The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1905-08-10
CRIHE SHOWS INCREASE
CeaSns Figures Iadlcaie Decrease N
Number Of Legal Hiasinas.

Statistics on crime now being COM
piled by the United States bureau at
Washington, and which will be made
public within few months. will sup
ply President Roosevelt a text upon
which he may base some important
recommendation to congress. 1t is
accepted as certain that the president
will recognize the force of Secre-
tary Taft's recent address at Yale, In
which he declared that the admins
tration of the criminal laws of the
country was a disgrace, and that the
lax manner OF their enforcement en-
couraged the commission of crime.
Secretary Taft's declaration was
founded upon figures obtained at the
census bureau and showing an enor-
nous decrease in the number of exc
cutions as compared with the total
number of murders and homicides
during the last twenty years Brief
~ stated, since 1885. in this country
there have been 1881 murders
and homicides and only 22S6 execn-
tions for the commission Of these
crimes
The figures show that the number
Of executions has decreased steadily
since 1885, while the number of muir
ders and homicides has increased.
but there is nothing in the statistics
to explain the decrease.
Eminent lawyers ascribe the de-
crease in executions To two causes.
one being the growing sentiment
against capital punishment and the
other the more important one being
the lax administration Of the GRIMM
al laws and the fact that attorneys
take advantage OF every technicality
to save the lives of the murderers
they are hired 10 defend. Secretary
Taft, in his Yale address, refers To
the prevalence OF this method Of
practice among criminal lawyers, and
declared that the judges should be
given the power TO compel the law
yers TO try their eases on their merits
and not permit them TO exageerate
unimportant evidence aud cover up
the salient points
Analysis az the figures point 10 the
need of reform In the administration
Of the criminal laws. ia the opinion
Of lawyers who have STUDIED the fig
ures. In 1885 the number of mnr-
ders was 1905 and the number OF
legal executions was los. while in
1904 the number of murders was
s4S2 and the number OF legal exc
cutions only 1l6 In other words
there was an Increase OF only eight
executions In 1885 there was one
execution for every q murders com
mitted. and IN 1900 there vas one
execution for every % murders com
mitted
The smallest number of executions
IN proportion TO the number of muir
iers was recorded in the year 1856
and 18S9-in each year the number
of executions was one for each rs
murders. The number OF legal exc
cutions 10 1904 was itG, distributed
as follows
Alabama, 4 . Arkansas. s Catifor-
MIA. Connecticut. 2 Delaware. ]
Florida. L. Georgia. e. Illinois, g.
indiana. . Kentucky. Louisiana.
/: Maryland, 2, Minnesota, / Mis-
5issippl. s Missouri. s Montana. g.
New Jersey, = New York. g. North
Carolina, 6 Ohio. s. Oregon 2
Pennsylvania. - South Carolina.
Tennessee, Texas, 4 Utah. l.
Virginia. { West Virginia, Wash
sngton, / District OF Columbia !
Statistics covering the years Of
1891 20 1905 show the causes OF all
murders and honicides committed Fla
that period During the l. years
s 500 persons lost their lives as the
'esnlt Of quarrels 3,5oS a8 the RS
}uit % gnkno@n cause. 1887 a. the
result OF jealousy 1915 because of
liquor habit. 31tl were Killed BY
1ighwaymen and 351G mothers kill
I'd their infants In resisting arrest
$50 persons were killed and ll0t
highwaymen were Killed Insanity
was the cause Of 1922 deaths and 5t6
persons were killed during strikes.
There were fewer lvnchings ia
1908 than any year since 1891 Ia
1899. according 10 the statistics.
there were ego persons killed by
lynchers. the greatest number in ans
Of the eleven years. The number
killed by lynchlng has fluctnated
each year. but there has been a
sradual decrease until 1900 shows
here were only go lives taken by
mob violence