The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-12-19
CRIME IS INCREASING.
Interesting Statistics From the
Last Prison Congress.
Scattered Depravity-op Opportunity
the Cause of Capitalization of
Certain Grades OF Crime.
san Frnncisco Examiner.


Crime is on the increase in the land.
The old circus clown and variety ar
lists OF twenty years ago were wont TO
warble forth this fact. and plaintively
ask in the refrain why such was the
case. do you wonder at the increase
of crime?' was very popular song in
its day but il was not based on the sta
tistics that the prison congresses of
latter days are gathering. nor had the
doctrine of total depravity been pro-
mulgated to the extent of latter years,
nor had its truth been established TO
the satisfaction of philanthropists
inclined to see some good IN all
human life.
+. III. Wines recently presented the
Boston prison congress with set of
most interesting statistics on crime in
the United States. In 1850 the penal
servitude institutions OF the Union
contained 6737 prisoners, a rate of 80
to the million of population In 1850
the figures footed up Il, 0S6, or COZ to
the million of population. including
women, children and aliens. Ten
years later the penitentiary wardens
reported 32.90l prisoners in charge,
equal to s5S 10 the million. In 1850
the figures had swelled to $500, or
Il69 To the million of population, and
at present the estimate biased on non
official fguresl is for a proportion of
1872 10 the million.
Several osher facts go to show that
crime is increasing much more rapidly
than the populations increase justi-
fies, one OF which is the necessity for
increased trial facilities in the shape
of courts and committing magistrates.
In New York alone the number of con-
yictions have increased relative to the
population by nearly IS per cent. since
1870. San Francisco has nearly the
same showing and has doubled its
criminal courts in less than 10 years.
Seventy thousand and seventy-seven
prisoners were in confinement for
state and national law violations when
the last reports were compiled, and
over Ii 900 of these were Juveniles,
mainly in reformatory Institutions
under long sentence. Statistics are in
complete on the condition of the
youngsters. but from the reports that
have been completed tits fair TO assume
that one-third of the IL 600 are incor-
rigible and will swell the ranks OF pro-
fessional criminals, while two-thirds
of the remainder will dip into crime
whenever unsought-for opportunity
offers.
1t is seldom that a boy is punished
by imprisonment for his first ofienSe.
Consequently, arriving at the percent
ages given above is by no means an
impossible task.
Nine-tenths OF the adults are males.
The females are panel thieves, conf
dence operators, pickpockets and
shoplifters. Very few women are con-
yicted OF murder, in proportion to the
number of violent deeds they commit
When it comes to accounting for the
increase in crime the relative desira-
bility of immigrants from different
quarters OF the globe is presented by
the percentages of the prevalency of
crime among nationalitieS cutting a
figure in the population of the Union. !
West Indians are first on the list, but |
they are not sufficient in numbers |
here 10 appear extensively in penOlog- |
ical reports. Spain ranks next in |
doubtful distinction, and then South !
America, but the population is not |
swelled to any great extent by either. |
China is fourth on the list, and would /
rank first, it is stated, but for |
the aptness of the Chinese at conceal !
ing their misdeeds. Italy comes next. |
and then Austria, Ireland. Scotland, |
France, England and British America |
in the order named Russia, Ger /
many, Poland and Wales have but |
slightly varying percentages, and these
percentages scale down in regular /
order. Belgium, Switzerland and Hol- |
land are nearly equal, and the list OF |
embraced in he statistics is |
with Scandinavia and /
Austria Hungary.
Climate might seem to have some
what to do with debating the nature
OF crime to be INDUCED in, or rather
that crime OF certain class should |
herd in one locality; crime of q differ
ent nature fills the penitentiaries of an
other, and so on. But this is not the |
case. Opportunity is the crime regu-
latoT. Burglars and counterfeiters are /
most plentiful in New York because
the number OF fences" afford a /
chance for disposing of plumber, and
the vast number of visitors provide a i
field for showing the queer" The /
largest number of forgers are found in |
Pennsylvania. because a great deal OF /
business is done on paper Texas fur
nishes the greatest number Of mail |
robbers, for the same reason that il
furnishes the greatest number OF muir
derers. Arizona and California are
close on Texas heels for supremacy
in the man-killing line. The law Of
the knife and pistol was the law Of the
land TO a considerable extent in early
DAYS, or rather every man made his
own law with his weapons, and the old
style of doing things has not yet en-
Iirely died out.
North Carolina and Tennessee pro-
vide over 50 per cent. of the Illicit
distillerS, and Massachusetts, the
home Of the blue laws, i honored
with the doubtful distinction of fur
nishing more offenders against the
law OF chastity than any other state in
the Union. Here again opportunity
furnishes the solution-there are more
single women in this corner of New
England than anywhere else.
The tabulated assortment OF crimi-
mails shows that OF the adult criminals
there are in round numbers, 1900 muir
derers, 5000 burglars, 200) highway rob
bers, 1000 forgers, 1900 common
5000 vi0lence-doers and 1000
rape iiends. The age was - 5-12 years,
and the average percentage of COM
mon school education q fraction
over 20.
European Items.
Birmingham borough, England. with