Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 83, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 July 1906 — FOURTH MORE SANE. [ARTICLE]

FOURTH MORE SANE.

IMPROVEMENT NOTED IN DAY’S OBSERVANCE. ■ i ~ ~' ;■' " ~ ” Deadly Sinnerhter Is Less Frluhtful IhHn In Pre. ion. lenrn, but 8S Are Head n„«l Hurt— ITecord of —Pn t rl<»1 Hua." x? 1 Dead .. \. i;....... .... .:3ft By fireworks, ,j\ —KfwSntmTlTr.-. 1 By tilearms 11. By i x plusivcs 7 : Bv toy pisltds.:. .CP; , .1. . >rr-4 lit. imici e .i\.l. By drowning .. 5 Injured 2.75!t Bx fireworks .. .' /. ,1,09!) By cannon 201 By firearms 292 By explosives . . (>97 By toy pistols, i ;;o| By ruuu wax s ........ 25 Fire- loss.. >'<.•>. I."a' Jj The immediate Fourth of July death ’roll Is sma Her tpjs yetir tlum that of a year ago. bitt unfortunately the thirtyeight slain by tireworks will be but an ill f it] it ■ ima I |i >• t <>f t lh>se wln > .will Irw- timirdi vi’w bvrrtttsir of ;thv rrrgy <d' power nn*l tmisT. —I.tist year firt’+y-txvn persons wen* killed outright, but when lockjaw and other diseases inthTi-j-d by injuries had completed their work over 4<h< lives had been sacrificed to patriotic idiocy. • 'rite number of in.itir*-*! excess of last year's figure* by 355. The agencies by which these injuries were intlietei], as compared xxith last year’s record, are as folloxxs; 1900. 1905. Fireworks ..1.099 79S (’ahnon 291 302 F i reanns ■ • ,"93 ."27 Explosixes i-...- <>97 ftftS Toy pistols lit 4 371 Runaways 35 49 It xxill be sreu that the toy pistol, is the One instrument of destruction to fall behind in its.death dealing work. The center of slaughter was. as usual, Philadelphia where 711 patriots anti in-imi-ent bystanders were victims. Chicago was the secund center of injury, two children being killed and 157 persons woundt'd more or less sevt'rely. In New York sanity ruled to a eerTain extent, t>s i nj urles being repprted, with txvo deaths.

Toledo was an example of what rig orous enforcement of law and the education of its citizens can accomplish. For days Mayor Whitlock preached sanity, and the result was that only two persons were injured, one of them being in a runaway. The'fool with a revolver, or other firearm, was the cause of the most prolific slaughter, the "stray bullet” being particularly destructive. The deadly toy pistol followed as the instrument of death, but its harvest simply was sown, and will be reaped from lockjaw. The cities where lives were taken are as follows : Chicago 2 Grand Falls, N. D.l Cincinnati 1 Jersey' City 1 Catskill. N. Y;. ..4-N'd«r York .2 Elkhart. Ind 1 Negaunee. Mich... 2 Fall River. Mass'.'.T Niagara Falls 1 Kenosha 1 Pittsburg 1 Memphis . 1 Souih Byud .» . - 1 Newton. lowa ... 1 Wanamie. New Bedford. Mass.l Springfield. Mass, . 1 Oswego. N. Y 1 Fond du Lac, Wis.l Cleveland ........ 1 New Albany. Ind. . 1 Clarks* .He. Ore. Steveils I’Tit. Wtstl Fulton, N. Y ..... 1 Vineeuues, 1nd....l The publication of the lists.of jM'rsons in.htnd by the u<e of powder in various forms has proved an effective force toward ultimately gaining the object desired, the elimination of the useless waste of life and limb. The figures presented merely are a suggestion of the total of such accidents. In every community a small proportion reach publicity.- especially in eases which tit first appear of minor Importance. injuries from the use of toy pistols. These are the most prolific cause of subseqhent tetanus which yearly 4UO or more lives.

The array, small as it Is by comparison with the real total, is a sad one when it is ouisidered that each death or injury has liven useless and born of itn almost criminal license granted to a mistaken exhibition of patriotism. , It becomes more startling, however, when a month later the returns of dead begin t<T»swell> amT The* cxtefii of the slaughter becomes apparent. ,