The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-12-01

An interesting monograph On the subject
Of iniempeTanee coald be complied " ara
OF the figures furnished IN The recent re-
pert Of the Massachusetts bureau Of STA
t,wssc. Of labor. BY an act passed in lsss.
snas bureau was directed 20 ascertain The
nnmbsr OF persona committed TO oil inssa-
tutlcns, penal and charitable. who owed
their commitment TO the uss OF intoxicae-
.nx lLauors. The result OF the lnvesfiga-
ton 4. sssn ia part one Of the twenty
sixth annual report OF The bureau, recently
published.
According 10 the figures. e5 out OF every
seo paupers. ~ out OF every 100 convicted
criminals and 81 cut OF every 100 insane
persons were addicted 20 the use OF intox-
icsslng liquors. OF the paupers. ss.&i per
cant considered their condition due TO
their own incorporate habits, and about
In every 100 considered their condition
due 70 the intemperanoe OF their parents,
one or both. About = out OF every 100 OF
the insane lost rheir reason through the
excessive use OF intoxicating liquors.
The fgures In regard TO crime are the
most instructive. OF the total number OF
convictions. ss in every 100 were for drunk
enness. About Sc os; of every 10 offenders
were In liquor at the time OF the commis-
sion of the offenss. or the cases where the
offender was convicted OF crime other
than drunkenness. ss ia every 100 were
cases where the offender was in liquor at
thu time the offense was committed. In
81 cases out OF every 100 the incorporate
habits OF the offender led TO a condition
which induced the crime. or those con-
victed Of crime. but out of every 100
were total abstainers. but only Il out OF
every 100 were habitually excessIys drink
ers. Fsfty-eghi out OF every 100 had faith
srs addicted 70 the use OF intoxicating IL
auor.. ana about 20 out Of every 100 had
mothers with the same habits.
The troah,e With statistics Of this kind
lies in the fact that they are not alto
gothar valuable for purposes of eompar.-
con. unless accompanied by corresponding
statistics showing the proportion OF the
flon-crlmsnaI class IN the same community
who are likewise addicted to the use OF
ttdNGFs As an i4HstFaAeIt u u ettoal1 Az
pear that IN community a ont OF every
so0 criminals were addicted 20 ths use OF
Intoxicating liquors thers eouii be no sat-
fsfactory conclusion drawn as 20 the rela-
ton of drinking 20 crime II Il Should like
Tiss appear that precisely the same pro-
portion % drinkers appeared among tho
ron-crlmlnal class. For another reason.
| portion Of these statistics may be looked
/ ufon with snspicien-ihose. for pie.
which dsclsrs that IN - cases out OF 100
! thu trtsmperats habits OF the offender lod
20 the condition which induced the crime.
Excluding arrests for drunkenness. It Ia
evident that The information contained
mus: have been obtained from the con-
VETS themselves. TO escape The impata-
ton OF being criminals from choice or by
'instinct." II 10 quite natural that they
Should place ths blame for their trans
xress!on upon their weakness, rather than
on their actual vicious tendencies
Bat even with these exclusions. there
e sufficient LEI: l. TN statistics to show
that tire habit Of using intoxicating liquors
60 excess does no, stop is evils with the
victim himself. bat imposes a heavy bur
den upon the taxpayers: and that IN the
home os couture" there Is considerable
work TO be done ey temperance reformsrs.