The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-11-10

of which Brewer Thomann says he
traced in the daily press reports, he
finds only ninety-eight due to liquor.
And so OF many other offenses.
In order to learn the opinions of
those who have most to do with our
criminal classes, with reference to this
important subject, the relations of
crime to the liquor traffic, we sent out
to prison officials all over the United
States the following questions, replies
to which have been received from Of
ficials in forty-five different State pris-
ons, penitentiaries and reformatory in
situations:
QUESTIONS.
1. How far can you indorse the sem
timents of ex-Chief-Justice Noah
Davis, of New York, when he says:
j." OF all the causes OF crime intemper-
ance stands out the unapproachable
chief?"
2. About what proportion Of the
prisoners confined in your institution
have been drinking men?
5. In your opinion, what per cent.
were brought there either directly or
indirectly through the influence of the
liquor traffic?
A. Is it true that q very large ma
jority of the crimes of violence may
be traced to the influence of the saloon?
5. What would be the probable eff
feet upon our penal institutions should
every dram-shop in the land be for
ever abolished?
THE ANSWERS.
OF forty-three answers received to
question No. l thirty-four fully in
dorsed the statement of Judge Davis;
four more are in substantial agreement
with him; three regard the use of in
toxicants as the occasion rather than
the cause of crime; while of the re-
naming two one answers: "Of crimes
against the person, yes" The other:
Intemperance is the cause of mora
evils than any other cause"
OF answers to questions No. 2, one
says "all'; one, very nearly alp;
one, "ten-elevenths" four report as
high as nine-tenths; one, seven-eights;
one, 50 per cent three, four-ffths; live,
three-fourths or more; two, two-thirds;
one, nearer 20 than 65 per cent. -; one,
very large; one, "one-half or more;
one, 48 per cent. one, 251 persons out
of total of 375; another, 762 out of a
total of 1850; another, 1892 arrests
| for drunkenness alone, out of total Of
| 5,155; one can give no statistics, and
another says that 20 per cent. of the
! boys in the industrial school have been
| drinkers.
The answers to question No. 3 in
dictate that the number of prisoners
that have been brought to the institu-
tions through the influence of the sa-
loon is as large, and in many instances
| larger, than the actual number of
drinking men among them. The an
swer Of the chaplain of the Kentucky
penitentiary is, ''ninety-nine one
hundredths," while the answers from
the Arizona penitentiary, the Cali
fornia State prison, the Nebraska peni-
Tertiary, and the New York industrial
school are each 80 per cent.
Forty-three of the answers to ques-
ton No are emphatically in the af-
frmative. Gne says: "A large number
of crimes result from the use of
liquors"
In the answer to question No. 5,
"What would be the probable effect on
our penal institutions should every
dramshop in the land be forever abol-
ished?" there is no consolation for
| Brewer Thomann. Never have we seen
a more powerful arraignment of the
saloon as a cause of crime than the an
swers of these prison officials. Many
| declare that there would be reduction
of from so to 70 per cent. in inmates of
prisons and houses of correction. A
number think the prisons would close
| up.-Homiletic ReUieW.