The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-05-26

The Average of Some sections Lowered by
the Influx of OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES to
the Records, Ohio Seems to be the Best,
Michigan and Florida he Wors
Nine out of every ten men if asked in
which part of the country was the
most Wickedness would answer the
Atlantic seaboard. 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 YOrl city is the wick
eldest place in the United States.
The records of crime do not bear out
TINS 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 Il com
pariSon of States is made. Just as it is
when their relative llitoracy is made
the subject of statisticianS' 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. Mchigan's
crime list is sWrIird. it is said by the
influx of lumbermcn to the upper half
OF the State, while certain parts of
Florida being aim 50 in their primitive
state may account for its condition.
The average of certain manufacture
ing States is lowered by the influx
there of foreign WOrkmen who bring
their crimes with them MaSSachu-
sets and Connecticut would have the
reputation of having the best people in
the country We're it not for the Portu.
guese and other foreign laborers 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
mails Of the law have been pcrpetrated
IN those extremely law abiding States
mat IS why they do not rank very
high among the yirtuous.
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 nationalities.
The records show that the very best
people in the United States are the
men and women of Ohio. out of every
hundred thousand inhabitants of Ohio.
only "a 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 find that 80 of them are
thefts, burglarieS or robberies.
Inc second, third, fourth and fifth
best States, that is, most honest,
States, are those lying adjacent TO
Ohio, like Indiana, Pennsylvania. Miss
ouri 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
enness 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
dictable serious 0ffenses are committed
as in the Western States. But the
Western man becomes intoxicated
three times to 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. Inc most violent of all are the
people of Tennessee, but in point of
honesty they are third best; and with
regard to drink they occupy sixth place
among the States.
1t is safe to say that almost every
one has somehow formed the impress
sion that the inhabitants of North
Carolina are a shiftless as well as a
wicked set of people. This, however.
is one of those general Impressions
which will not stand investigation: it
is slur on the State which has fur
nished excellent citizens and supplies
magnificent scenery. AS a matter of
stern fact North Carolina ranks bet
ter than fourth in the pyramid of vir-
tue formed by the various States. and
the cause of its crimes, illteracy, keeps
them down to somewhat innocuous
or petty grade.