The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1924-06-18

prove to you that this is not unsup-
ported, pessimistic statement of my
own, l want to read to you a few eX-
cerpts from a carefully prepared ad-
dress delivered before the Montana
State Bar association, at Hunters
Hot Springs, no longer ago than last
August, by the Hon. Geo. 9. Winston,
Of Anaconda, one Of the ablest judges
in this state: ct is asserted by those
who probably are in a position to
know that the condition Of this coun-
try so far as crimes of violence are
concerned, is worse than in any other
civilized country. 1t is claimed that
we are the most lawless people in the
civilized world. In 1921 there were
$500 unlawful homicides in this
try; in 1920 there were no less than
5000 such homicides; in no year dur.
ing the past ten did the number fall
below $500. Just think of it-85, 900
Of u citizens have died by poison.
by the pistol or the kife, or bv some
other unlawful and deadly instrument
during the past ten years.
"~Burglaries have increased in the
United States 1900 per cent in the
past ten years.
The people of Canada are racially
similar to the United States. The
population of Canada is about nine
millions and that of Cook county. H..
about three millions, and that of Chi
cagO about 2,7OO, 900. In Cook county.
IN one year recently there were PIP
murders, in Canada, 81 murders. On
the basis Of population, Canada should
have 705 murders, but had only 81.
1t is stated on excellent authority
that in the year 1921 there were in
Chicago 352 murders. In 1917, New
York recorded 864 robberies to Lon
don's So, while all of England, Wales
and Scotland combined. recorded 233.
"In 1913 Chicago had twenty-five
r%obberies for every one in England
and Wales. Washington, D. c.. had
four times as many r0bberies as Lon
don, and Los Angeles had sixty-fOur
more robberies in 1916 than all Eng
land, Scotland and Wales put togeth-
er, and in 1917, she had 1876 more
than these three countries combined.
"In a recent magazine article the
writer asserted that during the Boer
war, England lost $4,000 men on the
battlefield in South Africa, and in the
same time the Unt.ci States lost
through homicide, $1,000, or 5000
more than were lost by England in
that war. In 1903 Germany. with a
population Of $4,000, reported 322
homicides and in the same year the
United States with a population of
eighty million, tOtaled more than
5000. In that year convictions for
murder in Germany were about 95
per cent of the total, while in the
United States convictions were a lit
tie over one per cent.
Crime Not Due to War
1t cannot be said that this fright
full wave of crime in our beloved
I country is an aftermath Of the World
war. If that were true, then there
should have been an even CREATE
increase of crimes in England, France
Belgium and Germany, because thos,
countries suffered more directly from
the war than we did, and yet tn,
statistics do not show that crime
have increased in Europe as the,
I have here. Judge Winston in his ad
d dress gives Us his explanation: "Wh
: then this orgy Of crime? | confident
" believe that mach Of it is due t
the fact that the courts fail to respOn
y swiftly or surely or truly to the pul
ID pose for which they, were created
Chief Justice Taft has made the pub
IS bile statement that murder and kin
n dred crimes would continue t. increaS
/ unless the~criminal laws of the cOuI
ig try are enforced with nor certaint.
l. more uniformity and more severit
to than they are at the present time
as Graft on the part of some officia
of sworn to enforce the laws, winking
ds crimes on the part of other official
OF and a failure to deal out adequa
IL punishment ever after conviction |
ether officials have caused this d
plorable lawlessness.
Of Liquor is Training School
IS A very gener"l failure to Obser
ce and enforce tn laws against trait
We in intoxicating LIQUORS has Great
sh throughout this country an endle
nd chain of destructive training schoC
aw for desperate criminals. When a m
is begins violating these laws, he We
.ds quickly becomes a liar, a thief, a pc
VS.. jurer, a kidnapper,a highwayman,
ay. bank robber, a murderer. Thus, du