Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-04-13
THE INCREASE OF CRIME.

TIE INCREASE OF CRIME.
Crime, in all its most horrible forms ana
cvoltng features, is undoubtedly upon the
Increase. More and more space is yearly
icing devoted to the dark doings Of men, In
,ur newspapers and other periodicals, ana
ven in conversation the subject is 80 famll-
ar tina, il has almost coased to be considered |
'epulsve or Objectionable. Dclicacy OF al
usion and softcning of detail has ceased 10
be the practice when speaking of the most
revolving crimes. The newspapers many oil
hcm, pride themselves upon furnishing not
only every sckcning and realistic detail, but
The very atmosphere and horrible fascination
Of the crime. Doubtless, this growing ia
with crime, is nothing more than
the natural result of tue increase OF evil
us. When glazing and dreadful
deeds of human depravity are daily perform
ed in the very heart of our modern refine
mCnt aud civilization, 1t is not strange That
crime should become one of the leading top
les Of public intelligence. The press is the
mirror OF the people, and 1t cannot refuse 10
reflect what is brought before it. 1t is GER
tain that if the public could not learn what
takes place within itself, even to the very
depths of its immortality, from the establish
cd press, it would find some other channel
of information far more Objectionable.
But why is it that crime should be on the
increase in an age Of enlightenment, and oil
moral and religious influence, like the pres
ent? How are we TO account for. this great
anomaly in social life? Why should crime
abound especially, in u county like our own,
country governed in accordance with pm
cples of right and justice and g1dly fear, u
country of peace and plenty and good Will
to all? Such questions rs these are not TO
be hastily answered. Indeed, they are to be
considered rather than answered., by all wh)
turn their attention to the great subject OF
the increase Of crime. Some tendencies 10
evil may be mentioned, in this connection {;
but they can hardly he said to accoun. for
the condition of things which we deplore.
Foreign Immigration is factor in the
problcm-probably the most important one
A very large proportion of the population
both Mt centre and circumference OF Amerl-
can social life, is foreign. Immigrants
throng to the great cities and to the frontiers.
Here they are upon the two most important
rinIs'of society, the inner and the outer and
their Influence is felt far more than it would
be upon the Intermediate rings. They have
extraordinary opportunities of good anu evil.
Now these immigrants, coming from coun-
tries governed arbitrarily or tyranncally,
and finding themselves in country wherc
every man has the right to speak and act as
his conscience Understanding that it is no
crime TO speak ones mind freely concerning
the President and other high officials,
and in many other ways imbibing ideas OF
license and privilege-thcsc men are apt 10
lose the only rein upon their passions and
evil disp1sitions-fea of conseqnences-anu
to receive certain criminal impulse, or mo-
tive 10 crime which is very congenal to them
both by nature and training This impulse
leads them easily to crime. Many of them
not being able to find employment on ac-
count of ineiliclency, or inability to make
their wants known, or lazincss, are, in GER
tain sense, thrown upon the community Tor
support and the method of support whlcA
they most prefer and practice is That obtain
ed by crime. One OF the first things tue
dishonest immigrant does is to help himself
to his new neighbor's property. lie is ar
rested and serves out his sentence; but the
love of crime is now thoroughly implanted.
lie imagincs himself ill-,rcatcd, abused,
wronged, and at once, to obtain revenge foT
his imaginary WRONGS he enters upon lie oil
crime and passion. Is not this one reason
We have so many blood-curdling crimes COM
mitteds
Another tendency which leads to crime Is
the growing inhdelity Of a large portion ol
our people. We are importing material FOL
skepticism, socialism and half-a-dozcn othel
destructive isins in every ship-oad OF hui
mainly that comes to US from the old world
and we have dcmagogues enough, ike 80,
Ingersoll and his school, to work the matcria
into whatever lawlcss form they please. Th'
west especially is getting to be perfect not
bed of intidelty. Atheis,ic and socalisti'
journals are published in all The large cities
and not only the public platform, but ever
the pulpit, is becoming contaminated will
| the specous doctrines of liberalism.
One other tendency to crime we will men
ton. 1t is the class of literature which il
now being placed in the hands of the youn!
and immature a literature whose keynote
| is the apotheoss of crime, and whose whole
fabric is one of indocency aud sensational
ism. Thousands Of boys aud girls, youn!
men and young women, have been led as
tray by this vicious and communicating influ
ence in modern life. The faint is spreading
even 10 purer springs of modern literature
The novel of the day is loose, encrsatipg
demoralizng, not fit to be read by the youn!
and certainly not worthy to be read by thei
elders Coarsest and vilest of all are tn,
cheap story papers which are furnished t
young boys and girls-black, villainous look
ing sheets whose very typography aud illus
ration gives them the appearance of dark
hrowed rascal COVERING from beneath
slouched hat. Suppress this vicious litera
turc, impose some check upon the spread o
skepticism, ard provide adequate means 70
the moral and industrial welfare of illiterat'
and ill-disposed immigrants, and the stats
tics of crime, in this country, we believe
would be materially lessened
A WRECKED REPUTATION.
The publication Of his wfe's diary and lie,
tore will hn ant ia ,,ut a Hnisbinfr tourh tn th