Evening star., 1942-12-31
FirmActionSeen
In Travel Crisis,
Other Phases
Judge Asserts Orders
Not Needed for Game
To Do Proper Thing
BY BURTON HAWKINS.

Oy 0SN o4N AAfA w AAAANOs
Judge Kenesaw Mountain Lands,
who has steered baseball through
numerous rocky channels, squared
away today to spank the vast in
dustry over which he presides. Thus
it seemed following his conference
here with Josesph B. Eastman, d.
rector Of the Once Of Defense
Transportation.
Indications are that Lands is
prepared to get tough with con-
fused major league club owners
when they convene shortly, that
he will demand drastic action geared
to complete cooperation with the
war effort.
What Lands will propose merely
Is conjecture, for the gruff but
llkable old man with the pictureque
battered felt hat isn't talking. From
Eastman, Lands also pried a PROM
Use not to talk.
Lands, though, left little doubt he
is prepared to create some headlines.
He may wipe out spring training at
Southern sites, slice East West trips
to two, reduce the player limit or
abbreviate the schedule-only he
and Eastman know-but Lands
conduct following his conference
yesterday indicated he will issue
revolutionary orders.
"We Don't Need Orders"
I'VE want to do and will do what
everyone will agree is the decent
thing to do" declared Lands fol-
lowing his conference with Eastman.
I'VE don't need orders. Baseball is
going to do everything possible cal
culated to help solve the Transports
ton problem and you can add that
I think It's very small contribution
to the war effort on our part.
IT there has been any delay In
getting this business settled sooner"
said Lands later. blame 1t on me.
I've been sick and haven't been able
to get around"
What Lands will present to the
clubowners at meeting to be held
necessarily soon" at an undeter-
mined site was born in Lands
brain. He went to Eastman with
several proposals and the ODT di-
rector was so enthused that he
stamped baseball's cooperation
with his office as a pattern for the
Nation.
Eastman emphasized the point he
has made no requests of baseball
beyond his letter OF November 80
to Lands, President william Har-
ridge Of the American League and
President Ford Frick of the Ma
tional League, when he suggested
minimizing travel incident to spring
training, avoidance of long, dupli-
cate trips with longer series of
games in each city and schedules
providing ample travelling time be-
tween cities to avoid cancellations
IN case of late trains or lack OF
accommodations.
The Judge'u Tell EN-.
Lands. though, never has been
content to 60 halfway. 1t is likely
he will be severe In orders to
clubowners where Eastman made
requests. Lands left the impression
that baseball will do more than
has been asked of it.
When Lands decides to get tough
he pulls no punches. Three years
ago he declared 81 Detroit owned
players free agents, fined Owner
Walter o. Briggs Of the Tigers
SAT 500 and stripped him Of $500, 900
in playing talent
Lands is the Federal Judge who,
in 1907, fined the Standard OIL Co.
$29 100000 in q freight rebate case
and compelled John D. Rockefeller,
ST., to come to Chicago and testify.
That the fine didn't stick is beside
the point. Lands levied it in good
faith.
1t was in 1921 that he startled the
Nation with typical Lands deci-
sion while on a Federal bench In
Chicago, ruling on the case of a
young Illinois boy, Francis Carey,
who had pleaded guilty to the theft
OF $86500 from the bank In which
lie WORKED aS q Iel1er.
How much do they pay you at
the bank, young mani" Lands
asked Carey.
Ninety dollars a month, your
honor"
Young man, 60 home" said
Lands. When I want you I will
send for you. The responsibility in
this case Is entirely on the directors
OF the bank who pay such miserly
wages and permit you to handle
such large sums of money"
Puts Blame on Employer.
There was postal railway clerk,
too, who went before Lands after
confessing to large theft. Lands
gave the self confessed thief SEN
tence-of two hours-and berated
the Post Once Department for
tempting low-salaried employees by
intrusting them with large sums of
money.
On the floor of the House and on
the floor Of the Senate there were
cries to impeach Lands for his un-
conventional rulings, but they didn't
get far.
Lands isn't easy with himself
When approached by baseball club
owners and asked to take command
OF baseball he rejected their salary
offer of $50,000. He took $42, 500, his
salary as Federal judge. In 1892,
when his salary had risen to $65 900,
he gave himself a $4,000 cut. The
following year he sliced of another
$4,000.
Lands can get tough-and indi-
cations are he's in another Of his
tough moods. What he dictates to
baseball clubowners won't be wishy-
washy.