Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-11-29
FAIR
ENOUGH
BY WestbrooR
8 Peeler

JUDGE kENESAW MOU~
- TAIN Lands, the come
missioner of baseball. was tho
first of those decorative autos
Gratis who were selected By,
various industries early in the
era OF wonderful nonsense.
Oddly, in a nation which had
only yesterday busted on its
clothes, after crushing auto
cracy forever, the Americans
took joyously to the, rule q
cars in their nonessential but
sentimental interests.
The mere presence OF Judge
Lands, of the u. S. District
Court, was accepted as an ALSO.
lutte guarantee that henceforths
as long as he ruled. sin and
baseball would be strangers.
THIS was an illusion. A few
l. athletes who had been doing
business with underworld gam.
blers found themselves still in
the tolls and the management
of one of the large major league
firms had been associated with
q bucket shop. crooked race
track. a questionable, real estate
promotion and an equally un.
dignified oil stock flotation.
Obviously. the car couldn't
fire certain of his own EN-.
ployers.
AS TIME wore on. however.
"A these few beholden players
aged and drifted out Of the
game and mortality adjusted
the judges position as 10 the
indecorous minority among his
own bosses.
There were only three more
scandals involving players and.
as far as the press and public
know. which isn't necessarily
everything. the ugly spectre It
bribery has never again -
soned the well-springs OF baSes
ball.
Up 10 his time il had been the
custom of the bosses 10 put
their heads together and "whis.
per out" any player who made
nuisance of himself as an
"agitator" or a handbook man,
meaning tunneler who under.
mined managers and am
morale with complaints and de-
mands.
A major Lacquer. thus whis-
pered out. went down TO the
minor leagues or. in some cases,
kept right on going and found
himself exiled entirely from or
ganized baseball while still in
his prime.
This could he even though his
only offense was 10 ask for
raise in pay and IL was their
resentment against low wages
and the whisperlng-out process
which animated some OF the
Chicago White Sox OF 1919 in
their unhappy decision 10 throw
the World Series 10 the Reds
for brides promised by gamblers
which were not fully paid.
They were receiving less than
50 900 a year. on the average.
although they were rated then
and still are regarded by some
as the greatest team in baseball
history.
TNiEIR employer. old Charlie
i ComiSkey. gregarious host
and politician. was X own,
through his hospitality and the
consequent publicity, as the
noblest Roman.
But he had no romantic opin.
ion OF ball players, having been
one himself. and he kept his pay
rolls down unreaSonably 10 his
own great cost after the scap]rl,
when he lost his wonderful(Ar
team. and never again ms
life, could put together winner.
Lands had TO interpret base
ball law, including issues involv-
ing enormous property values in
which boss and player were the
litigants and. sometimes. in the
manner OF cars. finding no law
or the law unreasonable, he
simply rolled his own.
The old squire had his eccen-
tricities.
He was forever promoting an.
other chance for some poor
drunkard.
And when he was a federal
Judge, full rugged with the ave-
some dignity of the federal
bench OF those days, he pawned
his life insurance TO raise a loan
for cub reporter drawing SIT
a week. who needed $1,000 for q
desperate family emergency and.
except in his character, was not
promising risk.
He got his money back. too,
and with II the devotion OF one
OF his lifelong friends.
Copyright. 1914. By King Features
knowledge Test