Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-02-22
CRIME NOT AFFECTED
BY THE NUMBER OF SALOONS
IN A GIVEN PLACE.

BY THE NUMBER OF SALOONS
IN A GIVEN PLACE.
At Least that is What is Said by Rev. Henry c
Kinney. Rector Of Holy Trinity Episcopal
Church. Of New iork-And He Gives Figures
to Prove it.
Recently the New York Tribune has
been printing 4 good many articles on
the liquor traffic and showing the re-
lation of the saloon to drunkenness
and crime. have taken the census
returns of 129 cities OF the United
States, the number OF saloons to the
population of each, the number of ar
rests for drunkenness and for crime
and am prepared to say that the ar.
rests made in these cities have no re.
lation to the number of saloons in
them.
In making this deduction l took
first the census returns on population
of each city and found the proportion
of saloons to each 10000 of popula.
ton. Then taking the number of ar.
rests in that city, found the proper
ton OF arrests in each 10000 0! popu-
lation. Entering these figures in par
allel columns l found some striking
groups.
For instance, Chicago and Roches-
ter, N. Y, have the same relative
number of saloons, averaging frac.
ton more than 3S to the 10000 oil
population. But while Rochester DO.
lice arrested only 1876 persons in each
10000 for drunkenness and 43.4 for
other crimes. the Chicago department.
arrested 237.1 for drunkenness and
CAT for other crimes and misdemean.
ors. Taking the figures for Roches.
ter, only six other cities of the United
States had a smaller number of arrests
for drunkenness in proportion to pop
ulation, while fifty-three cities showed
fewer arrests for crimes in each 10000
of population.
In the Chicago figures the city
ranked forty seventh in the number ol
arrests for drunkenness, forty-tirst in
its arrests for crimes, and only thirty.
sixth in its proportion of saloons.
Taking Boston, with its 14.2 saloons
to Chicago's 3S in the 10000, Boston
had 429.1 arrests for drunkenness to
Chicago's 237.1. With nearly three
times as many saloons as Boston has,
Chicago had only a little more than
half the drunkenness coming to the
notice of the police. Only thirteen
cities of the United States, having O
population Of 10000 or more, exceeded
the records OF Boston for drunkenness
OF these thirteen cities, too, l was
sorry to find Joliet, ILL.,, with 479.5 ar
rests in each 10000, and Springfield
ILL.,, with 1909, all under the head ol
drunkenness.
But, however numerous were JOliet's
arrests for drunkenness, there were
only twenty-five of the 129 cities free.
er from crime than it was; as to
Springfield, lis of these cities had
fewer arrests for crime, leaving the II.
linois capital in this respect almost al
the bottom OF the list.
Norfolk, Va, and Atlanta, Ca, are
two Southern cities subject to compar
isons. Norfolk has 25.3 saloons te
every 10000 of population, while At
lanta has only 1874 saloons to the
same number. Yet Norfolk arrested Q
total of only SOLO persons for all
causes. while Atlanta had 1,l1O.4 tc
each 10000 of population.
These figures quoted have been in
dividual. In some of my generaliz'
ings I obtained equally as startling re-
suits.
took eleven cities, for instance
which had no licensed saloons, and
having a total population of 6OO,l55
As against these I set off five cities
having a total of Isl, 1884 inhabitants
and with an average of fifty-five sa
looms to each 10000 population.
In the first group, having no Ii
censed saloons and 151 900 fewer peo
pie, found an average of 2O2 arrests
for drunk and disorderly conduct ir
each 10, 900 population, as against 11s
in the 10000 in the group of cite.
having licensed saloons. In each 1O,'
600 population in the unlicensed
group there were 1882 more arrest.
for drunkenness and 4.23 more arrests
for crime than l found where liquor
was licensed in 90 many places.
have no reasons to advance &C
counting for this showing. have
taken official figures only, and present
results that cost me most Of my sur
plus time through period OF two
months. These figures must stand
for themselves. l have only to say o.
them that they prove beyond chal
lenge that there is no traceable con.
nection between the number of sa.
looms in the cities and the crime rec
ords of those places.
CAUSE and Effect" No wonder
Gilsey is good natured. Everything
comes his way" Perhaps every