The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1908-07-07
The Fourth of July.

The Fourth of July.
The Fourth of July in Mount Holl.
was about as noisy as could be imagined
and those with strained nerves or whit
were on beds of sickness were glad wheI
the day was over, yet even then the desir'
to ''still keep it up, could not be curbet
and there were explosions of crackers OF
Sunday morning. There is law pro
hibiting the sale of explosives at any time
of the year. This law was passed in 1885
perhaps that is the reason it is given little
attention. There is another law prohibit
| ing the carrying of revolvers, that is oil
more recent date, but it is as much dead
letter as the law of 1885. By general
consent the violation of these two statutes
are winked at by citszens and law-pro-
tectors alike on the Fourth of July.
The township committee issued Its
proclamation calling attention to the law
and prohibited the firing of explosives
prior to 80, on the morning of the Fourth.
If this had been respected there would not
have been as much fault to find, but the
irrepressible boy and many men could not
curb their Impotence and the racket be-
gan about nine o'clock on Friday evening.
Extra police were appointed, but those
who had a desire to make a noise would
watch their opportunity to fire crackers
when the officers were in another locality
and when they got to the scene nobody
knew who the offender was
One policeman did catch man firing a
cannon cracker. He promptly arrested
the fellow and hauled him before Justice
of the Peace. The latter promptly i'm
posed fine of $40 and costs, and as
promptly RENTED the fine but collected
the costs. The policeman who made the
arrest was so overcome by his brave act
that he went home for his supper and
when he came out again kept on another
beat.
There does not appear to be much use
now In abiding to the manner lin which
the Fourth was celebrated and to show
the danger which attended the American
method of displaying patriotism. The
hospitals have been worked to death in
caring for those injured by the explosion
of firecrackers, or shot by the fellows who
loaded their revolYers, carelessly or
ignorantly, with ball cartridges, or DIES
cribe the buildings burned by sparks by
fireworks. 1t is all over. Yet criticism
before the Fourth, with advice to go
sanely was only an invitation to have
criticism heaped upon ones head, for this
was the result not many years ago when a
crowd of men-in years. created per-
feet din around the homes of those who
had dared to ask for quietness. So the
situation is that the law is of no account
from sunset on the Third of July until
sunrise of the Fifth. People who do not
like it have the privilege of leaving town.
This is not the cranky idea of THE
News. but it is the opinion being express
ed all over the country and the news
papers are full of such thoughts. The
is from the Trenton Gazette:
''The number of cases of injury by fire.
works in this city Saturday is unusually
large owing to the fact that there was
little or no restriction placed upon the
celebrants.
Probably never before in the history of
Trenton were men so reckless in the use of
powerful fire crackers as they were Friday
night, when powerful bombs were thrown
into the crowds that passed up and down
State and Broad streets, exploding with
great danger to women clad In dresses of
light and infiammable material.
up to this time thirty cases of injury
have been reported, some of them of
most serious character. 1t is pretty gen.
orally agreed that the fireworks of today
are too powerful and dangerous to permit
of their use, but the warnings and advice
uttered by the newspapers are not needed,
The only way to properly protect the
people and get back to a safe and sane
celebration of the Fourth of July is to by
law prohibit the sale of fireworks that
contain dynamite and nitro glycerine in
large quantities There should also be
stop put to the prOmiscuous shooting of
revolvers ON the streets Two persons are
now lying in Trenton hospitals seriously
by bullets from pistols fired by
unknown persons who presumably
thought they were discharging blank
The Philadelphia hospitals treated over
1000 cases of accidents from explosives.
Yet is was GLORIOUS Fourth, celebrated
by sane people.