The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1912-07-30
STATISTICS
As To A "Sane Fourth
Observance Issued
By State Fire Marshal Ia
Bulletin For The Week

Columbus, O., July 29--State Fire
Marshal Zuber has just issued q bulle.
tin of much interest on Facts and Sta.
tistics As to Sane Fourth Observance: I"
While the memory Of the recent ma.
tional holiday, July 4th, Is still fresh
and before its final toll Of lives has
been taken, the State Fire Marshal's
once desires to again urge the pas.
sage or ordinances regulating the sale
and use Of fireworks in such localities
a. have not yet acted in the matter.
The beneHcent results accruing to all
communities which passed such regu.
latory measures. as evidenced by their
experience at the recent celebration,
call loudly on che authorities Of all
their unprotected sister cities and
towns to act and act at once.
The campaign Of the sane Fourth"
SO nobly carried on for so many years
may now be said to have eliminated
in victory. And to the newspapers Of
the country must be given a large
since they have been In operation.
While the facts as to the last cele-
bration have been widely printed, yet
possibly another recital can do no
harm.
The improvement in conditions can
be most vividly shown by comparison
of casualties before protective ordi-
nances were passed and the result
since they have ben in operation.
For instance, 25 large cities which
were without protection in 1908, show.
ed as a result of unwise celebration Of
the Fourth that year, loss of SO dead
and 1907 injured. How many of the
injured afterwards died as result of
tetanus and other diseases directly re-
sulting from these injuries Is not CIV
en- in the statistics from which these
figures are taken.
But the same cities, in 1912, under
the operation Of protective ordinances
in most instances, showed only 4
deaths and 46S injuries, while the fire
losses were trivial.
The following statement from . Co.
lumbus newspaper is also Instructive:
,t:Anerica's two largest cities furnish
good examples. " Chicaso's last powder
Fourth resulted in 16 deaths and $50
injuries; its first sane Fourth killed
but and injured only SO. In New
York % were killed and 422 injured
in the last powder Fourth; while in the
first sane Fourth only 8 were killed
and 81 injured"
These figures leave no doubt Of the
effectiveness of proper municipal leg
islation upon the subject and certain.
ty should appeal to the consciences Of
municipal councils which have not yet
acted.
This department urges upon all such
that they Immediately have proper or
dinances passed to safeguard the lives
Of the children and the property Of ev-
erybody which are annually leopard
ICED by the use of dangerous fireworks.
Any councilman or city solicitor de-
string q copy of a sample ordinance
such as has been found effective in the
larger cities of the state will be gladly
supplied with same II he will only In
dicate to this department that he de-
sires It.
1t is the hope of the department that
the next Fourth shall find every city
and village in Ohio properly protected
in this respect.
And further, that next year in every
city, village and hamlet there may be
patriotic celebration Of the day; one
in which the ladies may participate
without danger from the cannon
cracker" the niger chaser and the tor
pedo, and where the children shall
not know the crack of the toy pistol
or any of the other dangerous devices
with which our markets have been
flooded in recent years.
In, banishing the noisy and danger
GUS Fourth we should feel both q NOR
al and patriotic obligation to furnish q
better observance; one which will i'm
press upon all Of US. the mature az
we'll az the young, the real Significance
of the day and all that It has meant
not only to the people Of the United
States but to the entire race, and thus
restore this natal holiday to the digni
ty to which It. Is properly entitled.