The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-11-26


judges, chaplains and wardens of pris-
ons unite in declaring that strong drink
is the grand cause of this great social
evil.
The chaplain of Auburn prison, New
York, says: Directly or indirectly,
eight-tenths of the prisoners there were
led TO commit their crimes under the in
fiuence of drink"
The warden of the state prison, Car
son, Nevada, in his report for 1898 and
1894, shows that of II prisoners only
six, or less than eight per cent, claim to
be temperate.
The report of the Wisconsin state
prison at Waupun for the two years,
1898 and 1894, shows that of 300 pris-
oners in 1898 there were A claiming to
be temperate, 100 were moderate drink
ers, and 81 confessed to intemperance,
making S. per cent. who confessed to
the use of liquors. In 1894 of 395 prison
ers Al claimed to be temperate, 254
moderate drinkers, and "a Incorporate,
so that So per cent. confessed to the use
of drink.
The report of the Connecticut state
prison for the year ending September
80, 1895 shows that of 395. prisonersg0o,
or 500 per cent, confess to the use of
drink as the cause of their crimes, and
SO more, or 1874 per cent, make the
cause to be bad company, which prob
ably means drink.
The warden of the penitentiary al
Anamosa, Ia, reports for the year end
ing June 80, 1895, that of GAO prisoners
only 1875 do not use liquor, making 70
per cent. who indulge in drink.
Oregon state penitentiary report for
1895 states that ''about so per cent ac-
knowledge to have been more or less
addicted to the use of intoxicants," and
that "about 60 per cent. attribute their
downfall to the use of intoXicants."
The average number of convcts was
300.
James P. Gibson, assistant supern-
tendent state penitentiary, Rusk, Tex.
says rs per cent. of the inmates are
there through drink.
n. Wall, warden state prison, Howard,
R. l., says: "Seventy-five per cent. of
the criminals of this prison were in the
habit of using Intoxicating liquor"
Ellen c. johnson, superintendent Re-
formatory Prison for Women, South
birmingham, Mass, says: "Possibiy
90 per cent. of criminals are here
through drink"
Prof. l. I. McCook, of Trinity college,
in a paper read before the Twentieth
Century club, of Hartford, says:
For 70 years the police arrests for
drunkenness alone averaged In Hartford
62S per cent. of the whole number, while
drunkenness and its allied offenses num-
bered S067 per cent. This proportion Is
| perhaps somewhat larger than in most
places, but 1t may generally be expected
to be at least as high as three-fifths.
Ninety-five to 81 out of every 100 incar-
cerated in our jails are self-confessed
drinkers, although they pleasantly add
moderate" to the title, and from 1876 to
SCI per cent. of them are there specially
| for drunkenness, and fully 66 per cent, or
two-thirds of them, are there for that
| and it's resulting crimes. There were 1893
of them there last year out of a total Of
| gill.
OF the 3S1 captives in our state prison
last year 4GS, or almost half, thought drink
| had done it.
Take special phases of crime for exam
pie:
| Abuse neglect, or abandonment of chill
dren. Those most familiar with the sub
! ject in this neighborhood have put the
| proportion of cases attributable to drink
| at or beyond two-thirds. From the Penn
| sylvania Society to Protect Children from
| Cruelty, with headquarters in Philadel-
| phia a former vice president, in talking
with me, fixed the proportion roughly at
,f,,r Yrr, +l,e- ID,tt no.
| tary gives me definite statistics for 1912,
| showing 800 cases of drink out of a total
of S64 in 1891 and 1853 out of 9S7 in 1S92-i e.,
from 35.S per cent. to 36,4 per cent. In some
previous years the percentage had been as
high as 50.
The United States supreme court
states: THE statistics of every state
| show a greater amount of crime and
misery attributable to the use of ardent
spirits obtained at these iquor-saloons
than to any other source"
Carroll d. Wright, now United States
commissioner of labor, when he was in
charge of the Massachusetts bureau Of
labor, made 4 careful investigation into
the relation of drink to crime.
He analysed the crimes committed in
| >
| Boston, for the year ending September /,
| 1880. The total number of sentences passed
during the year was 1887, of which 70, 2S9,
| or 70 per cent, were for offenses clearly due
| to drink 1921 being for drunkenness and
6S for illegal sales of liquor. OF the remain
| ing 4,60S persons convicted of various
| crimes, Mr.. Wright found that 2,097 had
committed them while under the influence
| of liquor, and that the intent to commit
| the crime was formed by 1918 while under
| the influence of liquor. 1t was found in
| 1904 cases that the crime was committed
| under conditions induced by the drink
| ing habits of criminals, while S21 cases of
| drinking habits of others induced the crime
| condition.
If the 2,097, who were shown to have com
mitted their offenses while under the influ
ence of drink, be added to the 12,2S9 con-
| victed of "distinctively rum offenses,"
this makes IA, 1856 out of the total S97 COM
| mitments, or "a per cent, due to drink par
ticularly. 1t is further probable that Of
the remaining number many were induced
| to commit their crimes through drink as
sociatons.-National Temperance Advo-
| cate.
The Saloon and the Home.
The saloon and the home are historic
enemies. They stand with drawn
swords. The one is utterly and terribly
against the other. 1t always will be