Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-04-13
THE COST OF CRIME.

Eugene Smith of Baltimore has just
prepared for the National Prison Assoc
citation paper on the cost of crime, ip
which he endeavors to show what part
of public taxation may be charged upon
the crime. Usually. says Mr.. Smith,
this question is answered in a most sum-
mary fashion. the cost of maintaining
prisons, police and the criminal courts
being taken as the real measure of crime
taxation This, he says, is a great mis-
take, for besides such charges due to
crime exclusively. there is hardly any
item of public expenditure that is not,
directly or indirectly. enlarged by rea-
son of the existence of crime or that
would not be diminished if crime could
be eXterminated. The cost of crime is
an element pervading the whole budget
of taxation and entering as component
part into nearly every department of it.
These composite items must be analysed.
and the share of each attributable to
crime is as surely a part of the cost Of
crime as are the expenses of jails and
renitentiaries.
According to Mr. Smiths calculations,
the cost of crime, included in taxation
in the city of New York. gives an aver
age charge of S. for each individual in
its population. Going to the west he
finds that in San Francisco such cost is
about S., while in the other cities this
Fer capita tax runs, with slight varia-
tions. from SO to $3.50. The slight striking
excess of the rate in New York and San
Francisco above that of the other cities
is explained in part by one very import
ant fact: The rate in New York and
San Francisco includes county taxation,
While the rate in the other cities does
not
Basing his estimate from such light
can be gained from the reports Of
those cities and from other sources Of
information, Mr.. Smith says that about
s. should be added to the prevailing per
capita of SO to So in order to include
county taxation. This makes the total
amount of both city and county taxa
ton caused by crime paid by the dwell
ers in cities average from 81 to $3.50 each
NINA DlldHl, Dul 10 cover variations ana
to make the final result a conservative
enc, he prefers to reduce the estima tie
as low as $3.50 per capita.
Mr.. Smith finds, from his researches
that there are in the United States
100000 persons who make their living by
criminal practices of one kind or an
other and each of these has an average
income Of $1,000. That number of per
sens at the amount stated for each, rep
resent an aggregate annual income Of
$500 600 600 To this must be added the
yearly taxation caused by crime amount
ing to $500, 600 900, which thus gives US
the enormous aggregate of $500, 900, 900.
This vast sum, which exceeds the value
OF the entire cotton crop of the United
States, which exceeds the value of the
entire wheat crop of the country is a
part of the cost of crime. 1t is, all of it.
sheer spoliation, without any compen-
s,lting consideration or benefit, terri
flying incubus upon the industry and
u osperity of the people. There can be
no stronger proof of the wonderful re-
SOtICeS anu Vitality u tAilleIlCdu enter
prise than the fact that it is able &c
survive and endure such desperate
biOodletting.
Some may incline to the belief thai
Mr.. Smiths figures are exaggerated Q,
nlisle aiding, yet the judiciary committee
of the house of representatives value!
his paper so highly that it has beer
ordered printed as a government docu
N,ent.