Los Angeles herald., 1891-07-30
CALIFORNIA CRIME AND INSANITY.


facts shown by the recent census. Cali
fornia's position in the union in some of
the leading particulars is as follows: In
population we are the twenty-second
state, or about midway OF the column.
In total debt we take the same relative
situation, so that our Indebtedness rep
resents the average of all the states.
In area it is the second state, Texas
alone exceeds it in size. 1t ranks
ninth in the size of its urban
population. But it is before our convict
and insane statistics that the citizens of
the state may we'll stand appalled,.
While we only stand twenty-second in
population, we are fifth in the number
of convicts, and sixth in the total of in
sane persons. In proportion to popula-
tion we stand at the very head OF the
column in both these unpleasant partic-
ulars. 1t is decidedly disagreeable con.
dition of affairs to be proved against the
commonwealth by cold figures.
This alarming growth of crime and
insanity may well cause rejecting people
to look upon the situation with degree
of gravity that is anything but reassur-
ing. Let us for moment see if we can
account for the fact that we stand fifth
amongst the states in the number of our
convicts, whilst we stand only twenty
second in the number of our population.
Is it, ascribable to the fact that large
proportion of the children of the original
gold-seekers were brought up in idle
ness? That this was so was due to the
peculiar condition of society in California
in the two first decades after the gold dis
covery. Many of the fathers and moth
ers of that period wanted to bring up
their children as gentlemen and ladies',
and were ignorant enough to consider
that gentility and labor were incompat-
ible. The hoodlum was evolved out OF
this error, and the dividing line between
the hoodlum and the convict is not very
wide. Then there were other reasons
that led the boys of that period to en-
forced idleness. The Chinese monopo-
lized the work that is done by boys and
girls elsewhere. The trades shut their
doors against apprentices, and work for
boys was almost altogether unattainable.
But outside OF the convicts that can be
charged to our own production, Cal
ifornia has always been favorite
point to which the criminal classes of
all other parts of the world gravitated.
The chances for the expert thief. the
bold highwayman, the intrepid robber,
the smooth forger and confidence man
seemed to be greater in this state than
elsewhere, so that our prisons have re-
ally been overcrow ded, not with convicts
of our own creating, but with those of
all the other states and from all parts OF
the world. The criminal class increases.
more rapidly in proportion than the
Just look at the class of
our state has been sub
jected to and it will not appear strange
that we are flooded with criminals.
Here, for over thirty years, the river
cities OF China were pouring in the very
dregs OF their population upon us. For
ten years-from 1850 to 1S60-we re-
ceived a very large accession from the
convict class OF Australia, and the first
vigilance committee in San Francisco
was organized to summarily put down
the crimes of the "Sydney ducks" as
the ticket-of-leave men were called.
Then our state abuts on Mexico, and
has received an immense share of the
criminal class of that country, SO rich in
material for filling penitentiaries.
When, indeed, we look over the whole
field of facts, we are not astonished that
we should have five times more convicts
than other American states. But the
facts are very onerous. They bear very
heavily on the taxpayer, and if the
criminal class continues to increase, we
may be forced to look more deeply into
the science of penology for relief than
we have heretofore considered it neces-
sary to do.
The fact that we stand sixth in the to-
tai OF our insane persons whilst we are
only twenty-second in population among
the states, is matter that causes us
less surprise than pain. How to miti-
gate this evil has long been the study of
our leading philauthropists and. alien
lists. 1t seems that there is something
abnormal in the experiences Of
people in California that makes
them ready material for luna
cy. The ups and downs of fortune
in the past would account for great
deal of the insanity in our, asylums.
But our state has now for number of
years become more settled than before,
and insanity ought to decrease with the
establishment and spread OF homes.
The mining excitements, too, have died
out. and this great incentive to the over
throw OF weak minds hardly exists at
present. 1t would seem that henceforth
the new and more settled conditions of
our state ought to contribute greatly to
decrease in the number Of our insane
patients. We have now three asylums
in full operation and two more under
way. Let US hope that before these last
have been opened the number of our
shall have go far decreased as to
render their occupation unnecessary.
The JERSEY LILY reached her level