New-York tribune., 1921-01-20
Swami Ready
ToFigght Hearst
And Tan111any
District Attorney Faces Open
Break With Wigwam and
Publisher Because He
Acted Alone on Probe
Also Bitter at Al Smith
Murphy Said To Be Eager
TO Heal Breach and Con
ference To-day Probable

1AttdCAeu ny Wllilam II. Hearst and
by some of his old friends in Tammany
Hall, District Attorney Swami finds
himself between two fires and is pre-
pairing to fight both.
Because he did not consult Charles
F. Murphy, Alfred E. Smith or Secre
tary Thomas F. Smith about drafting
Charles S. Whitman to conduct the
Police Department inquiry, Mr.. Swami
IS in trouble with Fourteenth Street
There is no open break as yet between
the Wigwam and the District Attorney.
but the more Mr.. Whitman lays bare
iniquities in the Hylan- Hearst Police
Department. the greater becomes the
danger of such break.
| Swami Peeved at Smith
The only thing that prevents the
District Attorney from openly taking
the warpath against his former asso-
clates in Tammany Hall is his long
time friendship with Murphy, Secre-
tary Smith, Jeremiah Mahoney, Justice
Robert F. Wagner. of the Supreme
Court, and other powerful men in the
organization. Mr.. Swami is exceed
lng4y bitter toward Ex-Governor Smith
because the Governor did not appoint
MIN to the General Sessions bench to
MI the Malone vacancy. Instead of
doing SO, he appointed Mr.. Swann's
flrst assistant, Alfred ]. Talley.
Inc attack by Hearst came Yesterday
when The New York American said:
"EX-Governor Whitman, the subway
legal employee, has now been put in
charge, if you please, of the District
a A1torney's Investigation of the Mayor
and the Police Department.! District
Attorney Swami put him there. The
people know instinctively whether a
public man is faithful to them or TO
private interests.
THAT is why the collective judgment
OF the people is always truer, safer.
more unerring than any individual
Judgment. The Hearst papers, beiiev-
ing in District Attorney Swami. urged
voters to support him for justice of
the Supreme Court. But the people re-
Jected him at the polls We now know
that the peoples judgment of him was
better than ours"
Simultaneous with the Hearst at
the semi Official announcement from
Hearst sources that William A. DeFord
counsel to Hearst, is receptive candi-
date for the Tammany nomination for
District Attorney, to succeed Mr.
Swami.
Breach Grows Wider
The District Attorneys Office is
"lined" with Tammany men-put there
by suggestion Of the rammany organi-
zation. These place~holders were agi-
tated yesterday when they learned that
District Attorney Swami is ready to
dismiss every Tammany jobholder not
protected by the civil service and that
Mr.. Swami is growing angrier all the
time over the signs that Mr.. Murphy
and other leaders are disposed to side
with Hearst rather than with himself
Conditions in the District Attorneys
Office was one of the things that caused
Murphy to cut short his vacation at
French Lick. Tammany Hall buzzed
with activity yesterday over the pros
pcct of an early break between Swami
and the organization.
Mr.. Swami has made it clear to Mr.
Murphy and others that he is inde-
pendent and ready for a battle. The
Murphy men are trying to patch up the
situation by assuring Mr.. Swami that
the Tammany rank and file still are
fond of him and wish him we'll At
the same time they are frank enough
t. tell him that he did an astonishing
aud unwarranted thing when he in
stalled Mr.. Whitman as chief nquistor
in an investigation of the Hearst ylan-
Enright police administration.
The Tammany men are hoping and
praying that beyond the indictment of
a few police officials Whitman will not
DC able to do much, and that they aft
erward can point to the result of the
inquiry as proof that the department is
in good shape. They fear. however,
that the Whitman indictments will con
tinue and that soon there will be a
crash that will smash every one con-
nected with the Police Department
1t was said last night that Murphy
aud Swami will confer to-day over the
situation and that the maximum of
pressure will be eXerted to prevent Mr.
Swami from dismissing the Tammany
i.ien or his office staff
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