The commonwealth., 1903-06-18
SALOONS N ACCOUNT s:
=: WITH COMMONWEALTH
RvHenrv H. Faxon, Quincy, Mass.

L
ByHenry H. Faxon. Quincy. Mass.
Under tho authority OF IN Act
passed by the Massachusetts, Leg
islature of 1894, tho Bureau Of 4tetis-
tics of Labor engaged in . thorough
investigation of the relation OF tho
liquor traffic to pauperism. crime and
insanity. The collection OF informa-
tion occupied twelve months, closing
with August, 1895; The official 70
port OF this Bureau contalAs facts
which the most ardent temperance
advocate has not asserted concerning
the saloons relation to industrial pros
perity. The investigation has been
conducted with entire lmpartiallty,
neither theory nor bias having place
in this work.
Saloons and Drunkenness.-One In
terestlng branch of the Bureaus inves-
tipation related to the arrests tor drank
eoness and for other crimes in lcense
and no-license cities and towns. OF
the 353 cities and towns OF the tate,
there we're fifty-three which were under
the license policy during the year, and
26O which were under no-license, while
there were forty which. owing to q
change of policy, were partly under
license and partly under no-license.
The first group contained one-haH Of
the total population of the State. The
license CITIES and towns showed 36.A
arrests for drunkenness to every LOCO
Of the population; the no-license COM
munities showed 9.94 such arrests to
every 1000 of the population. Ar
rests for offences other than drunken
ness were 22.34 to each 1000 of the
population in the license cities and
towns; in the no-license cities and
towns they were 1926 to every 1000
OF the population.
In Hayerhill the average number OF
arrests for drunkenness per month
under license was 81.68, under no
license $3.50; in Lynn, under license,
BIS: under no-license, 127 SO; in Med
ford, under license, 2O.12, under no
license, 1926; In Pittsfeld, under
license, 1926, under no-license, 1916
and in Salem, under license, 14O.5O,
under no-license, 1858.
Saloons and Paupers.-4+Examining
he statistics Of paupers, where the in
uniry covered all the persons found In
the State institutions during twelve
consecutive months, We find that OK.
cluding minors, about seventy-five per
SONS in every 100 among the paupers
Of the State were addicted to the use d
iquor, and three -fourths of these used
III Kinds or at least two kinds of liquor
Nearly one-half of the paupers had one
W both parents intemperate. About
Ithirty-nine in every 100 attributed
their pauperism to their own intem
perate habits, and about five in every
hundred attributed their pauperism tt
the intemperance OF parents.
Saloons and Crime.-When wereact
.he statistics of crime, We find still
more direct connection between tht
use of liquor and the burdens which
rest upon society. To begin with, ou1
If all convictions for crime during the
year under review, about sixty-six IL
every 100 were for drunkenness. II
early eighty-two cases In every 100
The offender was under the influence o
lquor at the time that the ofienc.
vas committed. In more th2n eighty
our cases in every 100, the intenper
te habits Of the offender led to con
.ition which induced the crime. Dis
regarding the convictions directly fo1
drunkenness, it appears that intemper
.pce was responsible for more thar
,ne-half Of the remaining cases o
;rime. Finally excluding minors, the ia
bles show that of every 100 persons con
vlcted of crime during the year, 96.44
,,er cent. were addicted to the use o