Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1892-08-26
THE CRIME HABIT.

rIOin Tile otttlStiCS VI uOuilCluc
given in the census bulletin, there
has been more or less speculation
as to the causes of crime. 1t is
shown that ignorance, lack of
knowledge of a trade or business,
idleness and intemperance, usually
credited with being the four great
causes of crime, are relieved Of this
responsibility by the statistics,
which show that 66.56 per cent
could read and write, 1921 per
cent were employed. and only 1887
per cent we're drunkards, says the
Oregonian. The statistics of murder
are less valuable as an indication Of
the cause of crime than is usually
supposed. In the first place, hom-
icide is not the kind of crime that
should be studied if one is seeking
information about the criminal
classes. Every keeper of a peni-
tentiary will say that murderers
are the best class of prisoners he
has. The commission of murder is
no sign of criminal habits or in
stinct- 1t is generally the result Of
special causes. Occasionally, of
course, murder is committed
in the course Of perpetrating
some other crime, such as burglary
or highway robbery. and the MUIR
derer my then properly be assigned
to the habitually criminal class;
but nine-tenths of the murders
committed are special deeds whose
perpetrators do not belong in the
ranks Of the habitually criminal.
For this reason statistics of honli-
eide are not valuable in determin-
ing the causes of crime.
1t may be said, as well, that the
penitentiary is not by any means
SO good q place for the study of
crime and its causes as the police
court The statistics Of the Oregon
penitentiary for the last three
months Of 1891 are typical, and
point to conclusions as plainly as
though for longer period. Dur
ing that time II we're committed
from the various counties of the
state OF these, 81 could read and
write English, 2 could read and
write their own language, but not
English, and only A could not read
or write at all. Of the character
Of crimes they committed, 10 were
crimes against the person, such as
murder, assault, rape, ETC., and 81 |
were crimes against property, 81
being for grand larceny. 1t is
crimes against property that are
committed by the habitually Grim
inal class, and statistics of such |
crimes are far more valuable
than those Of homicides, Only 18E
Of the II were registered as hard
drinkers and one as a morphine
fiend. Eighteen were recorded as
having special trade or occupa-
tion. Religious faith is recorded |
as 16 Catholics, "a Protestants, one
Confucian, and 36 with no creed at
all, between 65 single and II mar
ried.
These figures are practically val /
ueless as giving any indication of
the causes of the commission of
crime. The religious test shows
about half and half between
those that claimed to adhere to
some religious faith and those that
did not The statistics Of intem-
perance, as taken, mean but little,
Eighteen out Of N were hard drink
ers, bnt it is the common expert /,
ence that the influence of intem-
perance upon crime is not confined
to drunkards. The labor figures
mean little, since men lie about
such matters, and all who did not
give special occupation were class
ed as laborers. The fact that 65 Of
the "a were unmarried is quite sig
nifcant. 1t is directly in line Of |
common observation that it is not
good for man to be alone. The
young man who assumes the re-