EFFECTS OF IMMIGRATION ON HOMICIDE 169 



" Practically all of the material brought into the Children's Court," 

 says Mr. Coulter, " is a gift from Europe." 4 



Passing now to the cities which have received few immigrants from 

 southern Europe, we find that the ratios of homicides have changed very 

 little, and that they are uniformly low. 



In the city of Buffalo, where at least 73 per cent, of the foreign 

 born population are from northern Europe, the ratio of crimes of 

 violence has remained almost stationary for thirty years. In 1880 the 

 ratio of arrests for homicide was 2.60 per one hundred thousand of 

 inhabitants; in 1890, the proportion was 3.52; while the annual average 

 for the three years 1902-01 was 2.93. 



In Eochester, where 85 per cent, of the foreign-born inhabitants are 

 from the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and Scandinavia, homi- 

 cides have decreased relative to the population, the ratio of arrests 

 for murder and manslaughter being, in 1880, 2.23 per one hundred 

 thousand of population; in 1890, 0.74; while the annual ratio for the 

 four years 1900-03 was 1.22. 



In Syracuse, where 77 per cent, of the population are native whites, 

 and where about 82 per cent, of the foreign-born are from the coun- 

 tries of northern Europe, but six cases of homicide have come under 

 jurisdiction of the police department during the past fourteen years. 



Passing south now to the Quaker City, we find that an arrest for 

 homicide in Philadelphia, fifteen years ago, was of very rare occurrence 

 (0.76 per 100,000 of inhabitants in 1890). Since that time the popula- 

 tion of Philadelphia has increased by about 250,000, a large proportion 

 of which augmentation has been the result of the increased immigra- 

 tion from southern Europe. Of the 295,340 foreigners in Philadelphia 

 in 1900, 17,830 were born in Italy, 7,554 in Poland; 28,951 were 

 natives of Eussia, while 8,209 were born in Austria-Hungary or Bo- 

 hemia; aggregating in all, from these countries, 62,544 immigrants of 

 a much lower type, industrially and educationally, and, by inference, 

 morally, than formerly migrated to this country. The results are 

 shown in the records of the police courts, the ratio of arrests for homi- 

 cides having increased fourfold since 1890, the annual average for the 

 six years 1899-1904 being 4.93 per 100,000 of inhabitants. 



That crimes of violence increase with the changing character of the 

 immigrant population is shown clearly by the police statistics of the 

 cities of Cleveland and Cincinnati. In the former city the annual 

 average of arrests for homicide during the two years 1903-04 was 9.56 

 per 100.000 of population. In Cincinnati the average for the six years 

 1898-1904 was 6.23. 5 In 1890 the disparity was still greater, the ratio 

 being 4.04 in Cincinnati, and 13.01 in Cleveland. The annual average 



4 ' Alien Colonies and the Children's Court,' North American Review, No- 

 vember, 1904, Vol. 179, No. 5. 



B The average for the same period in Cleveland is not available. 



