United labor bulletin., 1910-01-14
CRIME WAVE is BLAMED TO "LID."
Alabama Attorney General Reports 81
Per Cent Increase in Two Years.

Alabama Attorney General Reports 81
Per Cent Increase in Two Years.
r
Montgomery, Ala.-Statewide prohibi-
tion has been made to bear the respon-
sibility for 81 per cent increase of crime
in Alabama for the last two years, in
the report of Attorney General CARRIER.
The principal increase, according to his
report, was in the violation of the pro-
hibition law, which is effective in al
most every county. The attorney general
also cites the increased vigilance of grand
jures and an increase in the number
of courts as tributary influences in swell
ing the record.
There were 20,672 criminal cases dis
posed of in the entire state during the
two years ending September 80, 1908, ac-
cording to the attorney general. OF this
number there were 1888 convictions,
2,734 acquittals, 5,153 nolle prosequies,
and S52 cases were abated or with
drawn. OF the 1888 convictions, there
were IA sentences to death, 1,494 to the
penitentiary. 2,479 to hard labor for the
county, 207 to jail and 1873 fines were
imposed or secured. There were two
committals to the state reformatory, and,
so far as shown, there were no no COM
initials to the insane hospital. The at
torney general says:
Law-Defiance Spirit Growing.
Il am unable to offer rational or sat
isfactory explanation of this surprising
increase in the number of criminal cases
before the trial courts of the state. A
growing spirit of law defiance and cor
responding Indifferent spirit of law en-
forcement may be assigned as the rea-
son, | am reluctant to even suggest,
much less advance, such a degrading
cause in the face of the evident moral,
social and educational development of
our citizenship, surrounded as it is on
all sides by schools and churches and
uplifting influences.
During the two years covered by this
report there were 657 cases of homicide
disposed of in the state; of this number
there were 1S6 convictions for murder
in the first degree, 1S9 for murder in the
second degree, ia for manslaughter in
the first degree, and As for panslaughter
in the second degree. No convictions
were secured in 1923 cases.
From October 1, 1906, to October l.,
1908, $50 convicts, sentenced for murder
in the first degree, murder in the second
degree, and manslaughter in the first de-
gree. were received at the state peni-
tentiary.
Abusive Language Predominant.
During the two years covered by this
report, the offense of abusive language
appears to have been predominant, 1857
cases having been disposed of; of this
number there were 1,O63 convictions.
During the same period there were
1,762 cases of concealed weapons dis
posed of, with 1,1S4 convictions there
were also 1924 cases of assault and
battery with weapons, with $50 convic-
tions.
"The crimes of burglary, robbery and
larceny in both degrees foot up 2,491
cases, with LOGO convictions, 612 SEN
tences being to the pententiary, GIG to
hard labor and 422 to Jail or by fine i'm
posed 1t is observed by comparison that
there was an increase of 431 cases over
the preceding two years and an increase
of 11S convictions.
"The most decided increase is in vio-
lations of the prohibition laws. For the
two years ending September 30, 1906,
there were 651 cases disposed of, with
37S convictions For the similar period
covered by this report there We're 1923
cases, with $50 convictions.
1.-THE increase in the total number of
cases of public drunkenness was sos,
with an increase of 359 in the number of
convictions.
Death From Gunshot Wounds.
statistics show that one person in
every 1000 in Alabama dies yearly as
the result of gunshot wounds, as against
an average for the United States of one
person to 1900.
"In Montgomery county there were "a
murders committed. In three cases it
was found that liquor had been drunk
by the defendant; in 81 cases the defend
ant had drunk nothing"
Among the recommendations embodied
in the attorney generals report the fol-
lowing are significant:
THAT there be enacted a state anti
trust law. along the lines of the federal
statute