The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-03-23

THE ROGUES' RECORD.

h recent census bulletin on the
number of convicts in our p~enitentiaries
is decidedly depressing reading. There
are few of us who have not been cher
ishing the hope that our great public
school system and the general march of
progress we're making for the diminu-
ton Of crime. And it is, therefore, with
a keen sense of disappointment that we
learn that our ~penitentiaries had, in
1890, 10000 moro occupants than they
had at the end of the previous decade.
In New York state alone, the total num-
Der of last years convictions was GLOSS,
an increase of 11,74l over the record of
the previous year. OF course, the popu-
lation of the United States has increased
at a very rapid rate during the past de-
cade, but the march of criminality has
unfortunately more than kept pace with
the general advance. OF the increase in
the actual number of criminals through
out the country during the last ten years
the statistics are not vet available.
| With a population of 100000 in 1850,
less than 1000 were in prison. In 1850,
the population had increased by 8,OoO,-
900, roughly by one-third, and the num-
Der of prisoners, amounting to $4,000,
had increased nearly threefold. OF a
population of 100000 in 1870, $4,000
we're in prison; and, in 1880, when the
total population had more than doubled
that of 1850, we had $4,000 prisoners or
more than eight times the number of
criminals of the earlier date. 1t is pre-
dicted that 1890 will beat all previous
records with not less than 10000 in the
penal and r%eformatory institutions Of
the country.
1t is not fattering to our self-love to
know that in England criminal convic-
tions have fallen from 1908 in 1868 to
9,34S in 1889. Within the same time,
Scotland has lowered her criminal rec
ord from '2,490 to l,723; and in Ire
land 1890 showed a decrease of about
1900 from the figures of 1904 in 1870.
Nor will the census figures permit us to
lay the "f1attering JUNCTION to our SOULS
that our country has been made the
dumping ground for a great influx of
foreign criminality. The belief is a
general one, but it will not hold water.
The foreign born element furnishes
only one-third of the criminals in our
penitentiaries. Besides, it is a proven
fact that, in several states where a O
siderable part of the population is OF
the immigrant class, an actual decrease
in the ratio of %convicts to population has
taken place. Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa
and others might be cited. A recent
report from Maine state prison shows
that, of sixty-seven prisoners in 1890
only nineteen we're of foreign birth, anc
of that small number twelve hailed from
Canada.
From the economic, the humane, OF
the moral standpoint, this question Of
the prevention of crime is one of the
most important to every country anc
every community. Next to the cost o.
education, the expense to the people Of
this country in the maintenance O
courts, police and penal institutions, il
the largest item of state and municipal
outlay. It is certain that the inhabit-
ants of our cities and towns have the
cost of state and local government in
creased by at least o~ne-seventh owing tt
the presence of this undesirable criml
nal element in our midst. IL We INCLUDE
the cost of national expenditure, nearl,
one-tenth of the total burden of taxation
can be set down against this n source
Add to this the waste of time, energ,
and money involved in the acts and TIN
prosecution of our criminal population
and it will be readily seen with what
m%omentous problem the census figure
bring us face to face.