The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-12-28
n..ths Resulting From Murder and
accidents in This Country Far
exceed Those In Foreign
Fields.
rev PERSONS PUNISHED
esumber Of Persons Paying Penalty for
Murder or Homicide, Small
Compared With other
Lands.

WASHINGTON, D. C. Dec 2S.-
startling figures showing the number
Il persons killed by firearms in the
sI,nited States during the year 1915
saya just been issued by the census
hnreau. No less than 1894 persons
sed by firearms during that year,
4 fine so-called registration area,
which contains approximately CT per
ant of the total population of the
United States.
On the basis that the same number
Il deaths due to firearms occurred
among the other 33 per cent OF the
nnnulation area where the government
sow gathers mortality statistics, some
kus3t persons were killed by firearms
d the United States during the year
! 1915.
The death rate by firearms was II 8
k,sr 10000 population. the census bu-
ran reports. In the registration area
vhere the total number of such
Deaths was 1894, 3,60S were suicides.
/ 1855 were homicides and 1,501 were
occidental.
Perhaps the most appalling Of these
E6xures Is the great number Of homi-
cides. The United States is rated a
Ecivilized and law abiding country. But
when it is known that 2,SS5 persons
Evere killed by others who shot them
down with firearms in an area which
contains only 81 per cent OF the en-
tire population, during single year.
4 II seems as though the laws and po-
/ Nee protection must be inefficient.
Taking the same percentage for the
entire country, 1t is estimated that
There were no less than 1906 homi-
cides by firearms in the United States
[jn 1915. That there were hundreds
Of homicides in which firearms were
not used. but knives or other weapons
we're the instruments OF assault must
Ne true beyond a doubt
Owing to the fact that no complete
records are kept in this country snow
INK the number Of murders and the
Executions that follow them, 1t is not
|possible to state absolutely how many
persons pay the life penalty for SUCH
crimes. But 1t is possible to estimate
these figures with considerable &C
|euracy. and the number OF murderers
Who escape justice IS so large in COM
|parison with those who suffer the
death penalty or imprisonment as al
most to put premium on murder IN
this country. It appears to be far less
dangerous to kill another man than
ito fly in an aeroplane or to attempt
some OF the other more or less haz-
ardous sports.
The number of persons who nave
paid the death penalty for murder IN
This country in recent years has
ranged from 100 to 40. The number
Is so ridiculously small in comparison
TO the number Of murders that the be-
lief is aroused that something serious
ly wrong must exist in the machinery
OF the law and the policing OF the
country. Compare these figures with
those. carefully kept by the way, in
Great Britain or Germany before the
war in Europe broke out and the diff
ference is startling in the favor OF the
older countries. In Great Britain
there have averaged some 100 homi-
cides per year recently, and the num-
Der OF persons to pay with their lives
for taking the life Of another has
been around 100.