Evening star., 1944-11-25

came alCer Tie 1Szl WOTlQ 0eTlcS
The slugger, Bob Meusel, and Bill
Piercey, members of the Yankees
flouted a'rule against transforming
tours. So Judge Lands fined them
their full shares of the World Series
pool, and suspended them for the
first month of the next season.
And that's the way it was
throughout the years that followed
Salary Raised to $e5,o0o.
In 1926, his contract was renewed
for seven years, this time at q sal
ary of $65,000. Periodically since
then, the owners of what has be-
come multi-million dollar industry
have persuaded Judge Lands to stay
in harness. During the depression
years of 1928, he was reported
voluntarily to have cut his own pay
to $4,000.
The fact that Judge Lands for a
time retained his place on the bench
after assuming his baseball duties
together with some of his court
methods and decisions, brought SER
ious difficulties with Congress.
For rule of court made in Janu-
ary, 1919, the judge was attacked on
the Senate floor by Senator Thomas
Of Colorado. The judge was de-
Tended by Senator Lewis of Illinois
who explained that the ruling, made
when several attorneys appeared in
court wearing wrist watches, was
not meant seriously.
After he had asked them whether
they had served b the Army or
Navy and the attorneys admitted
neither, Judge Lands directed the
clerk to enter an order requiring all
'wrist-watched' attorneys to notify
you what branch of the service they
represent" Senator Thomas brand
ed the incident clumsy joke, and
said the judge ought to be i'm
peached. Judge Lands comment
was:
Dial Sought Impeachment.
Doesn't it beat the devil what
some Senator's will do to pass the
time"
More serious incidents arose In
1921, when Senator Dial of South
Carolina brought impeachment pro-
ceedings in the Senate and Repre-
sentative Welty of Ohio did so in the
House. Both cases were dropped
after some discussion.
Mr.. Welty based his complaint on
the judges action in accepting the
post of baseball commissioner while
serving on the Federal bench. Sena-
tor Dial's action resulted from state
ments made by the judge when he
paroled 20-year-old bank clerk
who had stolen nearly 100000 but
later returned the money. Finding
the boys salary was $50 a month
the judge severely censured bank
officials for placing temptation be-
fore youths who, he said, were un-
derpaid.
After the Welty charges were
dropped, the American Bar Associa-
ton adopted resolutions criticizing
the judge for taking the baseball
commissionership and maintaining q
Federal Judge should devote all his
time to Federal work. Judge Lands
refused to quit under fire and did
not resign from the bench until 1922
The Judge, whose right to hold
office was defended by Attorney
General A. Mitchell Palmer, re-
sponded with some heat to the Dial
charges, referring to the. latter's
business holdings and declared Sem
ator Dial could not stand an in
vestigation of wage conditions in
the institutions he owns"
In more recent years Judge Lam
dis was called on to adjudicate a
number of controversies of national
interest.
He authorized Edwin C. Gala
bama) Pitts, a former Sing Sing
convict, to play professional base
ball in June, 1885. Pitts had served
a five-year term In prison for rob-
berry and was the prisons star ath-
lete. On his release, he sought to