The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1899-06-10

cost Of each arrest is $122. The per.
centage of criminals in the United
States has increased so rapidly that
We now have one habitual or hercdl-
tary criminal IN every thousand per-
SONS, whereas in 1850 we had only one
in every 3,442. The criminals propa-
gate, marry and multiply unrestrained,
and unless we change our laws VIII
continue to increase at the ratio they
have in the past until it is appalling
to contemplate the outcome"
These and other startling utterancea
formed part Of lecture delivered III
Handel Hall, Chicago, by Daniel X.
Browner, NJ. D., LII. d.; on the subject,
Criminal Anthropology," before the
mcmbcrsof the Society Of AnthrOpology.
Continuing. the lecturer set forth the
subjoincd opinions as result OF MS
observations as an anatomist, psychol-
ogist and Psychologist Illustrating the
points he made by series of stereop-
ticon pictures from photographs taken
by himself, Lolnbroso and other stu
dents of anthropology.
1--WE arc living In marvellous uge
indeed when we can telegraph through
brick walls without wires; have chaill-
cd the lightning and performed other
fcats which q few centuries past
would have been regarded as miracles.
We have made commensurate progress
in all other material things. One hun
drcd years ago lunatics were regarded
as persons either blessed or cursed, and
they were confined in dungeons or can.
onizcd as saints. The medical pro.
fession deserves credit for having
shown the victims Of diseased brains
70 be what they really are. 1t also
claims credit Tor having put the lunatic
and criminal in the same class. Habit
ual crime is a form Ct lunacy. The
habitual criminal is the victim of q
diseased mind md deserves our pity
and humane consideration 10 the Same
extent that the lunatic does. There
are two classes of criminalS-tllc habit
ual or hereditary criminals aud the oc-
ccsional criminals. You and and all
normal persons belong to the latter
class if we commit crime. OF the
entire criminal class 80 per cent. arc
habitual malefact0rs. The ratio OF
criminals in America has increased at
an alarming rate since 1850, as shown
by this table:
1850, Ratio Of crime. .......l in 3, Az
1860, Ratio of crime. ......l in l,64l
1870, Ratio of crime. ........1 in LII
1880, Ratio of crime. .......l in 500
1890, Ratio Of crime. ........1 IL 1911
"Thc cost Of each arrest ip the largo
cities Is $50 in New York, $3S In Chi
cago, $l22 IN Philadelphia, $S4 in Lon
don, $2G in Paris. If the principles
enunciated by those who ask for q re
form of our criminal laws and the es
tablishment of rcformatories were ad
hered to the expense Of disciplinin&
and caring for the criminals of thu
world would be less by millions. There
would also be removed the danger OF
an increase of hereditary criminals. Ii
Germany one man had S04 descend
ants, nearly all Of whom were crimi
nails; many of them murdcrers. thieves
and pickpockets. A man named Jull'
in New York in seven generations pro
duced 1900 criminals and paupers q
cost to the state of over $10,00000O.
Take Oliver Wendell Holmes as ;
type of the good man, and SantO, tn
assassin of President Carnot Of France
and a common criminal / found II
the Bridcwell named Mitchell, as type
of criminals for comparison. Whel
these men were in the cradle no on
can truthfully say they were all alike
Holmes could not help being good. H
was from q line Of ancestors who ha
ODcyed the moral laws and his chnraC
ter was nodded by hereditary infuer
ccs. His head is we'll balanced an
the inhiDitory or moral portion Of hi
brain dominates and controls. Sa1t
was the son Of an insane mother an
IN cpileptlc father. How could h
have been otherwise than what h
was? Epilepsy Is violence. His brai
was largely developed in the emotiont
region, while the moral portion wa
: deprived of growth by malnutritio
. and lack of use. Mitchell was the chill
of a mother who died at the birth an
who had been rendered unhappy by
criminal and drunken husband. TIL
lines Of sadness OH Mitchells face al
SO marked that they cannot escap
Hny observer.
eve arc living under the system {
8 Roman law which graded crime, pul
: ishing men not for the commission {
crime but for the commission Of pa
j ticular crime. Rome had two ways {
4 getting rid of her degenerates-the
Z were fed to the lions In the amphithe
: tire or were thrown from the Tarpeia
9 rock. If VIC do not change our crimin
$ code it would be far better to have
\ modern Tarpeian rock from which
s throw our criminals to destruction. "
d., should have rcformatories III which
Q confinc criminals for lfc IL neccssar
s and we should have laws controllir
e marriage so that dcccneracy may
' checked by preventing the union
/ criminal, diseased or lunatic couples