding Personally Says
Time Too Crowded to Keep
Both Jobs.
SAYS STRAIN TOO HARD
(Ry Associated Pressl

CHiCAGO, FeD. lS.-Federal Judge
K. M. Landis today announced his res
ignation from the bench and said he
would devote his entire time to his
position as baseball commissioners.
The resignation is effective March l.
There are not enough hours in the
day for ,all my activities said the
judge Therefore, l have forwarded
my resignation as federal judge 70
Washington, effective March L."
The judge then called the first case
on his docket and refused to discuss
the matter until court recessed.
When court adjourned the judge
added but little to his one sentence
statment regarding his resignation.
That's all there is to it, said the
Judge. There isn't time enough to
DO everything. I've worked hard. I've
been getting up at 5 O'Clock in the
morning. I've had to go without lunch
for two weeks. Then too, a fellow Is
in a bad way when he wants to stay
in bed iii the daytime" added the
judge. He declared that was the way
,-he felt now, and he realized that
some remedy must be found.
He declined to answer question as
holding the position of judge and also
that of baseball commissioner caused
his resignation.
"Just let my statement stand" he
said. Judge Landis said he had mail
| ed his resignation today addressing it
! to President Harding personally.
Serves II Years
| Judge Landis will have virtually
completed II years as Judge for the
northern district of Illinois when his
i resignation becomes effective.
/ Rumors of the resignation have
! been current for months and intimate
! friends have known for some time
that the action was imminent.
] 1t has been generally understood
| that Judge lands would have re-
signed some time ago but for the at
tacks made on him by Senator Dial of
| South Carolina and the notoriety
brought through his handling of the
case of Willie Dalton, 17year-old bank
robber On the verge of resigning
when these things came up the judge
changed his plans, informing friends
that he would never resign under
fire"
Senator Dial had attacked the
Judge because of the latter's state
ment that bank officials sometimes
were partly responsible for robberies
by boys because they did not pay ade-
! ouate salaries Senator Dial and Rep
resentatiye Welty of Ohio later pro-
posed impeachment proceedings
against the judge, the representative
basing his case on the holding of two
positions by the Judge. Both cases
were dropped.
I Agrees on Salary.
The Judge became head of organized
baseball shortly after the grand jury
investigation into the 1919 world
series scandal. He was offered $4,000
year to take the position and after
several refusals, finally agreed under
condition that he remain on the bench.
He insisted that his salary be only
$42,500, explaining that his judicial
income would bring the total of $780,
1000.
Although Sc years old, Judge Ian
dis has always been known as boy
at heart and lover of all forms of
; sport The baseball magnates urged
him to reorganize BASEBALL ''for the
sake of the American boy" and it was
this plea which finally won over the
!, jurist.
The resignation of Judge Lands
takes from the federal bench one OF
the most feared and at the same time
: the most respected judges in the coun-
try. His unique conduct in court,
! where he frequently took the cases
out of the lawyers hands and took
over the examination of witnesses
: himself, caused him to be feared by
. all lawbreakers. At the same time
, his reputation of administering justice
regardless of the technicalities of the
, law, brought him universal respect
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1S.-President
/, Harding learned of the resignation OF
) Federal Judge Landis through press
dispatches from Chicago. White House
officials said the formal resignation
) of the noted judge had not been re-
, ceived at the White House.