The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1907-01-12
STATISTICS OF MURDER.
Low Per Cent Of Convictions for Most
Atroeious Grimes.


Low Per Cent Of Convictions for Most
Atrocious Grimes.
Murder in this country is increasing
ut rate that should awaken public
thought to it's terrible and alarming
extent; and the records prove conclu-
sively that either the laws are not suf-
ticient for the safety of society, or that
they are not enforced. The increase Of
murder is given as three times as
large, per million population. in 1905.
as in 1885. Tho combined records OF
the Chicago Tribune, which has kept
the data of these crimes, establish the
number Of homicides in the United
States during that period OF twenty
years at 1881. IN other words, there
We're enough killings to oblitcratc al
most the entire population Of an aver
age sized city, says the Syracuse, n. Y.
Sun.
OF course, the largest cities lead in
these records, New York having an av-
crage of one murder in one and nine
tcnths days, and Chicago nearly equal,
while San Francisco has Il bad reputn-
ton for it's size, with one murder in
four days; Philadelphia and ST. Louis
with one in five days; New Orleans,
Louisville and Kansas City one in sew
en- days; Baltimore one in nine days:
Cleveland, one in eleven days; Boston,
one in twenty-thrce days; Columbus,
u little larger than Worcester, one in
forty days: Milwaukee one in sixty
days. and ST. Paul one in ninety one
days.
| The Tribune compares the United
States figures with Germany's, and
finds that in the year 1904 tho llomi-
| cides in this country We're 104 per mill
lion. and that for the same period in
| Germany the number was only five per
million. The Tribune states in this
connection that intcmperance and the
| manner of selling intoxicants in this
| country has a great deal to do with the
commission Of capital crimes. 1t states
that there arc no saloons in Germany.
| according to the American sense. but
| wine and beer are sold in the rcstaur-
| ants and eating houseS. There are no
| secret drinking places, or dens behind
closed doors. Whiskey, as IL rule, is
Englishmen and Americans, in Berlin,
for instance, and these places arc
known as American bars" Further
more, convictions are vastly more nu-
merous in Germany. In 1903, mur-
der and manslaughter in the German
empire. With 60,0Oo.oOO population,
numbered 321, and in the United
States, with 100000 population, there
were S,796 such cases. The convic.
tions in Germany were 35.15 per cent
and in the United States only one and
thrcc-tenths per cent. That is, in 1908.
only one person in scvcnty-two charged
with homicide was executed in this
country, a total Of only 1874 Of the
1876. In 1904, the number of exccu-
tions was one to every scvcnty-thrcc
llomcides.
This makes il appear that the
United States fails to catch many Of
its murdercrs and fails to properly pun
ish the vast majority OF them when
they arc apprehcndcd and tried.
but il murder is on the increase, 80
is divorce. The statistics OF seven
cities arc now accessible, embracing
a period extending from 1895 to 1894
OF the seven. Chicago heads the list
In 1895 it had 1,14J; in 1896, LAO; in
1897. 1,150: in 1898, 1924; in 1899, j.
507; in 1900, 1890; in 1901. 1,740; in
1902. 1895; in 1908, 2,454; in 1904, D.
$50. New York in 1895 had 202 di-
vorces in 1904, S43. Her total for nine
years ran up to 1921. Chicagos total
is 1888. III many respects this is
great country, but unquestionably it
appears a sinful one.