El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-07-04

9 a
the years calendar for the
4 American Boy For the 134th
time the signing Of the Declaration
of Independence viii be celebrated
and ever since the youth of the cOun-
try began to give explosive express
sion to its patriotism the Fourth of
July has been a day of dread for
parents. 1t is only within very re-
cent years, however, that any active
steps have been taken to check the
ex,.5erance of spirit which manifests
itself with toy pistols, fire-crackers,
cannon and dynamite.
The toll which the INSANE and I'M
safe Fourth has exacted from the
minors of the land never has been COM
puted but it is safe to say that the
total cost of the celebration in hu-
man blood, is so enormous as almost
to discredit any person who would
hazard a conservative estimate. The
Washington Post declared recently
that the number of dead and wounded
as result of the Fourth of July
celebrations for the last seven years
was more than so times as great as
the number of Americans killed and
wounded in seven battles of the Rev
OlutiOnary waT-Lexington, Bunker
Hin, Fort MouItrie, White Pains,
COWpens, Fort Washington and Mon
mouth.
Casualties Appalling.
The appalling number of casualties
which invariably followed what was
primarily designed as patriotic,
harmless celebration eventually
quickened the public conscience of
many cities throughout America and
caused steps to be taken to put a
check to the wholesale manning and
killing of the children of the nation
Restrictions are placed on the sale
and use of fireworks.
From this has developed a well
defined movement for what is known
as the safe and sane" celebration Of
the Fourth of July, the cities adopt
ing the plan having enacted rigid
police regulations prohibiting the use
of fireworks except in restricted areas,
and in some cares even forbidding
their sale. Toy pistols have been put
under the ban and the health depart
ments of many large cities issue bull
ietins annually giving instructions as
to how powder burns and wounds from
the wadding used in blank cartridges
should be treated in order to prevent
tetanus infection, or lOckjaw.
Papers Start Crrscce.
Several years ago the Chicago Trib-
une Joined in the active crusade against
the noisy and dangerous celebration
of the Fourth of JULY and in further
ance of its plan TO prevent the useless
sacrifice of human life on the altar of
boyish patriotism. the statistics of the
accidents and fatalities resulting from
such celebrations were collected and
each year published in connection with
those Of previous years. II vas only
when the accidents throughout the
country were correlated that the enor-
nifty of the evil was fully appreciated
and even then it was some time be-
fore the general public awakened to
the fact that the number of casualties
could be reduced by municipal leg
iSlation
Within the last year or two there
has been a very appreciabIe dimin-
ution in the number of dead and
wounded in safe and sane cities
when considered in connection with the
increase I'm population, and the probA-
bilities are that today will mark /
still further improvement in conditions
adopted the rational method of ceIe-'
brating are determined never to go
back to the old order, while new con-
verts are being added rapidly.
The Chicago Tribune on July 3.
last year. published. comparative
table showing the Improvement in con-
ditions over the previous year
''Safe and Sane'' Policy Pays.
In II cities the report for actual
deaths and injuries showed in 1905
81 deaths and 1904 injuries, while in
1909 the report showed only nine deaths
and SS7 injuries Six of the II cities
last year had adopted safe and sane
Fourth" policy. In these six cities,
Chicago. Cleveland, Los Angeles, Mil
waukee. Providence and WASHINGTON.
the record for 1908 was % deaths and
33S injuries. In 1909, under the safe
and sane" regulations. there were mo
deaths and the injuries were reduced
from 33S to only 81
OF course these figures were increas-
ed as the tetanus germ began ia
flourish in the days Immediately foIA
lowing the celebration. but the number
of fatalities was confined largely to
the cities which had not taken pre-
cautions as to the manner of cele-
braticn. On the morning of July 9,
the fatalities had reached 65 with s.
246 injured. On the same day the year