Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1891-09-11
Crime in 1890.

Two Of the census bulletins which Su'
perintendent Porter has been issuing
since his statistics were gathered, nave
aatsygith tie convict population, their
number and nativity, aud the length 81
the sentences they are serving. This
important subject will be completed, so
far as the bulletins announcements are
concerned, 50 soon as the nature OF the
crimes proven against the convicts and
the relation of sentences to offences have
been ascertained. Undoubtedly many
suggestions as to legislation aud prison
management will be found in the facts
and figures set forth by Mr.. Porter's ex-
perts. Those already given out are OF
decided value. They are not, however,
Teassuring. They indicate a c0nsidera-
bls irsrease .eI Erin G aud they tremen-
dously enforce the necessity for discrmi-
nation in the classes of foreigners who
shall be permitted to come into our So
cietv. In 1880 the number of convicts
actually under sentence in the United
States was 3s,ss8, or 7O9 in each million
of the population, while III 1890 It IS
As,74s. or M in each million. In other
words. with an increase of 24.S6 per cent
in the total population there was an IN
crease of u. as per cent i'll the convict
class. We admit that these figures are
merely suggestive. They prove nothing.
An enumeration to-day might show
different result, of course, the number
If persons in prison continually huctu-
ates. It is possible, too, that the prison
class NAV largely increase while serious
crime greatly decreased. Further inYes-
tigations into the census records VIII
throw more light on this matter. So far
as the facts appear, however, they are
disquieting.
to crime. OF the 45,233 prisoners IN con-
fnement in 1890, I4,6o7 were colored'
1867 we're foreign born, o,5S4 we're ma
tive but of foreign parents, ], TAI were ma
tive but with one parent a foreigner, ana
only II. 842 were white natives OF native
Dareutape. There can be no doubt that
me native white population of native
parentage is greater than the colOred
population, the foreign-born and that OF
immediate foreign extraction combined,
and vet Of the present prison inhabitants
those who are colOred number I4,o71
those who are of foreign birth or parent
age number I4,725, while the native
whites of native extraction number only
Ia7Is The total immigration of Amer
lea since the foundation of the Govern
meut has amounted to about I5,eoo,o 900,
nearly half coming within the last ten
wears. The total colored population IS
less than 100000, aad the population
of the nation is nearly 90, 600, 900. These
figures plainly indicate the direction in
which our effert for the prevention and
suppression Of crime should be directed.
bad immigration can be cut off. If 1t
continues to find entry aud to burden us
with the building and maintenance OF
prisons, poor-hOuses and courts, we have
only ourselves to blame. For such GRIM
inai tendencies as exist among the ne
groes we as a nation, are mainly respon'
sible. We brought them here, and for
three centuries we did all we could to
keep them ignorant and british. It is
true that 1857 cOnvicts drawn from
1000 600 colored people is a large pro-
portion when compared with 1915 drawn
from probably "a, 900, 900 native whites,
but it is infinitely small when the horTi-
bic devices to which we resorted to make
them criminal are recalled. Our present
duty is to afford them as great an oppor-
tunity as we can for education and in
dustrial occupation. If we restrain inl-
migration and throw open schOolhouses
to the culored people, the criminal stats
tics of the next census will be pleasanter
reading than are the bulletins before MS.