STRONG DRINK AND CRIME
From actual observation as a Prison Chaplain, and a careful study of
this subject extending over several years, together with repeated
interrogations and conversations with thousands of prison inmates,
committed thereto for every crime on the calendar; and, further, from
personal inquiry among experienced prison officials in various parts of
the country, I say frankly without any hesitation or equivocation that
strong drink is the most prolific cause of crime in the United States. I
further affirm that after thousands of personal conversations with men
and women charged with murder, robbery, assault and every form of
larceny, and from interviews with criminal judges and magistrates, I
firmly believe that from seventy to eighty per cent. of all the crimes
of the day can be traced directly or indirectly to strong drink. I have
said more than once in public addresses, in the past twelve years, that
if the saloons of this city were outlawed for two years, the prisons of
Greater New York would be almost tenantless.
I believe the only way to reduce crime is to stop the manufacture and
sale of intoxicating liquors, which in the end will close the gin-mills
that swarm our cities and villages, and which are the real generators of
crime.
We deeply regret that many of our well meaning people are poorly
informed on this question. They look with longing eyes for help from our
State and National political partisans for the overthrow of this
traffic, but these fond idols of the people care nothing whatever for
moral reforms. They are in politics only for what they can make out of
it, and not for the reformation of the people, and are indulgent toward
the saloon vote.
Some time ago, a New York paper gave a list of persons who were confined
in the City Prison charged with the crime of homicide. In this list the
names of thirty men, two women and a boy were given. They were then
awaiting trial for murder. All of them have since been tried, with the
result that several have been sent to the death house at Sing Sing, a
large number to prison for long and short terms, and a few discharged
for lack of evidence. In an analysis which we personally made at that
time we counted twenty-five persons who admitted that they were under
the influence of strong drink when they committed the crime of murder.
At that time, Dr. Robert S. Newton, a New York physician and specialist
in mental disorders, presented a carefully prepared paper on the causes
that led to murder in each case, but, strange to say, he does not
mention strong drink, although that was the principal direct cause of
twenty-five out of the thirty-three cases. Dr. Newton never met any of
these persons mentioned in this article, charged with the crime of
murder, nor had he any conversation with them before or after their
imprisonment, but simply from the standpoint of an alienist, he presents
a speculative analysis of what he considered the causes that led to
their crimes.
I met all of these people face to face, conversed with them, and watched
their trials in the Criminal Courts till finally disposed of. Most of
them made voluntary statements in relation to their crime, and I was
painfully struck with almost the identical words from the lips of each,
and all of these men, who closed the narrative by saying: “I was drunk
at the time, and did not know what I was doing.” They did not say this
for the purpose of securing sympathy, or apologizing for their crime,
but simply admitted that strong drink made them half-insane, and in that
state they committed the crime of murder.
With only the names of the actors and victims before him, and a brief
statement of each crime given by a New York paper, Dr. Newton proceeds
to give reasons for the homicides in detail. This is what he says by way
of explanation:
“New York is one of the hardest places in the world in which to analyze
crime. One of the chief motives of crime is the publicity given to it.
It allows every criminal to keep thoroughly posted as to what is done
with his own class, what is the character of the punishment, and the
number accused who escape punishment. The relations between the
criminals and the police are well known. The police certainly have no
deterrent effect upon the criminal, for there are numerous cases in
which they acted as intermediaries.” And further he says: “I believe
that this great wave of crime which has suddenly come upon New York
within the last few months is due solely to the opportunities which the
evil-disposed, but not yet criminal, have of mixing with this dangerous
element. In foreign countries crime is restricted, and the criminal
readily found, for the reason that he is compelled to associate with
people of his own class, and the only public places he goes to are known
as thieves’ dens. In no city in the world but New York are men whose
pictures are in the Rogues’ Gallery and known to every police official,
allowed to enter reputable hotels, restaurants, theatres, etc. There is
not only less crime in the large continental cities than here, but crime
is surely punished. When the reputable citizen is robbed or assaulted,
he knows or suspects where the criminal came from, but here criminals go
everywhere, and the person has really no protection from them.”
In regard to suicides, the Medical News says:
“New York City is not the worst of the cities of the United States in
the matter of its suicide statistics. By actual comparison it is only
fifth on the list, St. Louis having the unenviable distinction of being
first in this regard. It is a curious reflection that St. Louis, with
its German population and the reputation the city has acquired for the
manufacture, if not the consumption, of a large amount of high-grade
beer, should occupy the same place in suicide statistics that was held
for a long time by Munich, in Bavaria, which enjoys the distinction of
supremacy in the same line of business.”
In General Bingham’s report for 1907, it is recorded that the New York
police arrested 204,119 for the year. Out of this number no less than
92,045 persons were arrested for intoxication, disorderly conduct, and
the violation of the Liquor Tax Law. As can be readily seen, all of
these arrests were the direct result of the licensed saloon. In other
words, if there were no saloons or intoxicants in this city, more than
92,000 persons would have been immune from arrest and imprisonment.
These facts speak for themselves, and need not the impassioned eloquence
of the orator to make them clear.
In his report for 1908, the Commissioner omits all mention of the
arrests for intoxication and disorderly conduct, but places these
offences under the head of misdemeanors. This was done, no doubt, to
ease the consciences of the rum and beer interests, who do not want to
see in cold type the number of persons who are daily ruined by this
damnable business.
Last year there were 244,000 arrests in Greater New York. Judging from
the figures of other years, one half must be laid at the door of the
saloon.
The following table, which we received from the State Department of
Excise, shows the number of liquor tax certificates in force, and the
money received therefor. This table covers what are known as the five
boroughs of Greater New York:
LIQUOR TAX CERTIFICATES AND MONEY RECEIVED.
_No. Ctfs. _Money
_Boroughs_ in Force._ Received._
Manhattan and the 7,015 $7,876,561 09
Bronx
Brooklyn 3,836 3,632,191 91
Queens 1,344 513,095 65
Richmond 479 181,523 75
───── ──────────
Total 12,674 $12,203,372 40
From these figures it will be seen that the license tax paid the State
for the privilege of selling rum, which damns our fellow men, amounted
in 1907 to $12,203,372.40.
In an article of mine which appeared in Harper’s Weekly for March, 1907,
I computed the cost of crime in Greater New York, in a tabulated
statement, at $35,552,134.34, which is about a third of the entire
expense appropriated by the Board of Apportionment for running the city
for the year.
It ought to be known that the churches, chapels and mission halls of
Greater New York, of all denominations, Protestant, Catholic and Jewish,
number 1,200. The number of licensed saloons, on the other hand, in
these boroughs, is 12,674. That is to say, the Devil has more than ten
saloons in Greater New York for every church. This is a sad reflection
on our Christian civilization. But it is true.
The cost of the congregational and charitable work of the 1,200 churches
and chapels of Greater New York is not more than $8,000,000 a
year—possibly less.
But the gross receipts of the 12,674 New York gin mills are not far from
$250,000,000 a year!
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