Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1879-01-07
From the Boston Journal
The Relations of Intemperance
aud Crime.

anu OFtUscs
A few evenings ago there was meet
ing Of some of the most influential citi-
zens of New York to discuss the practi-
cal aspects of the temperance question,
and Chief Justice Noah Davis, by invi-
tation, made an address on the relations
OF intemperance and crime. Some OF the
facts which he presented are of more than
local interest, and have an important
bearing on the economic and moral prin-
ciplos which uDderlie the temperance re-
form. Spoken by Judge Davis as the re-
suit of his long judicial experience and
his knowledge Of the causes and motives
of crime. they have special weight and
value. Judge Davis gave it as his opin'
ion that among all causes Of crime intern
perance is 1.-The unapproachable chief
and he proceeded to establish that fact
both afirmatiYely and negatively-hrst
showing that wherever intemperance is
most prevalent, crime is most abundant
rnd then that where drunkenness is re-
pressed, crime diminishes in the same ra'
TO.
On the first point he cited the testi'
mony of judges Of large experience. -
More than two hundred years ago Sir
Matthew Hale, then Chief Justice Of
England, said: "By due observation |
have found that if the murders and man
daughters, he burglaries and robberies,
the riots and tumults, the adulteriss, for
nications, rapes and other enormities that
have happened during twenty years, were
divided into FIVE parts, four of them have
been the issue and product OF excessive
drinking-of tavern and ale-hOuse drink
i0g." Lord Chief Baron Kelly, the old
est Judge now on the English bench, in a
recent letter said: "Two-thirds of the
crimes which come before the courts of
law Of this country are occasioued chiefly
By intemperance. A committee of the
Canadian House of Commons, reporting
in 1875, stated that "out Of 2S,2s9 CON-
mitments to the gaols during the three
previous years, 2l,236 were committed
either for drunkenness or for crimes per-
petrated under the influence Of drink. "
The statistics Of crime in this country
slow . similar ratio TO that which prevails
in the mother country and in the Domin-
ion. The report of the Massachusetts
State Board OF Charities in 1869 says :
The proportion OF crime traceable to this
great vice must be set down. as heretofore,
st not less than four-ffths" The lnspec-
tors of State Prisons in 1865 give the
same proportion. Corroborative evidence
from great variety Of sources might be
cited to show the same general state OF
affairs; and these statistics, it should be
remembered, are not collected by temper
auoe writers and speakers TO substantiate
their theories, but are gwen 10 the reports
Of officials whose sole duty it is to note
the facts relating to crime.
As to the second point, Judge Davis
proceeded to show by facts equally well
substantiated that when, by any means,
intemperance is diminished, crime falls of
in the same ratio. In Ireland, before the
close OF October 1888, Father Matthew
had enrolled more than 250, 900 names on
MS pledges OF total abstinence. Now note
the statistics OF crime as given by Lord
Morpeth. Secretary for Ireland. In 1887
the entire number Of murders and muir
derous assaults and other crimes against
he'person Of various grades Of violence
was l2,097; in 1888 il was ll,05S; il
1889 it was 1897, aud in 1910 it was
only l73. The persons imprisoned in the
Bridewell, the principal city prison Of
Dublin, tell of in one year from 1876 to
%, and the Smithfeld Prison was actual.
ly closed for lack Of occupants, Similar
facts are observable in this country. Ia
Viuesnd, n. j.. where the sale of liquors
has never been allowed, we find com.
manity Of 10000 people with a police
iorce consisting Of one constable, who, fol
his duties in that capacity and as Over.
seer of the Poor, receives only SIS Q
year. In some years Its reports show on
ly a single crime and poor rate aggre,
eating but 81. Greeley, Colorado, ha:
5000 population and no liquor shop; il
requires DO police force, and in two years
expended only 81 from its poor fund
Bavaria, Illinois, a town with the same
population and absolute prohibition, re.
ports no drunksrds or paupers aud nc
crimes The figures show that under the
prohibition law in Connecticut in 1854
crime decreased IS per cent. When Ii,
cense was restored 10 1873, crime increas.
cd 80 per cent. in a single year. Under
;be existing local option law the cities
which have voted against the traffic in IL
quors show diminished commitments for
crime. In New London, for example, the
arrests for intoxication have averaged from
50 to 80 per month, but in November
under the new law, there were but 8, and
arrests for other crimes have diminished
correspondingly. In New York city q
gear ago, during only sPasmodic and
partial attempt to enforce the Excise law
arrests for crime other than for breaches
Of the Excise law fell of, according to
the statement of q Police Commissioner
from SO 70 40 per cent.
The.facts which Judge Davis cites
and We have given above only portion
of thn-clearly show that intemperance
and crime move along together, and that
whatever increases or diminishes the one
increases or diminishes the other. This
IS only one aspect Of the temperance ques.