The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-07-26
CRIME IN AMERICA.

President Roosevelt, according to a
Washington dispatch. is going to pay
attention IN his next message to con-
gress TO some crime statistics that are
being gathered for hinT by the census
department. The statistics, it is said,
viii bear out the statement recently
made by Secretary Taft in an address
made to the students and faculty of
Yale university that the criminal laws
of the country were being enforced with
a laxness that could only be described
as disgracefuI
The census figures show that since
1885 the number OF murders and homi-
cides has steadily increased, while legal
executions have steadily diminished in
number. Murders and homicides to the
number of 131,951 have been committed
in the United States since 1885. During
the same period there have been 2,2S6
legal executions. That is, considerably
less than 2 per cent of the men who
have committed honicides are pun
ished for their offense with death.
1t is undoubtedly true that many of
the offenders are not guilty of muir
der. From the list should be excluded
killing in self-defense and the Staying
of highWaymen and other criminals by
officers in pursuit of their duty. How
ever. a large balance is still left to be
accounted for. Out of the ISL, 951 homi-
cides it is easy to believe that 100 600
We're cold-blooded murders. Thus we
have only one murderer in fifty pun
ished as he deserves to be punished.
Nor is it hard TO account for the con-
ditions- Courts seem to throw vast
deal of protection around those who are
arraigned for capital Offenses. Law
yers are permitted TO take advantage
Of every trivial technicality. Verdicts
carrying the death penalty are set aside
because of trif1ing errors in the trial
court. errors that could not possibly
affect the guilt or innocence. of the ac-
cused. And it is much harder to secure
a second sentence to death than to Sc
cure the first.
The growth of this practice is illus
trated by a comparison of the figures
Of 1885 with those of 1904. In the year
first named there were 1,SOS murders
and les executions. In 1904 the murders
aggregated S,4S2 and the executions 11G
ANASuL lAOAO NACNulIDiiS dSdlD6I O.Ddf
murders. There is a record for the
thoughtful to consider.
As to the causes of the murders n
summary of the census figures says:
Statistics covering the years since
1894 to 1865 show the causes of all muir
deTs and hOmicides committed in that
period. During the eleven years 51,602
persons lost their lives as the result Of
quarrels, 23,50S as the result of IN
known causes, 1887 as the result of
jealousy, 4,S45 because of the liquor
habit, 3,711 were killed by highwaymen
and 2,516 mothers killed their infants
In resisting arrest 1,46O persons were
killed and 1,1O1 highwaymen were
killed. Insanity was the cause of 1882
deaths and 516 persons We're killed dur
ing strikes.
There were fewer lynchings in 1904
than any year since 1894. In 1892. ac-
cording to the statistics, there were go
persons killed by lynchers. the grea test
number in any of the eleven years. The
number killed by lynching has huctu-
ated each year, but there has been
gradual decrease until 1904 shows there
were only ninety lives taken by mob
violence"