Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-01-30

and uneducated shall he heard here
equally with the learned.
a Bit Of Criminoiogy.
Editor Virginian- Pilot:
1t is always the fashion to abuse the
policeman; 1t is Il larger growth of the
childish habit of nagging the school
teacher The citizen does not apprecl-
ate the policeman, and sometimes the
policeman is open to criticism. Accord
( ing to the regulations "He is an eX-
ecutive officer of the criminal law only"
Section 80 also says: every member
OF the police force must endeavor, by
his constant vigilance, to prevent the
preparation of crime within his beat"
He may not enter a house without n
warrant, except I'M extreme cases. He
must not enter drinking place or dis
reputable resort of any kind except to
quell q disturbance or under special or
der to raid. He may not seek evidence,
even in the guise Of a 'broken- down
sport" unless he does 1t so judiciously
that he is not open to the charge OF
playing the spy. He is at all times
controlled by the Board of Police Com
missioners. From top to bottom the po-
lice force Of our city is under authority
and simply reflects the will of it's sl,
periors. The force is directly RESPONSE
BILE to the Police Commissioners. one
of whom Is the Mayor and two of
whom were elected by the Common
Council Now the Mayor and Common
Council were elected by large MAORI
ty OF the people who voted in 1898. Ul-
timately. the men who voted for the
present administration are the superiors
of the police, force. It is a case of
like master, like servant" Those who
voted for tho I,x
right to crlticise their obedient SER
wants. The time to oppose the present
rule was at the ballot-box in May 1898:
those who failed to do SO have no right
to speak In condemnation now; let
them speak at the next election.
What has the blue-coat man been do
ing while the people abused him?
During the ten years ending June 30,
1889. the police of Norfolk made 5O667
arrests. Of these, ao.216 were of color
ed offenders. and 20,451 OF white ones.
Sixty per cent. OF the whole number
OF Offenders We're colored and 40 per
cent. were white. In 1890 the popula-
ton of Norfolk was 31,260; the present
population, at a sangune estimate, IS
10000, a gain Of 1913 per cent. In 1890
the police of Norfolk arrested 2.641 Of
tenders; in 1899 they arrested 1893. an
increase of 116 per cent. The legal
Offenders in Norfolk have increased in
ten years 43 per cent. more rapidly than
the population. No one can deny that
Norfolk has made phenomenal growth
In wealth and population during the
decade just ended. What shall we say
OF the greater increase of law
breakers?
Three needs are apparent: a revision
of the laws of Virginia governing pet
fy crimes, n police station In the Fourth
ward, and large Increase in the police
force. We need our criminal laws re-
vised because the fact that they are
so lax and those OF North Carolina so
stringent makes Virginia In general,
and Norfolk in particular a dumping
ground for the petty criminals of the
Old North State. We need n police
cause for the past decade the arrests
of colored lawbreakers exceed the ar
rests of white ones by 20 per cent. We
need an increased police force for the
very good reason that while out popu-
1ation has in the past ten years in
creased by 1913 ner cent, and our legal
Offenders by by 176 per cent, our police
force has increased but SO per cent
only q trine over half the increase in
crime, In 1899 less than half as many
policemen made nearly three times as
many arrests as were made in 1SS9-'90.
We hear more than anything else
a bout the association of the liquor bust
ness with crime. SO the question natu-
rally rises as to the proportion OF
drunken men to the whole number of
oTenders. During the ten years ending
June 80. 1899. there were 1889 arrests
for drunkenness. or these $3.50 were
white and 5,04S were colored offenders.
OF all the arrests made in the decade,
ont 90 l.,...- n
cent. OF all Norfolks DRINKS for ten
years were whites, and 36S per cent
We're colored, an excess of 264 per sent.
against the whites. The police station
for the confinement OF Norfollx's plain
DRINKS apparently does not need to be
in the Fourth Ward. OF every 100
offenders arrested during 1SS9-'90, 29.7
We're DRINKS; of the 29.7, 1873 were white
DRINKS and 1913 were colored
When one Is studying the statistics
7 of drunken offenders one adminlstra-
tion that OF 1895, the reform period"
Is. OF course, most carefully scrutinized.
When The mere sentiment of such a
period has passed away, even those who
are still faithful to it's underlying prln
ciples must weigh It's records in the
same balances in which the records OF
the others are weighed. and sometimes
must confess III sadness that the said
records weigh little light. The gene
raj average for arrests of DRINKS for