New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-04-23

the intemperate habits of others led the criminal
TO a condition which induced tho crime; ..
What were the drinking habits of the criminal,
whether total abstainer, moderate drinker, or
excessive drinker. In each of the nine courts
of criminal jurisdiction in the County of Suffolk
(which il identical in it's boundaries with the
CITY of Boston, m agent of the Bureau was
stationed to make the inquiries necessary for
obtaining Trustworthy information on these
points. The results are of great interest and
cannot fail to stimulate the advocates of tenn
perance to fresh exertiOns.
The total number of sentences for the year
was 1G.S97. OF these 2,2S9 were due directly
to rum causes, the report says-12,221 being
sentences for the various grades of drunkenness
and IS for keeping or selling liquor without a
license OF the remaining 4,6OS offences,
2,O97, or 45 per cent, were committed by men
under the influence of liquor, and LOIS by men
who were in liquor at the time of the forma-
tion of the criminal intent In ,SO4 cases the
intcmpcrate habits of the offenders were such
IA to induce n moral condition favorable to
crime. and S21 were led to commit crime by
the example Of incorporate men. Oh the 4,6OS
convictions, the total abstaincrs numbered
LBS the moderate drinkers 1,0lS, and the
excessive drinkers 1,3l7.
We take it for<granted that the agents of the
Bureau have made due allowance for the com
mon habits of criminals to assert that they were
drunk nj the time of committing an offence in
order to tighten their sentences by pleading
lack of moral responsibility, and that the state
mcnts of the offenders themselves have not
been taken without corroboratiye evidence. IL
is pity the researches the Bureau has made
could not be- pushed further. Where lntcmper-
ancc aud crime 20 hand in hand It il natural to
assume that the latter il caused by the former,
hut in many cases such an assumption would
be Incorrect. For absolutely accurate conclu-
sions ~ to the relations of the two it would be
necessary to distinguish the cases where drunk
cnncs- j. the result aud not the cause of the low
moral condition which give, rise to the criminal
instinct. This. however, would involve an IN
Yc,tigatiou of the antrc, dents Of criminals,
such as no bureau Of statistics would be- able Ia
make. We must be- grateful for 80 valuable
body Of facts on this subject - the MaSSachu-
sets commissioners have given us. They show
that to the - per cent OF convictions for dis
tnctiycly rum crimes must be- added II per
ccnrrcpr,.cntiug the criminals who were under
the influence Of liquor ~ the time OF commit
ting other crimes. making total of : per cent
of all the crime, committed in Boston during
the year l~-O connected directly or indirectly
With the influence of liquor. This is certainly
q startling exhibit But II l. somewhat surprS-
inc also to learn that among the Boston crlmi-
nAls LBS were total abstlincrs. Ii would be
source Of satisfaction if the battle of society
against crime could be- eimplilicd into an assault
on the habit Of drinking; but II cannot. man
may sign the total abstinence pledge and keep
# rigidly, and still be great rascal Temper
ancc and morality are kindred virtues, no
doubt. but temperance and vice are not always
nldclY dl.,ryrrcd.