The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-07-27
8,329,459 1855 1898

The editor remarks:
"With less population by half a million,
the ten Southern States have above thousand
more churches than the ten Northern States,
which boast loudest of their morality and en-
ightenment. With an excess of only haf a
million in population, the ten free States have
double the number Of criminals which are
found in ten corresponding slave States. Such
revelations will complete the revolution of pub
lie opinion in respect to slavery"
The Enquirer sets forth the above statement
as coming from the Report of the Census of
1850; but the figures PurpOrting to giUs the
number of criminals are not TO be found an
either The distract published by DIR. Kennedy,
or the full and elaborate Report published by
the present Superintendent, Mr.. De BOlO. This
fact is Q most unlucky commentary upon tho
Enquirer's boosted philosophical investiga-
ton" So, after all the flourish of trumpets
with which the editor heralds his invinoible
statistics, it turns out that they have no au-
thcntic foundation. Where did he get them
Should he not have given us his authority? He
very probably caught them at random in some
newspaper, without the slightest knowledge of
their paternity.
But, fortunately, We are able to refer the
philosophical investigator to the source of his
information, and to enlighten him as to its
value. The statement originally appeared in
De BOWS ReUiew for June, not, however, on the
authority of the editor, Mr.. De Bow, who is
the Superintendent of the Census, but on that
of gentleman who writes from Memphis,
Tennessee! Mr. De Bow resides in Washing
ton, and his ReUiew is published in New Or
leans; fact which will exempt him from any
responsibility for the statements of distant cor
respondents, whose contributions are probably
never seen by him until they appear in his
Journal.
Blu. to place the matter beyond caUil, zoe called
on Mr.. De Bow, and ascertGined that he knoaos
notbing Of the source Of the statement, and that
no report Of criminal statistics has eUer been
made by the Census Bureau, with the exception
Of the general statement contained in q short
paragraph Of the Abstract He supposes that
his predecessor, or some clerk in the Bureau,
may have furnished it to the Tennessee cores
pendent Of his Review; and this conjecture is
ell the authority which the Superintendent of
the Census is able to give to the statement so
triumphantly set forth in the Enquirer. Mr.
De Bolo does not knoaC that 1t is true! The
name Of the author is given as j. T. Trezevant
and bis article is dated Memphis, March IA
He states that the tables which he furnishes
"are collstsd from the Census Reports" but
he has not informed us by whom We are not
prepared to say that they are incorrect but
they certainly have no respectable authority,
and cannot claim serious notice until vouched
by an official report
But, allowing them to be truly drawn from
the Census Returns they are evidently partial,
and without explanation calculated to mislead.
The following short paragraph is all that
the published returns of the Census contain in
relation to criminal statistics. From the cor
respondence of figures, it is evident that the
statement copied by the Enquirer from De
Bows Review only refers to the number in
prison on the first day of June, 1850, and not
to the number of convictions during the year
For reasons which we viii proceed to educe, it
viii be perfectly apparent that such q state
ment even if true, is so partial and incomplete,
az taken without explanation, to amount to
Misrepresentation. Here follows the paragraph
contained in the Abstract, page 90:
"Crime.-The statistics of crime form the
subject Of our investigation. From the returns,
it appears that the whole number of-persons
convicted of crime in the United States for the
year ending tho first day of June, 1880 was
about $4,000; of these, 900 were Dative, and
IA 600 foreign born. The whole number in
prison on the first day of Juno was about
500, of which d 800 were native, and 2,460
foreign. 1t viii be borne in mind that the ma
tive prisoners include colored convicts, the
number of whom it is impossible to state, as
time has not suficed to admit of the more par
tioular separation into classes other than ma
tive and foreign. Our criminal statistics, when
fully understood, will present many subjects
for reflection, and open wide end interesting
field for the study of the Christian, moralist,
and statesman"
In the first place, they have no State prison
or Penitentisry in some of the Southern States.
We know that there is no such institution in
either North or South Carolina; we are i'm
pressed with the belief that other Southern
States are in like situation. In those States
the practices of achiPping and branding pre-
vail, and arc used as a substitute for Peni-
tertiary and long imprisonments.
In Virginia and other Southern States,
owing to the sparseness of population, it is
found incouvenient to send men to the Peni-
tertiary at Richmond from remote districts, to
remain six or twelve months The expense in
such cases exceeds the value of labor which
the criminal performs. To send man from
one Of the western counties bordering on Ohio
or Tennessee to Richmond, to atone for petit
larceny or breach Of the peace, by six or
twelve months probation in the Penitentiary,
would evidently DO losing business The
distance by any practicable route is from FIVE
to seven hundred miles; and the criminal
would necessarily require an escort of two
guards, whose wages and expenses would
amount to round sum. The expense and in