Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-01-11

80
sense OF proportion between facts. And
here is an interesting example:
The murdercus provlivities OF the
people of the United States are simply
q horror. And the administration of
criminal law in this country is exactly
what President Taft said OF it: IN
disgrace to our civilization"
Yet no one seems to mind.
The other day we were thrilled with
indignation to read of the wanton mas
sacre Of the Arabs in Tripoli by the
Italian troops. l suppose that literally
thousands of olumns have already been
written about this single event.
Yet if this had meant the slaughter
of one-half as many people as are shot
United States, the civilized world would
have risen to Put an end to such atroci-
ties.
Let Us put it another way. Suppose
you were to awake tomorrow morning
and read that in New York. Chicago.
or San Francisco, hishwaymen and
footpads had assassinated 100 innocent
citizens. The whole country would
have clamored for an end to such a
CHASTITY state of affairs. Yet the total
number for the whole United States
thus assassinated last year reached
nearly 1000 victims, nearly three per
day.
A Record.
In the number of murders per mill
lion Of population the United States
stands first among the civilized ma
tions. The average for the entire coun-
try is eight or 10 times the average for
the land from which we ng-En
land.
These facts have long been known.
IT we could believe the figures of the
mortality bureau of the United States
census, they have in the last few years
been growing worse at an appalling
rate.
Yet no n seems to care.
1t is in no wise any matter of national
concern. The census bureau, charged
with alnos an infility of questions.
does not find it worth While to keep
such criminal statistics as are kept by
every great nation in Europe.
1t has been left for a newspaper-the
Chicago Tribune-to keep the only rec
ord of crime, and especially murders,
In the United States that pretends to
ANYTHING like completeness.
These figures are conIessedly a rough
approximation. They hav been at
tackled and sneered at on this ground.
Yet a careful examination reveals in
contestably that they are far superior to
any figures furnished by United
States government.
The Chicago Tribune's figures showed
last ear a total of 1915 deaths from
murder. Consider for a moment what
this means.
Suppose you possessed n very vivid
imagination and that you stood in front
OF a clock. sleepless, day after day.
Ihese figures mean that for every hour
of the day and night which you heard
the clock strike. you would know that
I some victim of a shotgun, a knife, a
pistol or poison a been done to deatl,
In this country.
And the rest of this story is that
u OF these S.975 murders, a little over
100 were legally put to death. On the
average, Sc out of 81 escaped the gal-
W is 1T any wonder that we have
tie proud record of being the most
murderous nation on earth?
Taking the Chicago Tribune's figures
AT thelr race value. this means a muir
der rate In recent years of nearly 100
per 100000. In point OF fact, 1 think
there is reason to think these figures
may be below rather than above tho
reality; for the most obvious of rea-
sons.
Murder Farms.
The other day in Chicago, a woman
was arrested or. suspicion Of poisoning
q man. She Is now suspected of per-
haps 10 or IL murders. These muir
ders covered a series of years ane
have just come to light. Only one OF
these could be debited against the pres.
ent year. And this case recalls that o.
Mrs. Guinness Of the Indiana murder
farm" with an equally horrible list.
And again, here in the morning pa.
Eers is a man arrested for a murde,
that was committed in 1879.
1t Is clear from all this that any fig.
ures, however carefully done. could B,
nothing more than the toughest ap.
ordinations. On the other hand. i
does not matter If the Chicago Trib.
une's figures should be 1000 or ever
1000 out of the way. 1t Is improbabl,
that they could be more. and even thi:
would imply a murder rate for tn,
whole OF the United States OF 20 or 81
per 1000, 900. Compare this with tn,
average for England n Wales of nine
Before the Prison Reform convention
at Omaha, Judge DeCourcy. Of the su.
preme bench OF Massachusetts, quoted
the following figures for 1906
Italy. less than Is per 1000, 900.
Canada less h 13 per 1000, 900.
Germany, less tina 5 per 1000, 900.
Great Britain. less than 3 per 1000.
900.
Freeing the Guilty.
Continuing. Judge De Cou-cy said
I'm New York city, 119 cases Of homi,
cides We're investigated by the CRANE
Jury during the last year and only 4;
convictions resulted. Chicago report.
2O2 homicides were committed in tha
city during the last year. Only one o
the offenders was hanged. Is were sen
to the penitcntiary and the others wer,
set free.
I'm Louisville, KY, with q population
OF $4,000. during the last year Their
We're Al cases OF homicide and not
single murderer was hanged"
And this brings US to the other sid,
OF this black picture-the almost ute
breakdown OF the law.
In other countries than the Unite,
L EtQfAC II 10 nnvcihla IN nhfo(n 49,. ..-..