1 68 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



population. During the decade following, the immigration from Italy, 

 Poland, Eussia, Austria-Hungary and the Balkans greatly increased, 

 and Newark got her full share of all these elements. The police re- 

 ports of the period following show an increase in the ratio of crimes of 

 violence in general, while the ratio of arrests for homicide in 1900 

 was five times greater than in 1890. That this great increase was not 

 merely the result of an unusual year is shown by more recent statistics. 

 The annual average ratio of arrests for homicide in Newark for the 

 six years 1899-1904 was 9.16 per one hundred thousand of population; 

 this is on the basis of the population of the census of 1900, more 

 recent statistics not being available. 



In New Haven, Connecticut, where the Italian population has 

 greatly increased since 1890, the ratio of arrests for homicide has 

 about doubled during the past six or eight years. In 1880, the ratio 

 of arrests for murder and manslaughter in that city was 1.59 per 100,- 

 000 of inhabitants; in 1890, 2.46; and during the four years 1901-04 

 there were 4.16 arrests per 100,000 of population on the charge of kill- 

 ing a fellow man. This ratio is still quite low, compared with some 

 cities of the east, but the increase is very significant, especially in view 

 of the fact that the second generation of foreigners is always more 

 criminally inclined than the first. 



The relation of immigration to the proportion of crimes of violence 

 in urban counties is well exemplified in the various large cities of the 

 Empire State. 



In the city of New York, with its million and a half of foreigners, 

 constituting as they now do more than 37 per cent, of the total popula- 

 tion, and nearly half of whom are from countries other than those of 

 northern Europe, we find very favorable conditions for a comparatively 

 high ratio of crimes of violence. Consulting the police statistics of 

 New York City, I find that the ratio of arrests for homicide has in- 

 creased more than fourfold since 1880, rising from 3.6 per 100,000 

 in that year, to 6.7 in 1890, and 13.12 in 1900. The annual average 

 ratio for the six years 1898-1903 was 13.23 per 100,000 of inhabitants. 

 There are no statistics available showing the proportion of these homi- 

 cides which were committed by New York's immigrant population. 

 Many of the journals of the great metropolis charge the Italians (of 

 whom there are now about 400,000 in that city) with a large share 

 of the murders committed ; and when it is considered that, as shown in 

 a preceding table (No. II.), one out of every 1,906 Italians in this 

 country is held for murder, it is apparent that the charge is not without 

 foundation. Some idea of the problems arising from such a vast influx 

 of aliens as the past few years have witnessed is derived from the 

 records of New York's Children's Court. Of the 7,647 children 

 arraigned during the year ending December 31, 1904, more than half 

 were born in Italy or Russia or of parents born in those countries. 



