The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1907-03-08
PROHIBITION AND CRIME.
Compiled from the u. S. Census Re-
ports

IltC u OEliSuS n0-
ports
''Prohibit the liquor traffic and crime
will cease" is the war-cry of local-op-
tionists. The question thus becomes
pertinent: Has the number of convic-
tons for crime decreased in States
which have been under prohibition?
Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont
have been under prohibitory laws Ion
ger than any other States, and continu-
Ously, and in them may be expected
the fullest fruition of that policy. Re-
ferring to the United States Census
Reports, the
NUMBER OF CONVICTS
in each of these States at each census
from 1850 to 1890 is found to be as
follows:
1850 1860 1870 1880 1890
Under license Under prohibition
Maine. 100 225 261 4O5 SIP
New Hampshire SO 1913 267 269 3l2
Vermont. =. los 169 1913 258 200
Up to 1850 there had been no prohi-
bition in any Of these States. In that
year there were in the penitentiaries
of Maine 100 convictS, or III Convicts
" SNGIy VI pODu'dlIOII- DE-
tween 1850 and 1860 prohibition became
the law of the State, and in the latter
year the number of criminals had in
creased to 225, or 358 to every million
of population. The number of crimi-
nails further increased in 1870 to 261, in
1880 to 405. and in 1890 to 5l2, or to TIA
ton.
Tho,o %hnrnfa,.o MoiN0 -
1890, after forty years of prohibition,
more than four times as many criminals
for even million of population as there
prohibition. The Portland (Me.)
Herald says: Crime is alarmingly
prevalent. Murders have continually
increased year by year. Our jails and
prisons are unpleasantly full. Robber-
les and burglaries are occurring in all
directions. Crime of all kinds is in
creasing."
In 1850 New Hampshire, under
license, had in her penal institutions SO
convicts, or 104 to every million of
population. This state also adopted
prohibition shortly after 1850, and the
number of conVicts increased steadily
to 1913 in 1860, 267 in 1870, 273 in 1880
and 321 in 1890, the number OF convicts
per million of population in the latter
year being S53.
There were, therefore, in New Hamp-
shire, after forty years of prohibition,
eight times as many criminals, per mil
lion of population, as there were under
license.
Vermont was under license in 1850.
She had in that year los convicts, Or
334 for every million of population.
She adopted prohibition between 1850
and 1860. In the latter year the num-
Der of her criminals had grown to 1890,
and this number increased to 1913 in
1870, to 258 in 1880, and 200 in 1890 or
to 602 for every million of population.
In Vermont, thereafter, the number
of criminals per million of population,
after forty years Of prohibition, was
double the number under license.
The steady increase in crime from
decade to decade under prohibition as
shown by these figures is most remark
able. Unfortunately the figures on this
subject Of the census of 1900 are not
yet published, but it may be safely as
serted that they will show no material
change in the trend indicated by the
preceding census reports.
Iowa and Kansas adopted prohibition
after the census of 1880 was taken.
The census reports for 1890, page 1877,
shows the
NUMBER OF CONVICTS
in those States under license and pro-
hibition was as follows: