The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-08-20
CONyICTs IN PENITENTIAR
,9l, March 81

The increase of 202 convicts In ten wears
makes the percentage greater than the In
crease In population during the same period
Upon that hypothesis there has been no les
SEEMING whatever in the amount of crime, but
an increase. Very many OF the thieves, burg
lars violators OF the postal law, perjurers
sellers of mOrtgaged property. bigamists
grave robbers. murderers, aud others in all
lines of crime, are not necessarily such be
cause of drink. And furthermore many
criminals are not drinkers. Reports show
that liberal percentage Of eonvicts were
temperate and had received religious educa
ton.
The report of tho secretary of state for thu
years 1857 show convictions In the district
courts OF Iowa to the number of 3,165, OF
which l,G27 were saloon keepers aud 81 were
farmers Reports OF the wardens for the
years from July l, 1855, to June 30, 1857, show
that the total number OF convicts sent to the
penitentiaries during the two years, there
were but three saloon-keepers and one bar
tender, while there were l7O farmers. This
was during the two years when the most
toward the enforcement of the prohibitory
law. The list OF cOnyicts includes
GREAT VARIETY OF PEOPLE,
large number OF different lines OF business,
trades and professions being represented,
even clergymen, editors doctors, attorneys,
capitalists, and all others, except perhaps
politicians.
The warden's report of the Fort Madison
penitentiary from Sept. ~, 1889, to June 81,
1857. shows 4,5O6 convicts received. One
thousand three hundred and thirty niue
were temperate, l,Oi3 we're moderate and
the others incorporate. OF the cOnvicts In
the Fort Madison penitentiary during the
forty eight year period referred to above.
1869 were native Americans and only S41
were foreigners; 500 were farmers aud only
were saloon keepers. give these figures
to show that the on-keepers do not get
into the penitentiary for the crimes which
they commit, while the farmers do. To say
that the farmers get there because OF drink
ing, would be a SANDER and q libel upon
them. They do nothing OF the kind, and to
intimate such thing would be for the pro-
hibitionists to give their case entirely away.
The facts are, that, considering the number
OF farmers as compared with all other class
es OF people in the state In numbers, as
few, If not less of them, get into the
penitentiary than any other class, while
members Of the farming classes were being
sent to the penitentiary for disobedience OF
some law the farmers were paying increas-
loonkeepers, which resulted In some myster-
ious manner In the salOonkeepers keeping
out of the penitentiary, and paying . very
small proportion of their fines.
The official reports for the years from 1878
up to aud including 1890 show that the
COST or CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS
In Iowa, including the amount paid county
attorneys, Ia over q, OOO. 600, and while the
amount of fines imposed during that time
amounted to more than $1,000 OOO, the
amount of fines collected was only q little
over one third of that amount. The total
amount OF fines collected during that period
was about one third of the total cost OF the
criminal prosecution. The total cost OF the
prosecutions after deducting the fines col
lected leaves q balance of the net cost
against the taxpaye rs for the above period
OF over II, 500 600.
For the benefit of those laboring under the
delusion that prohibition prohibits present
herewith some important information that
may perhaps set their thought machiney In
motion. 1t consists of the number Of