Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-10-16
sweeping and decisive than that of the
October elections.
HoMIc1pI, NORTH AND sourH

A book has been written by Mr. James
Redfeld, on the subject of homicide,
North and South. The purpose is to show
that in the Southern States this class OF
crime is excessively prevalent in compari-
son with the North, and to call attention
to the need of better educational agencies
The worst example OF this IS Texas, where
the frightful number of serea thousand
murders have been committed in fifteen
years, in population OF 500, coo. This is
an awful state OF society, and in few re-
spects removed from complete barbsrisnn. In
Texas, in 1875 there were more homicides
than in the States of Maine, New Hemp
shire, Vermont, Massachusetts,, Rhode
Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsyl-
vania, Michigan and Minnesota, aggregat-
ing population OF seventeen millions.
In Kentucky in the same year there
were more homicides than in the eight
States OF Maine, New Hampshire, Yer
mont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Con
necticut, Michigan and Minnesota, with
an aggregate population OF ten millions.
In South Carolina in the same year there
were more homicides then in eight North
ern States with population OF six millions
The excess of murders and manslaughters IN
the Southern States is normal, being kept
up steadily. 1t is larger than exists in any
other part of the world. In rural New
England the average of homicides is l
to every $50, 900 inhabitants. Taking the
New England and Northern and Middle
States generally, the proportion is not
higher than l to every 100, COO This is
the same proportion which exists in Eng
land and Wales. But the proportion in
the Southern States is higher than it was
in England in l34S, though homicide has
since then diminished in England l,S00
per cent. To give still be5ter idea of the
relative conditions of the North and South
we may state that in the two States of
Vermont and New Hampshire, aggregat-
ing 700 600 population, there was but
one homicide In 1870, there having
been none at all in the former.
In Texas, in the same year, there were 734
honicides and 522 cases of assault to muir
der. Mr.. Redfeld does net claim that this
Southern homicidal tendency is political,
but, on the contrary, asserts that g the
| IS ryreat NJ Il onl +ba
class dealt with in this book have no
more connection with politics than has
petit larceny in New York" 1t is per-
fectly clear that defective education and
civilization generally is the cause of the
great difference in crime between the
| North and South. In face of these sta.
tlstlcs it would be absurd to argue that
there is any comparison between the civil
zation of the two sections The plain fact
is that the South is very much more than
a century behind the North, and that it is
not fit to cope with the latter. The swash-
buekler and bravo of the South who talks
about his ''honor,' and regards assassina-
ton as virtue, is, in plain English, a
semi barbarian, whose parallel does not
exist at the North save In the lowest
groggeries OF the slums OF the great cities.
The shameless defeats of justice which the
Southern Courts perpetrate in homicide
cases still further illustrate the barbarism
of the region. The Southern people have
long way to go before they can be on an
intellectual equality with the North, and
| Mr.. Redfelds book makes this fact very
clear. What he does not point out, how
ever, is the circumstance that wherever
homicide is abnormally prevalent all other
crimes are equally so. This is shown by
Pike, in his :" History of Crime in Eng
:'land, very clearly, and it suggests very
discouraging ideas in regard to the status
of Southern society. Clearly very little
advance can be expected from the people
of that section until they have learned to
respect human life, and to reverence the
law and administer it. And clearly it
would be madness for the North to permit
go Hncivilized and lawless people to gain
control of the Government.