The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-09-06
THE INCREASE IN CRIME.


THE INCREASE IN CRIME.
Official figures show that in the
twenty months from January 1, 1920.
to September 1, this year, Governor
Allen sought return to Kansas of 313
men and women who fled to other
states to escape punishment under the
Kansas criminal statutes. In the
tw enty months covered in the repor.
the state penitentiary and reforma-
tories made record increases in at
tendance. These figures show a re-
markable growth of crime in Kansas
Every other state in the Union prob
ably has similar record.
James NJ. Beck, solicitor general Of
the United States, in an address be-
fore the American Bar association at
Cincinnati on 1.-THE Spirit of Lawless-
ness touched upon the causes of the
crime wave that seems to be sweep
ing over the country.
Reciting the history of the rapid
increase of crime in this country Mr..
Beck said:
The statistics of our criminal courts
growth in crimes Thus, in the fed
eral courts, pending criminal indict-
ments have increased from 9,503 in
the year 1912 to over 10000 in the
year 1927. While this abnormal in
crease is, in part, due to sumptuary
legislation-for approximately 10000
cases now pending arise under the pro-
hlbition statutes yet, eliminating
these. there yet remains an increase
in nine years of nearly 400 per cent
in the comparatively narrow sphere of
the federal criminal jurisdiction.
have been unable to get the data from
the state courts; but the growth of
crimes can be measured by a few il
Illustrative statistics. Thus, the losses
from burglaries which have been re-
paid by casualty companies have
grown in amount from $8S6,00O in
1914 to over $40. 100000 in 1920; and,
in a like period, embezzlements have
increased fivefold. 1t is notorious that
the thefts from the mails and express
companies and other carriers have
grown to enormous proportions. The
holdup of railroad trains is now of fire.
to the unsettled proportions of the
country. Not only in the United
| States. but even in Europe, such
crimes of violence are of increasing
frequency, and a recent dispatch from
Berne, under date of August 7, stated
| I1dL the IdInOuS 1HI6THdIlOndl Elk
presses of Europe were now run I'M
der a military guard.
! The streets of our cities, once rea-
sonably secure from crimes of vio-
lence. have now become the field of
operations for the footpad and high
wayman. The days of Dick Turpin
| and Jack Shepherd have returned,
with this serious difference-that the
Turpins and Shepherds of our day are
not dependent upon the horse, but
have the powerful automobile to facili-
! tate their crimes and make sure their
| escape.
In Chicago alone. 5000 automobiles
were stolen in a single year. Once
murder was an infrequent and abnor-
NAL crime. Today in our large cities
it is of almost daily occurrence In
New York, in 1917, there were 236
murders and only 81 conv1cnons; ~. n
1918, 221, and II convictions. In Chi
cago, in 1919, there were SS6, and A
| convictions. y
Among the causes of existing con-
ditions the speaker cited aversion to
work and a desire for pleasure. and q
worldwide spirit of resistance to au-
thority. Continuing. the speaker
said:
Undoubtedly, there are many con-
tributing causes which have swoller
l Ih6 Tue OI llllS WOAAo- WIN
revolution against the spirit of au
thority.
Thus. the multiplicity of laws doe:
not tend to develop a law-abidinG
spirit. This fact has often been noted
Thus Napoleon, on the eve of the 18th
Brumaire. complained that France
with a thousand folios of law. was {
lawless nation. Unquestionably, thu
political state suffers in authority By
the abuse of legislation, and especially
by the appeal to law to curb evils tha
are best left to individual conscience
In this age of democracy, the aver
age individual is too apt to recognIz'
, ton of the state, and the second, al
unwritten constitution, to him o
higher authority, under which he be
lieves that no law is obligatory which
he regards as in excess of the tru'
powers of government. OF this latte
spirit. the widespread violation of tn
prohibition law is q familiar illustra
! ton.
l. A race Of individualists obey reluc
family, when they obey at all, an,
laws which they regard as unreason
: able or veXatious 1t has always flour
, ished, and the so-called best people
have not been Innocent Thus nearl,
all women are involuntary smuggler
: They deny the authority of the stat
r to impose a tax upon a PaQuin gown
Again, our profession must Sorrowfull
lconfess that the laws delays and laxit
/, in administration breed a spirit Of con
: tempt, and too often invite men I
These causes are so familiar that thef
. statement is a commonplace.
"
r THE import trade for 1921 say
s the Republican Publicity association
I