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Show 1 ESCAPE FOR TIE COWARDLYDODGERS Slackers Who Leave Country Coun-try to Escape Will Be Prosecuted. . WASHINGTON, May 23. Slackers who leave the country to escape the draft will bo prosecuted under the selective service act on their return, Attorney General Gregory announced today. "It lias been brought to my attention," said the attorney general's statement, "that a number of men of conscription age have left, and that even now occasionally oc-casionally others are leaving the country to evade military service. Slackers are presumably laboring under the delusion that by securing a temporary residence in another country for the duration of the war they may escape their military obligations and upon the termination of the war may return here to enjoy the fruits of sacrifice in which they had no part. "When this struggle is completed, however, such men, on seeking admission admis-sion to the United States will find that it will be necessary for them to stand trial on indictments charging them with violation of the selective service act. These trials will be vigorously prosecuted and the maximum penalty provided by the act will be urged upon conviction. "The passage of time will not prevent the bringing of prosecutions. Such non-registrants non-registrants and delinquents must return for military service or become permanent, perma-nent, expatriates, with all future rights of United States citizenship denied them. "It should also be clearly understood by tho general public that whoever assists as-sists another to escape from this country coun-try to evade military service or whoever who-ever assists to maintain in a foreign country one who has fled there to escape military service is guilty of a violation of the espionage act and upon conviction becomes liable to the full penalties Imposed Im-posed thereby." |