The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-02-25


1S47 was not year that was affected by
the snbsiding influence of any such great
public commissions az The great war that
ragged in our midst from 1861 TO 1866,
" and eight years was too short a time to
escape the turbulence and demoralza-
ton that grew out of this vast disruption
&c and excitment." The inference being
that If we had no prohibitory liquor law,
there would have been no increase in
criminal expenses and IL there had been
no rebellion, there would be no Increase of
crimes. We hardly think the facts will
bear out the theory.
The statistics, it will be remembered,
showed that in 1S47, there were sixteen
persons convicted of crimes punishable by
imprisonment in the state prison, against
thirty-fve such convictions in 1S74-an in
crease of over one hundred per cent. 1t
certainly cannot be claimed that the exist
encc, or enforcement, of the prnhibitory
liquor law caused this increase. The very
theory Of prohbitory laws is that such
ihNo BiNNthNi'N VI. anu
ment will lessen, pauperism, ignorance and
crime. All prohbitory legislation, and all
attempts at such legislation, are based upon
this theory. The present law, however,
has been in force since 1852, and, in spite
of it, the class of offenses to which we
have alluded has increased over one hum
dred per cent. We must look elsewhere
tor the cause of this increase Of crime.
But it is said that "crimes of violence"
increase during 'all great civil wars and for
" several years Subsequent" As a general
proposition this is true, but the facts are
such that this theory does not explain
them. there was no civil war in 1868,
neither was 1t a year 'tba. WAS affected by
" The subsiding influence of any such great
"public convulsion," yet, in that year,
there were thirty five convictions for the
same class of crimts, being exactly the same
number as in 1874 The effect of the civil
war mas felt in 1861, the first year, when
there were forty-four convictions and in
1862, when the convictions numbered forty
two. The years when the turbulence and
de norallzation that grew out OF this vast
disruption and excitement" were felt.
were in 1866, when the number OF convic-
tons was ffty-one in 1867, wien they
we're foriy-tbree IN 1869, when they " ere
forty-two aud in 1870, when they num-
bered nrty-four. We began TO escape
from tina turbulence and decentralization"
the next year, 1871. the convictions going
down to thirtY-nine.i to thirty-two, in
1872 and TO twenty three in 1873; and
then up again as we have showed. We
we will not undertake to cay.
Let lis look at these expenses included
under the head of 'court orders'-that is
criminal expenses before justices of the
peace, inquests, sheriffs' and clerks fees,
and Jail expenses. In 1S47, when offenses
against the liquor law were not included,
because there was no liquor law, the court
orders for Rutland county were $l,141.55;
Chttcnden county, $1,2l0.GG and for the
entire state, Sl5 S34.57.
The prohibitory liquor law WAS passed in
1852, aud commencing twelve years after
by which time it ought to have been
pretty well understood and enforced let
us trace this increase of expenses down. In
1864, these expenses for the state were
$27,012 IL; for Rutland county, $4,19l.-
"a Chittenden county. S4,161. so. 1866,
for the state, 500 697 As Rutland county,
S5,C61.67; Chittendcn county, 81, 76l.14.
1866, state, $40, 119 Al Rutland, &c.
262.10; Chttenden, S7,9l5Sl. - 1867,
state, S42,702 SO; Rutland, s7,225.25;
Chittendeu, S9,472 20.-1s6s, state, $685.
4Slsa4 ; Rutland, S9,o52 80 Chittenden,
S7,136.04 state, $50. 43S; Rutland,
So,939. 10; Chittenden, S8,724 57.-1S7l,
state, $62, S72.G0; Rutland, Sl0,322.75;
Chittenden, $40, 524 00.-1S72, state, $685.
764.52 ; Rutland, SS,443.99 Chittenden.
$40, 203. 10. -1S73, state, $57, 1863 IA Rut-
land, S9,Ol1.9G; Chttenden, sS,47505.-
1874, state, S66,099.6O; Rutland, S12,-
502.54 Chittenden, S., 663 sc.
Last year, 1875, the expenses for the
state were about the same as in 1874, while
for the present year, 1876, the state treas
urer informs US that they are in excess OF
last year. Here then we have an increase
since 1864 of over two hundred per cent. in
the state-being about the same ratio OF
increase as from 1S47 to 1864 full two
hundred per cent. in Chittenden county,
and of nearly three hundred per cent. in
Rutland county-the ratio of increase be-
ing about double in Chittenden county, and
somewhat larger in Rutland county, than
from 1S47 ia 1864 The same prohibitory
liquor law was in force all of these years
from 1864 to 1876, and yet there has been
this large increase and the figures given
shows that the increase is not from excep-
tlonal causes, but that II is, on the other
hand, a constant, steady increase from year
to year-and the published letter of the
state treasurer leads us to infer that this
increase still continues In the same ratio.
Our recently published town report
that of Rutland for 1876--furnishes some
instructive figures, tending to show that
the prohibitory liquor law is not solely re-
sponsible for this large increase Of crimi-
nal expenses, and, further, that that law,
or its enforcement, has not had the tenden-
cy TO repress crime and disorder. The
first full returns OF fines and penalties sin
(which the town of Rutland Is interested
that is, in which the fine IS payable to,
and the costs by, the town treasury-is for
the year ending December |, 165l-two
years before the prohibitory liquor law
went into operation. From these returns,
it appears that, in 1851, there were fifteen
prosecutions f; and fines were imposed to
the amount of ono hundred and ninety -nine
dollars, and seventy-seven dollars forty
seven cents costs-the fines being Sl22.47