The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-05-28

Elaborate Tables of Statistics
UnreIiabLe-"WiId Life at Home,",
"a Delightful Little Study of Ma
ture with IL Cnmera-StanIey Wa
terIOo's .I.aunching of IL Man."
Economic Aspects of the Liquor Prob
flem." by John Koren, under the di-
rection of the Committee of Fifty.
Houghton. MifIiin & Co, New York;
For sale by the st. Paul Book and
Stationery company.
Some years ago a committee of fifty
Gentlemen, who represented the philan-
fhropic and also the scientific aspirations
&c the better classes of people was or
tanized for a thorough study of the var
bus aspects of the liquor problem. The
fort was to secure a body of facts re-
ating to the medical legislative, ethical
Ind economic aspects of the question to
terve as a basis for intelligent public and
krivate action A volume appeared in
sS97 dealing with the legislative aspects of
he subject. The. present study has oc-
upied the attention of subcommittee
or six years, and the results of their
Exhaustive inquiry will be read with in
crest particularly by that large section
f the intelligent public which has learn
d to receive with scepticism the so-calIed
tatistics and conclusions of the popular
emperance agitator. The investigation
overs essentially four problems: The re-
alton of the liquor traffic to pauperism,
o neglect of children, to crime, and to the
North American Indians A fifth topic is
selected out of the first three for separate
treatment, that is, the relation of liquor
o the negro race It would be pleas
IRE to say that this volume is at last a
uH and reliable study of the important
Questions involved, but, on the contrary,
is SO badly done from scientific point
Of view as to be of no real service to the
student Elaborate tables of statistics
are presented that on the face of them
are wholly unreliable. This results from
he. bias of the investigators, the con-
'essed difficulties of securing the truth
lpon subjects most difficult and obscure.
md the pleasing capacity of faith OH the
part of the eminent comInittee. 1t is no
sorious to those familiar with the classes ]
Involved that the needy will rarely ever
admit that their poverty is caused by
brink On the other hand, the criminal
would always persuade his interlocutor
hat but for the unholy temptation Of
t'cakes and ale" he would have remained
1rtuous Some investigators believe both
reports Some doubt both. Some believe
pne and doubt the other. The result is
scientific confusion. In the state prison
If Thomaston, Maine, we are told that
more than eighteen per cent of the criml-
nails are there through drink. This is in
spite of a prohibition law which parti-
Bans of it always say is successful. In
zlmira, New York reformatory. we are
old that less than 2 per cent of the
roung men have fallen through the drink
habit New York has usually held lax
Jiews on the subject of saloon control
Shall we conclude that the wide OPEN
policy is a conserver Of virtue? By no
means. But we may conclude that the
rirtuous warden in Maine is a more I'M
,eiecting foe of the saloon than Supt.
5rockway, of EImira, and mas made up
his statistics accordingly. In Sing Sing
prison, we are told that more than q
I per cent of the, inmates are there through
rink Now Elmira receives the first Of
lenders and the accidental criminals.
arger percentage of damage from
he drink traffic than Sing Sing.
But according to these tables,
where one man commits his first crime
through drink, twelve men commit the
second offense. Auburn prison has less
han 10 per cent, against the "a Of Sing
Sing, both being state prisons in the same
sc. Enough has been said to show that
f we credit the. honesty of the inVesti-
gators, we must do So at the expense
If their intelligence. But 1t would be
misleading to conclude that the book has
title value. It has a great deal of In
formation and as first study Of the
Question is we'll enough. 1t will furnish
material for the use of future investiga-
tors but in the meantime the problems
are far from being solved.