New-York tribune., 1896-03-29

THE PREVENTION OF CRIME.
AN ADDRESS ON THE SUBJECT BY JUS
TICE JEROME.


TICE JEROME.
ONE OF SERIES OF LECTURES BEFoHH IA"
woMANs LnAoUE FOR POLITICAL EpUcA'
TIoN-MUNICIPAL PRoBLEMs-THH
TREATMENT OF YOUTHFUL
CRIMINALS.
Justice William Travers Jerome aou' s'""..uaay
Woman's League for Political Educatioi
morning in the Berkeley Lyceum on the suo'e "
the prevention Of crime. He illustrated n,o -
ments by a chart. with red, black anu o"e @ -
unon II showing the fluctuations In certain Vpes
NJ criminal transgression for each year ln'er'eN7
between 1876 and 1895. He said lhat' "' INC
had Instituted series Of lectures OH hh."0 r -
fairs more for the purpose OF learning ina" i a.
tertainment. he proposed to give 'ae,n ao dry hut
tics which would ordinarily ne 'er"eu ., n.
which would aid materially in securing clear oo'
ception of the situation. ,..,,
First he drew attention TO the marheu 'e'u'
10 change from rural to urban Ife conspicuous a.
tho nresent time and likely to increase as year
went bv In 1890 there were only SIX cites I.' '
| country IN which the population exceeded e'Voo III
1890 80 per cent of the entire population OF lhe eo!
lived in 4i3 cities In Newly ork state loui ''''e'
New-York Brooklyn. Buffalo and fochestei-ooh-
tanned one-half of the whole popuiatioh' iheofs,s
he said held the idea that the great remedy Tor the
oorgss,,on of humanity in cities was TO get the peo-
nle hac to the SOIL but the people did not want to
get back to the SOIL and there was plenty OF reason
for such dissemination.
DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF RURAL LIFE.
Country life" declared the speaker. rs by no
means what 1t Is cracked up to be. 1t Is all very
well for the person of culture and means. with
books and mental enjoyments to hep pass away
the time leisure entertain profusely and the COM
Portable knowledge that life among stirring af-
fairs could be his at a few hours notice. The gem
teman farmer in fact. may luxuriate In the ideal
delights Of a country existence. but Tor the poor
man tll.ng the soil means only hard. grinding mo-
notony and isolation and he would rather stay In the
dirty wretched tenement house where he can come
In contact with his kind and every day and night
have means Of amusement that would drive coun-
tryman crazy with excitement. There VIII nave
to be some other solution of the problem than the
chmera Of winning the people to an interest IN ag-
rcultural pursuits"
demonstrated had changed the conditions OF life ma
terally but human nature had not changed. and II
was only within the last fifty years that expert
ments with municipal problems had been tried at
ALL The speaker pointed out the danger OF import
ing foreign experiments in these matters bodily
into this country. Conditions in this country and
city were different from those in the O.d World.
The body of people living below Fourteenth-st
were touch with the more prosperous native
clement, and. what more. the transplanted for
eEnerS were more IMAM tNe
leans them credit for doing. The trouble was
to get them into the right train Of thought. Schemes
for the government OF this class OF people that
worked satisfactorily in Scottish and English towns
would not prove practical here, would even prove
disastrous. The ballot and the administration OF
criminal law the only phases Of government
which these people felt affected them in the least.
wAsTEFUL EXPENDITURE BY THE CITY.
Fifty per cent Of the felons in the prisons the
State New York a aDDallin4 Il
proportion emanated from Brooklyn and Buffalo. IL
we'll to take not only philanthropic. but a
financial. view Of these facts. The fiscal concerns
Of the city Of New-York compared with the
revenue and expenses Of such countries Of Europe
as Denmark Sweden and Norway and the speaker
drew the inference that there gross mIsman-
agement In this metropolis. owing not 80 much to
Is per cent OF the enormous expenditure OF this city
was caused by crime. We pay as much for our
police force for schools" he said. and yet
the police expenditure must still be increased. a.
| II is now inadequate"
In speaking Of the possible diminution of crime
through judicousy adjusted social forces. Justice
Jerome reminded his hearers that changes consid-
cred almost equally improbable in the past had been
If boy criminal is fifteen years and nine mont hs
old" said the Justice he can be sent to the Elmira
Reformatory where the chances FOR his moral i'm
provement are the best in any civilized country.
he must be sent to place where every evil procllv-
ity he has is fostered In hotbed. say the pre-
vention Of crime must begin with these boys. We
I
be able TO expend less in Furnishing II.
NEED OF A GOOD DISTRICT T-ATTORNEY
Ladies' Of the League" he continued. "if you hope
ever to any practica! reform in this city. keep
your eye the District-Attorney. Nothing can
be accomplished Of permanent good until that mos,
| important Of ofIlces In the gift OF this people Is
| n.led by honest. able man. who Is not
| only negatively but aggressiyely honest; who will
| not walt for crime to rub elbows with him before
! he sees II, but who Will go out and look for II
| STAMP under foot"
| tention to the almost undertaking line OF crime
| as committed by tho woman felon in twenty years
| compared with the erratic and much-dversihed
| lines above It. indicating crimes by He said
| that perhaps the opening OF so many avenues Of
| employment to women in the last two decades
| might have modified the tendency 10 crime among
| them The number OF suicides IN certain years
| as compared with others. was dwet upon anC
| the number of felonics. OF msdemeanors. Of per
| sons arrested and Of those convicted was taker
these figures. suddenly lessening, suddenly in
| fully with due inquiry into the causes OF tn
| fluctuations the way to prevent the commission o
| crime would be made pain
| what would be the first step toward helpni
| the conditi n OF the sixteen-year-od criminals
| one OF the women present asked at the CONCLUSION
| Of Justice Jeromes address
"To create intelligent public sentiment and: a
| a sequel secure helpful legislation, was the answer
as1l md al