regarding the relative amount of crime committed by immigrants and natives must be largely conjectural.

Such figures as are presented in the census reports indicate that immigration has not increased the volume of crime to a distinguishable extent, if at all. In fact, the figures seem to indicate a contrary result.

Immigration has, however, made changes in the character of crime in the United States. Whether these changes are for better or for worse must be left to individual decision. The determination of the nature of these changes has been the chief work undertaken in this investigation of immigration and crime. From the data gathered, it is evident that immigration has had a marked effect upon the nature of the crimes committed in the United States. This effect has been to increase the commission of offenses of personal violence (such as abduction and kidnaping, assault, homicide, and rape) and of that large class of violations of the law known as offenses against public policy (which include disorderly conduct, drunkenness, vagrancy, the violation of corporation ordinances, and many offenses incident to city life). It is also probable that immigration has somewhat increased offenses against chastity, especially those connected with prostitution. That certain offenses of pecuniary gain, such as blackmail and extortion and the receiving of stolen property, are more common now because of immigration is likewise possible, but it can not be said that the majority of the gainful offenses have increased because of immigration. Indeed, the data analyzed in this report appear to indicate a far greater commission of such offenses by Americans than by immigrants.

Some of the changes in the character of crime may be traced to immigration from specific countries, although the difficulty of obtaining data regarding race has rendered the determination of racial influences almost impossible. The increase in offenses of personal violence in this country is largely traceable to immigration from southern Europe and especially from Italy. This is most marked in connection with the crime of homicide: of all the various race and nationality groups appearing in the data collected the Italian stands out prominently as having the largest percentage of cases of homicide among its crimes. Abduction and kidnaping, likewise, have evidently become more prevalent because of Italian immigration. The increase in offenses against public policy is perhaps more due to the growth of cities and the resultant increase in the number of forbidden acts than it is to immigration. To immigration, however, some of the increase in the commission of these offenses is evidently due and may be largely traced to immigration from Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Greece, and Russia. The Irish and Scotch immigrants are notable in penal records for intoxication, the Italian for offenses of violence against public policy, and the Greek and Russian for the violation of corporation ordinances in large cities. Such probable increase in offenses against chastity as appears due to immigration is chiefly of crimes connected with prostitution and has evidently been largely caused by immigration from France and Russia.

CENSUS DATA ON VOLUME OF CRIME.

a

The only source of information regarding the commission of crime in the United States at large is the census report on prisoners and juvenile delinquents. The latest report contains data collected in 1904, or four years after the taking of the census of population. The comparison of these statistics of crime with the statistics of population is, therefore, liable to the objection that no allowance has been made for the probable increase in the immigrant population from 1900 to 1904 and that the representation of immigrants in the general population as shown by the 1900 figures is very likely less than was actually the case in 1904, when the census of prisoners was taken. It must be noted also that the factor of the location of the immigrant population is not taken into consideration in the census report. Crime more frequently becomes a matter of public record in urban communities, and therefore an absolute comparison as to the extent of crime is not possible between urban and rural communities, but it is in urban communities that the immigrant population is most concentrated and immigrants are therefore probably more largely represented in the criminal class of the cities than in the criminal class of rural communities. This has doubtless resulted in the recording of a greater proportion of immigrant crime than if the immigrant population were more widely distributed. These are, nevertheless, the most comparable statistics of crime and population available and may be employed as a means of throwing some light on the question of the relative amount of immigrant and native criminality. In the following table are shown the percentage of foreign-born persons among the white male prisoners of known nativity enumerated on June 30, 1904, and the percentage of foreign-born in the general male population 15 years of age or over in 1900:

TABLE 1.-Per cent of foreign-born white males among prisoners of known nativity enumerated June 30, 1904, and in the general population 15 years of age or over, 1900, by geographic division.

The male prisoners and the male population 15 years of age or over are taken because the presence of a larger proportion of females and of

@ Prisoners and Juvenile Delinquents in Institutions: 1904. Bureau of the Census.

children under 15 years of age in the native population than in the immigrant population would tend to throw undue emphasis upon the representation of immigrants in the prison population, which is derived chiefly from the male population 15 years of age and over. When the total prison population is compared with the total general population, the figures indicate that the foreign-born contributed to the prison class in excess of their representation in the general population. When the prisoners are classified by sex, however, and the representation of the foreign-born in the male prison population is compared with their representation in the male general population 15 years of age or over (as is done in this table), it is found that the immigrant is more in evidence in the prison population than in the general population in the two southern groups of States only. But it is in these States that fewest immigrant prisoners were enumerated-627 of the total 12,945. In the country at large and in the North Atlantic States, where the majority of the immigrant prisoners were enumerated, the immigrants formed a smaller part of the white male prisoners of known nativity than of the white male general population 15 years of age or over. The enumeration of prisoners on June 30, 1904, therefore, gives no reason for believing immigrant crime relatively greater in quantity than native crime; in fact, the figures make it appear somewhat less, and this does not take into consideration the probably more favorable showing which the foreign-born would make were the population figures those of 1904 instead of 1900.

A comparison of the relative proportions of native and foreign born prisoners in 1890 and 1904 throws further light upon the matter. Such differences are shown in the following table:

TABLE 2.-Per cent of native and foreign born white prisoners among those of known nativity, 1904 and 1890, by geographic division.

The striking feature of these figures is that they show the proportion of immigrant prisoners to have decreased. In 1904 a smaller percentage of the white prisoners were immigrants than in 1890. This was true not only in the United States as a whole, but in each of the five geographic divisions.

Thus far the consideration has been of prisoners in the grossthat is, all prisoners, regardless of their offenses. Such grouping of all offenders, however, fails too much to distinguish the various degrees of crime to indicate very clearly the character of the crimi

nals. The census report classifies all prisoners as major or minor offenders according to the apparent gravity of the offense committed. Of the prisoners enumerated throughout the United States on June 30, 1904, major offenders were more in evidence among natives than among immigrants, as is plainly shown in the following table: TABLE 3.-Native and foreign born white prisoners enumerated June 30, 1904, by geographic division and class of offender; per cent distribution.

The conclusion to be drawn from such figures is that of the two bodies of criminals-the immigrant and the native-the native (or American-born) exhibited in general a tendency to commit more. serious crimes than did the immigrant. The criminality of the latter consisted more largely of the minor offenses that are in considerable measure the result of congested city life. This is indicated by the larger proportion of minor offenders among immigrant prisoners in the North Atlantic States than in any other section of the country, the immigrant population of that group of States being almost entirely resident in urban communities.

The conclusions arrived at in the preceding paragraph are corroborated by the statistics of prisoners committed to penal institutions during the year 1904. Of the 33 States and Territories for which figures are shown there were only 10 in which the foreign-born furnished. a larger proportion of the major offenders than of the minor offenders, while in 23 States and Territories the native-born were more conspicuous among the major than among the minor offenders. Comparing the representation of the foreign-born among the white major and minor offenders committed to institutions during the year with their representation in the general white male population 15 years of age or over at the time of the enumeration of population (1900), it is found that in general the foreign-born are more largely represented among the minor offenders than in the general male population, but they are less prominent among the major offenders than in the general male population-that is, that of the graver crimes the immigrant commits a proportion smaller than his proportion of the population.

children under 15 years of age in the native population than in the immigrant population would tend to throw undue emphasis upon the representation of immigrants in the prison population, which is derived chiefly from the male population 15 years of age and over. When the total prison population is compared with the total general population, the figures indicate that the foreign-born contributed to the prison class in excess of their representation in the general population. When the prisoners are classified by sex, however, and the representation of the foreign-born in the male prison population is compared with their representation in the male general population 15 years of age or over (as is done in this table), it is found that the immigrant is more in evidence in the prison population than in the general population in the two southern groups of States only. But it is in these States that fewest immigrant prisoners were enumerated-627 of the total 12,945. In the country at large and in the North Atlantic States, where the majority of the immigrant prisoners were enumerated, the immigrants formed a smaller part of the white male prisoners of known nativity than of the white male general population 15 years of age or over. The enumeration of prisoners on June 30, 1904, therefore, gives no reason for believing immigrant crime relatively greater in quantity than native crime; in fact, the figures make it appear somewhat less, and this does not take into consideration the probably more favorable showing which the foreign-born would make were the population figures those of 1904 instead of 1900.

A comparison of the relative proportions of native and foreign born prisoners in 1890 and 1904 throws further light upon the matter. Such differences are shown in the following table:

TABLE 2.-Per cent of native and foreign born white prisoners among those of known nativity, 1904 and 1890, by geographic division.

The striking feature of these figures is that they show the proportion of immigrant prisoners to have decreased. In 1904 a smaller percentage of the white prisoners were immigrants than in 1890. This was true not only in the United States as a whole, but in each of the five geographic divisions.

Thus far the consideration has been of prisoners in the grossthat is, all prisoners, regardless of their offenses. Such grouping of all offenders, however, fails too much to distinguish the various degrees of crime to indicate very clearly the character of the crimi