New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-26
THE CRIMINAL PROBLEM.


The Christmas season is not one usually Sc
lected to bring forward the more somoIe pioo-
lens of our National life, and yet Just pecauSo
il is a time of rejoicing it may be well 10 sug-
pest the consideration of serious themes !"
is not generally known, perhaps, that suaAsuos
show decline in the proportion OF those Oh
bur popuation who obtain college educatiohs.
In spite of the multiplication OF colleges anu
universities, until the point has been reached
where almost any boy can have such an educa-
tion for the asking, provided he have the time
70 give TO it. the proportion of college grad
nates to the population is declining. These
Goures are viewed by the educators Of the
.o,r+rv with concern. And while the relative
,,mber Of those who receive the higher educa-
ton is diminishing, the proportion OF the crim-
NAL class is increasing The contrast is not
an encouraging one.
Probably few persons realize the extent OF
our criminal problem. The Rev. tredericK
Howard Wines, secretary of the National Prison
Association. gives some striking statistics IN
sermon recently published. There are many
intelligent persons who would be surprised to
learn that the census of 1880 showed nearly
5000 prisoners in all the prisons of every
than II 900 inmates of reformat Dries, who are
virtually prisoners, and there is total prison
population of about 10000 persons. The next
census Mr. Wines estimates will show Io,OOo
or 80, coo inmates of prisons ana probaoIy
| Is. 600 inmates Of refOrmatorieS, making vast
army of between 10000 and 100, 600 men,
women and children confined on some criminal
charge. OF those reported in the last census
almost O.OO0 were sentenced to imprisonment
either for life or for terms Of more than hVe
years duration. But it need hardly be sad
| that these represent only small part OF our
criminal problem. They have been compared
to prisoners of war. The greater army Is still
at large and carrying havoc wherever 1t goes.
! The cost of this incubus is enormous III
| is estimated that the expense OF maintaining
the prisons amounts to fifteen millions year.
but this again is only small part OF the cost
entailed upon the people at large by the ex-
istence of the criminal class. The maintenance
Of the Police Departments, it is estimated, costs
another fifteen millions. Then there are IN the
United States more than 2 900 courts possess
ing criminal jurisdiction, to say nothing OF
more than So 600 Justices OF the Peace ma
ority of whom have a limited criminal juris-
dicton How much of the cost OF this vast
machinery should be charged to the account OF
crime it would be impossible to say, but the
aggregate must be enormous. Add to this the
loss which honest people suffer by the depreda-
tions of criminals, for all of the latter class
live upon the former and we would have a
figure which the bodeSt would not like to guess
at. And the disproportonate increase OF crime
unfortunately, is established by proof beyond
dispute The figures show a steady increase
greater than the growth of population, In every
census, but as the figures previous to the census
Of 1880 are not believed to be accurate, they
are disregarded. The State prison reports Of
the various States, however, show that there
is an increase of more than one-third in the
convictions for high crimes over the increase
of population from twenty years ago.
No doubt large part of the explanation OF
this phenomenon, as of the decline in the pro
portion of college graduates, is to be found II
foreign immigration, the problem with which
a committee Of the House of Representatives is
wrestling 1t has been supposed that the young
Republic, with its hearty appetite, could swal
low down any European refuse, and convert Il
into healthy muscle. But it is already apparent
that we are suffering from National indi-
gestion. A more careful oversight Of immgra
ton is not the only remedy, however. Ever!
man who helps by his voice and his purse the
movements to increase the refOrmatory intiu
ence of our prisons and TO hasten the day Wher
they NAV cease to be schools Of crime is no
only doing good service to mankind but i
working as the figures given above show, il
| his own interest.