The Lambertville record., 1899-02-22
RECORDS OF CRIME.
THE DIFFERENT KINDS THAT FLOUR
IsH IN SEVERAL STATES

The Average of Sums sections Lowered by
The Influx Of ForeIgners-Ac to
the Records. Ohio Seems to bs tho Best
Michigan and Florida the wors'.
Nine out of every ten men if asked in
which part of the country was the
most wickedness would answer the
Atlantic sea board. Their assumption
would be based on the fact that the
large cities and particularly New York
are situated there and almost every
body thinks New York city is the wick
cdcst place in the United States.
The records of crime do not bear out
this assumption and comparison of
the police records OF Eastern and West
ern cities is quite favorable to New
York. Philadelphia Boston or any Of
The Eastern cities.
The population must, OF course, be
taken into consideration when q com
pal'isou Of States is made just as it is
when their relative illiteracy is made
the subject of statlsticians reports.
Thus considered, the Empire State
compares most fayorably with any
other State in the Union. And thus
judged, also, the Two worst States are
Michigan and Florida. Michigans
crime list is swcled. II is said. by the
influx of lumbermen to the upper half
of the State, while certain parts of
Florida being almost in their primitive
state may account for its condition.
The average Of certain manufactur-
ing States Is lowered by the influx
there of foreign workmen who bring
their crimes with them. Massachu-
sets and Connecticut would have the
I ftsiti ff has- In
| the country were 1t not for the Portu.
guese and other foreign laborcrs at
tracted to Fail River and similar
places where there are big mills or
manufactures of various kinds. Some
of the most dreadful crimes In the an
Bals Of the law have been perpetrated
| in those extremely law abiding States.
That is why they do not rank very
high among the viriuous
The same is true of New York city
or rather of New York State, because
Of the city Its crime" record Is pro.
digiously swelled by the rapid knife OF
the Italian, and the imported citizens
of other natlonalites
The records show that the very best
people in the United States are the
men and women OF Ohio. Out OF every
hundrcd thousand Inhabitants of Ohio.
only 81 commit serious crimes during
year. And when the police report
best" they practically mean most
honest II you take any hundred
crimes committed in this vast coun-
try, you will flnd that 90 of them are
thefts, burSlaries or robberies.
The second third, fourth and fifth
best States. that Is. most honest.
States, are those lying adjacent to
Ohio, like Indiana, Pennsylvania, Miss.
/ 9uri and Kentucky. Those conspIc.
uous In the other direction are some
OF the Western States, particularly
California and some OF the Southern
States, including two Of the Gulf
States
Some people Will tell you that drunk
eunesS is the cause of all other crime.
But the criminal annals show that
there is no truth In this statement. In
the Eastern States twice as many In.
iictahle serious ottenses are committed
ls III the Western States Bun the
Western man becomes intoxicated
three times 20 the Eastern man once.
Assaults and other crimes of violence
also seem TO have small relation to dis.
honesty and very little connection with
drink. Tue most violent of all are the
people Of Tennessee, hut In point of
honesty they are third best aud with
regard to drink they occupy sixth place
among the States.
1t is snic to SAY that almost every
Jnc has somehow formed the impres-
sion thai the inhabitants of North
Carolina are n shlftless as well as q
wicked set OF people. This, however,
$ one of those general impressions"
L. a.