The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-07-14


 Mortality Statistics
 ''The mortality statistics for the United States for 1908. embracing the reports from cities and registration districts which constitute about 46,oO0,O00 of our population, or. 51 per cent of the total estimated population of the United States at that time. shows that the total num- Der of homicides in the United States was ST per cent per 1000 of population; or in other words, that the number of homieides in the United States was 3003; and the census figures show that there was steady increase in the number from 1901 to 1908. In fact, the number has prac- tically doubled from 1891 to 1908, and the number of homicides in Alabama is ex- eeeded, according to percentage per thou sand, by Texas and Florida. Taking the IS states and territories. the actual nu.--- Der of homicides in Alabama was exceeu- ed by two states only-Texas and New York-both of which have a very much larger population.
 "A report recently issued by the census department shows that the total number of deaths from violence other than sui eide. i. e., deaths from homicide, in the year 1910 was 3l90. This does not em- brace the entire population of the United States, but only those districts which made reports-practieally one-half of the population.
 Tt is, therefore. estimated that in 1910 there was in the entire United States S975 homicides and nearly all of which were murders, and that only. one in S6 of the criminals suffered capital punish ment. This shows an increase of nearly 900 homicidal crimes over 1910, when one criminal in 74 was executed. In London, city of 100000 inhabitants, there were l9 homicides in 1910, and only F in 1909. The number of homicides in Jefferson county alone. with a population of 226, 476, was 14S, as compared with about 19 In London, with a population of over 1000, GOO and 9S in the city of New York, with a population of 4.766,SS3.
 Tt is. therefore, absolutely necessary that we should pause and consider the cause of this alarming condition which not only threatens our security, but checks our development and lowers our standard of civilization. It cannot be claimed that this deplorable record is due | to the fact that We have not sufficient number of courts, for England, with a population of about 30,O0O,0O0, has only about 135 judges. We have more judges in the United States. in proportion to our population. than any other civilized coun- | try. We have more judges in Alabama than g states and territories of the union The proportion of judges in Alabama is one to about every 42.000 of population as compared with one to 159,000 in North Carolina. We have in Alabama today 1! judges, excluding the judges of the court of appeals, the court of last resort and probate judges. We had in 1900 at the commencement of this decade, only ?, Judges, and yet the increase in our popu. | lation during that period has only beer about 16 per cent, while the number o1 judges has almost doubled. There should l be enough judges to properly dispatch l public business, but in Alabama our whole | judicial system has been created withou harmony and without regard to the public l needs. When then is the cause of thi. appalling record of homicides in the Uni ted States and in Alabama? In my judg ment these causes may be briefly stated as two