New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-15
Will Open Special City De-
partment to Hunt and
Prosecute Offenders.
PUBLIC REQUESTED
TO FURNISH EVIDENCE
District Attorney Cropsey, a,
Sphinx Dinner, Laments Pub
LEGATION of Crimes.

Fake advertisers are given warning
to get out Of Manhattan before the
New Year bells ring.
District Attorney Edward Swami
announced last night at the 1880 dinner
Of the Sphinx Club at the Waldorf that
be would open a special department in
the District Attorneys Office whose sole
duty would be to put false advertisers
cheered by $50 members Of the club,
representing all kinds Of commercial
advertising.
81 shall open q commercial fraud de-
partment In the District Attorneys Of
fce," said Judge Swami, land | shall
assign to 1t the cases that you assign
to me, for even with the department
would be almost powerless without your
active assistance. have in mind all
expert in commercial frauds whom
shall assign TO the job. He does not
know yet that ! am thinking Of him,
but he knows fake advertisement
when he sees it, and shall strap the
task upon his shoulders.
"The long suffering public must be
taken care Of. II makes no difference
il the public does not take the time
to investigate advertisements before
investing. Many have not the time or
the facilities for complete investiga-
ton. They none the less have the
right to protection from fraud.
I'VE must approach this, however,
as we do any other kind Of crime. The
essential thing is the facts, and those
you must furnish 10 me. ! will CO.
operate with you 70 the best OF my
ability, and will consider your aid q
great favor il you will help me bring
conspicuous examples of those who
mislead the public by fraudulent ad
vertisements 10 justice. The com
mercisl atmosphere must be clarified.
The pure food and drugs act was an
early step in that direction; legislation
and prosecution against false adver-
tisements must be the next step"
District Attorney Cropsey, Of Kings
County, took q rap at what he charac-
terized the newspspers' advertisement
Of crime. The newspapers were, he
said, the greatest single agency for ad-
vertising of crime among boys. He
said:
Advertisement, by which mean the
publication of crime in the newspapers,
does not tend to minimize crime, but
spreads il. The newspapers are filled
with accounts of crimes of every vari-
ETY., and their only result is evil--a
spreading OF the knowledge OF crime
and the ways Of criminals among boys.
You business men don't read these
stories, but boys feed upon them.
81 recently bought two evening
papers, one IN Manhattan and one in
! Brooklyn. In them | found accounts
of thirty-one crimes. Not one of them
had anything unusual in It; not a one
of them was about r person Of any
importance; not a one Of them was
calling the publc'S attention to any
special N enace. In not a one OF them
had there been an arrest. OF course
not-the police had not had time to
make an arrest. Usually arrests are
made later, but in the stories that the
boys read the criminals get away. Re-
suit: one-third Of all criminals are
under twenty-one years Of age
Chief City Magistrate William BIC
Adoo was optimistic about New York's
observance Of Law. saying that we were
infinitely better than the generatiot
that preceded US, bat that the care
less distribution of small firearms was
our greatest sin. He advocated tax
of 50 or $40 on every pistol or revol-
yer, and that the government should
manufacture them. serially numbered
Sheriff-elect Alfred f. Smith was TO
have spoken. but was detained at hi,
home, on account of illness. Preston
P. Lynn, the president Of the club
presided. Besides the speakers. there
were at the head table William II
Brown. Alexander Russell, George
Ethridge and Collin Armstrong.