i66 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



Table II. 



Number of Homicides reported by the Health Officer of San Francisco, 



during the years given. 



The figures above show that of the 199 persons who met death by 

 homicide in San Francisco during the five years 1889-93 and the two 

 years 1902-03, 111, or 55.6 per cent., were of foreign birth, while the 

 total foreign born of the city form but 31.1 per cent, of the population. 

 The undue proportion of murders among the Chinese is easily appre- 

 ciated when it is stated that the Mongolians comprised 28.6 per cent, 

 of the number who met death by homicide, while they form less than 

 6 per cent, of the population. The mortality statistics of San Francisco 

 show that during the twenty-five years 1872-97, there were 169 Chinese 

 murdered, an annual average of 18.76. From these figures it may 

 readily be seen that the very high ratios of arrests for homicide in San 

 Francisco are largely attributable to her alien Chinese population. 

 Consulting the District Attorney's Eeport for 1897 (a report which 

 happens to be available), I find that 41 per cent, of the charges filed 

 for murder and manslaughter during that year were against Chinese. 



The table following shows that the annual proportion of arrests 

 for homicide and attempts at murder has varied but little during the 

 years given (omitted years imply missing or unavailable reports). 



That the ratio of arrests for homicide has not grown larger in San 

 Francisco concurrently with the general increase of immigration from 

 southern Europe, coincides with the fact that the proportion of Chinese 

 in that city, is growing smaller, and that the great influx of European 

 aliens has not yet affected the Pacific coast to any considerable extent. 

 Of the 1,025,000 immigrants who landed on our shores during the 

 fiscal year ending June 30, 1905, at least 76 per cent, went into New 

 York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio and Illinois. 

 Only 431,571 were destined for the west, and but 46,343 for the south. 



This tendency of the alien to congest in the great manufacturing 

 cities of a few eastern states is gradually reversing the order of condi- 

 tions heretofore existing. Twenty years ago the population of Pacific 

 coast cities was much more largely foreign born than at the present 

 time, while in the east the percentage of foreign born in urban com- 

 munities is increasing. Ten and twenty years ago, as may be seen 



