Show canses causen of crime the chicago committee of five to whom was in trusted the duty of inquiring into the causes for the increasing prevalence of crime in that city have submitted their report they divide the causes of crime into two classes the bredig predisposing disposing pre crass chass C osing and the exciting the first is dismissed with a paragraph and the latter is limited to the single element of habitual drinking they state only the average judgment of the civilized world when they assert that the use of liquor is ia responsible to a greater extent than all other causes for the spread of crime but in stopping at this point the committee fail fali to probe the subject to the core other causes exist some of which need the addition n al incitement of liquor to become active while there are yet those au sufficient fa clent elent I 1 in themselves were indeed alcoholic drinking the prime cause of cri the putting away of such buch drinking would Bigna signa signalize lize ilze the millennial dawn an end ot of crime who believes such would be the result in many cases where the disposition for crime lies dormand alcohol arouses the slumbering demon but frequently crime is committed atrocious crime whereof alcohol can claim no share again crime erime both in predisposition and excitation to borrow the committees parlance are restrained held in abeyance by wholesome laws invariably and impartially executed A parity of reasoning brings us down to the real core cire of our subject in proportion artion as the laws to protect the rights of propriety and the sacredness ess of human life are imperfectly partially or dishonestly administered so also is the increase of crime the consumption of liquor being the same in lri quantity under a lax as under a thorough administration britt fritt lon ion of the criminal law jaw the alcohol theory does not really enter into the question except negatively what actually promotes these periodical epidemics of crime above a certain metaphysical 31 relationship which seems to permeate them we maintain to be primordially a lak iak am execution of the laws against criminals superintended super intended it may way be by the prevalence of false ideas with reference to the proper treatment of crime and the perpetrators thereof it is the tho fear of punishment that keeps down crime take that away awa y and the thie criminal classes would become rampant liquor or no liquor andin and in proportion with the fewer convictions and lighter sentences is this fear lessened when men or women who acknowledge no do moral restraints and are consequently held to an observance of the laws through near fear or of the consequences attending their breakage become aware that the chances of detection in crime C r lna irn e a are r 10 dally daily growing fewer and conviction is 1 hedged around with supreme difficulties while even with that much secured there are many loopholes loop holes for escape from punishment by means of corrupt court officers of a pliant pardoning power tow row what wonder that they are tempted to follow in ways that are dark to our mind beyond all cavil the increase of crime complained of in all our large largo cities is due first to insufficient laws seo ond to the lax ex execution of them and third to a faulty criminal jurisprudence which is administered in the selfish interests of the accused party rather than in lil those of society at large it I 1 is a not D ot possible within the limits or of a newspaper article articie to elaborate these causes which the chicago committee have hav 1 strangely overlooked and prove them by citation of facts but there is strong confirmation of our third and last mentioned cause of crime in the remark ofa new hew york tombs lawyer made to a 8 reporter viz that he could get almost anyone charged with murder clear of severe penalty by a skillful use of the mere technicalities of the law so evidently thought and still think the ono one hundred and thirty nine mine murderers in that city who have become such buch since january 1871 boston journal ST louis 30 edward neris heris berls agent of the Gr grover and baker sewing bowing machins machine co jat joseph has been arrea arnos arrested ted tod here on a charge of embezzlement |