New-York tribune., 1918-07-01
District Attorney Plans "a
Make Examples of An
Wealthy Young Loafer,
Already Has Manv
Names on His List
He Will Be Most Severe on
Members of the "Best
Families" He Says

That young man with "hat feety and
the olg torpedo-shsped motor car !.
gong 10 get run for his money. The
I g1lded youth whose supper rarties 20.
Gently have been the talk of the whit.
light belt will have a taste of differ.
ent sort of medicine: The carele,.
spender who, across a Broadway har
can tell you all ABOUT the stratee;,
mistakes of the Allied leaders abroad
VIII receive an unprecedented oppor.
tunity to do some sort of work tho.
may aid in winning the war.
The authority for this statement !,
District Attorney Swami himself. Ths
, District Attorney "has a little list
Very prominently at the head of IL !,
THIS small but quite select clientele
whose chief war services up to dat,
have consisted of reading the head.
lines, on rising. in the P. NJ editions
of the newspapers. District Attorpev
Swami is sure they won't be missed-s.
least he's going to do his best not =,
overlook them.
Work or Fight"
Work or fight is the motto from
henceforth," he said, "and we believe in
setting good example in this direc.
tlon right at the outset.
IF any one supposes," he continued
while the raiders were making ready
for their foray, that we intend to cor.
J fine the application OF this new order
of Provost Marshal General Crowder-
or the state anti-loafing rule, either.
which also becomes operative to-day
merely to the down-and outer he is
very much mistaken.
"Beggars, tramps and vagabonds are,
of course, going to receive very spe-
cial attention under the enlarged
powers which we now have to line all
men up in the service Of Their country.
So are all the tango lizards, the gam.
blers, the creatures who live on
women-and we have a long list Of
these already checked up But pri-
marily we are going TO weed out the
money slackers who are lolling around
beaches and exclusive clubs, spending
/ their time playing bridge and tennis
and generally behaving quite as they
did in peace times-which was enough
( OF a disgrace even then, but under the
present conditions becomes absolutely
reprehensibe."
Even Few Called Disgrace
That, proportionately speaking. the
number of these is comparatively
slight District Attorney Swami readily
admitted. His point is. however that
even slight proportion is a disgrace
and that by their example such young
men do far more harm than might at
first appear.
! ~ intend" he declared last night,
"to make a conspicuous example of at
least two or three such. | shall take
them from the best known and most
exclusive families | can find. For sew
eral weeks now | have been quietly
checking up on them. To-day | have
more than hundred names of wealthy
young men who, by influence of one
sort or another, presume, have man.
aged to gain deferred classification in
{ the draft. These men, under the work
or fight law, | intend to make toe the
mark at once"
In this endeavor, Mr.. Swami added,
he is receiving active cooperation from
members of many influential families
most of which have long since sent
the pick of their young manhood to
the front, and resent the slackers. in
their midst.
Mr.. Smith announced that he planned
special roundup of local l. ". VS.
this week.
Visit to Chinatown
With Inspector Comfy and a squad
of detectives, Assistant District At
torney Smith visited the chon suey res
taurants in Chinatown last night. In
the Port Arthur, 7 and Mott Street.
he ordered all the patrons to stay
seated while he conducted his investi'
cation. He found seven men without
registration cards. After taking their
rames and addresses he ordered them
TO appear to-day at his Office.
1n the Oriental, 4 and s Pell Street
fifteen young men were subp9naed for
to-day. At the Tuxedo, Bowery, four
men were ordered by MIR. Smith to sp'
pear to-day at his office Three women
were summoned.
A party Of four. two men and two
women, were questioned at the Chinese
nelmonico's, "a Pell Street. They were
from Rochester and were on their way
TO Portland, Ne. This is no time for
you men to be taking a vacation" sala
Mr.. Smith. This is wartime" None
of the four men had his registration
card. They were told 20 wire home tof
the cards SO they could produce them
when they appeared at Smiths once
to-day in answer 80 subpenas.
After combing Chinatown, Mr.. SE'fh
and his party visited the Furious For
ties, going as far as Sixty-ninth Street.
In this section more than one hundrea,
men were rounded up, questioned anu
served with subpenas for their aP'
pearance to-day at his Office.
Ticket spectators. moving picture acs
ors, temporarily disengaged, and Ihes,,
plans for the time being unempioyeo
we're among those corralled. They Weie
ordered to have their registration cares
on hand when they call at the Distrcs.
Attorneys Office to-day. A number o.
persons from out of town were among
those questioned. but they were h''
detained or served with subpenas.