The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1929-06-27

the fact remains that America is still a long way
from "safe and sane Fourth" concerning which
we have been hearing SO much in recent years.
Did you know that more people have been killed
celebrating American Independence than were in
acquiring it?
Did you know that Fourth Of July celebrations
in the last four years have taken heavier toll of
American lives than did thirteen of the most i'm
portant battles of the war in which indepen-
dence was won?
Perhaps you did not, but here is the bitter his
tory Of Independence Day celebrations which an
nuay takes the lives of both children and grown
ups-mostly children-binds them, mains them,
or inflicts upon them dreadful burns. In 1925
a total of 250 deaths resulted from Fourth of
July celebrations. In 1896 70 died in 1927, 80
went to their deaths while celebrating our ma
TONS birthday and last year the independence
Day toll of death was 200
Official records of the Revolution show that
Americans were killed at the battle of Leyng-
ton 40 at Concord 81 at Princeton; II at Cow
pens 90 at the siege of Charleston; 145 at Bunker
Hill II at FIT. Moultrie; 70 at Monmouth 81 at
Stone Ferry; 20 at Stony Point 80 at Benning-
ton; 80 at Saratoga and at Trenton. That is a
total of 554 Americans who gave their lives in
winning American liberty. From 1925 to 1928 some
$50 Americans gave their lives, uselessly, in 'cee-
bratng" the winning of that liberty.
Take two Fourth of July celebrations at random
and the records show that during one of them,
% were killed and 437 injured. For the other
the casualty list read 1876 dead and so injured
The total for these two celebrations is 159 killed
and SIT injured Add to this the casualty list for
any Fourth Of July celebration since 1900 (about
the time when this "safe and sane Fourth ag-
tation sarted) and the total will be greater than
the losses suffered by the Continental army when
it was defeated at the battle of Germantown or
during the siege Of Yorktown which ended sue
cessfully the American struggle for liberty. The
sufferings Of the Continentas during the terrible
winter at Valley Forge have become traditional.
Yet, since 1926 more Americans have lost their
lives during Fourth of July celebrations than were
lost among the soldiery who shivered in the cold
on those bleak Pennsylvania hillsdes.
Estimates based government records show
that there were 4,044 killed and GOA wounded
during the six years of the Revolution, when there
was scarcely day in which there was not fight
ing of some character going on somewhere in the
land In comparison with that record, look at the
figures compiled by the American Medical as
sociation and the American Museum of Safety
in regard to Fourth of July celebration casual
ties During the last 80 years-and that means
80 Independence days-there were 1920 Amer
leans killed in fireworks accidents and 10000 in
jured. How lucky it for nation that
George Washingtons Continental army merely
had to fight for American Independence! If that
army had had to celebrate the winning Of inde-
pendence, according to our modern methods, II
would have been wiped out of existence in very
short time indeed.
Now, these figures quoted above are for fire.
works accidents alone and do not include the