Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-07-23

EVERY citizen has right 10 his owl
views on all questions of public con
Germ and no one will care to question it
Another principle isso we'll established
that IL seems almost absurd to assert
it. and that is that every citizen. who
has not himself restricted that right
may trade with whom and where he
pleases. There is yet another princl'
pie that, perhaps, is not so well under
stood and that is, that one may exercise
his unquestioned rights in such man
ner that the exercise of his rights be-
come a distinct wrong. We all know
that two negatives may make an affima'
tive, and though it may seem para
doxical to say so, it is equally true that
two rights may make a grevious wrong
If / become offended with man with
whom am dealing, or, if feel agrieved
at the treatment he has accorded me,
or if through within or caprice | see fit
to transfer my trade and patronage to
another, may exercise my right to dc
so. My neighbor may lose my trade
but l alone in so doing can not ruin his
business or destroy his good will OF
starve him out. | ought not to wish
him such evil. 1t would be a wrong to
him also refexively to myself. Sup.
pose, however, / should seize upon an
opportunity to catch my neighbor on
point of difference which affected
many others as it did me, and should
go about announcing that | had ceased
to patronize my neighbours store and
urge others to do likewise, the result
might be so consequential as to deprive
him of profit to an extent that would
ruin him, We have differed, he be
lieves he is right, l believe l am.
may be wrong and he right. may be
looking through the colored glass OF
early training, or of class bias, or the
peculiar views of a sect or cult OF
society, but whether right or wrong in
my views, have ruined my neighor
| have deprived him of his living, des
troyed perhaps the enterprise of a life
time, the hopes of human being,
caused man to lose his courage and
his grip in life. Swept away the com
forts of his family and blighted the
prospects and opportunities OF his chill.
dren-and why? because he has dared
to differ from me on a question OF
public concern. No matter how GER
tain am that he was wrong, may be
as certain that 1 have wronged him in
cruel and heartless manner. Wau
watosa has just been divided on another
question of public policy. Many of our
citizens do not patronize saloons. Some
do not countenance such patronage in
others. Other of our citizens do pat
ronize saloons, and some of these
regard it as an unreasonable and un'
warranted interference with their per.
sonal liberty to be even criticised
concerning what they regard as purely
a question of private concern. Both
sides feel that they are right about til,
principles involved. If those of our good
citizens who oppose saloons and saloon
patronage had raised the question al
the polls last spring, as there was talk
of doing, and in the manner provided
by law to settle that question, this
difficulty might have been averted
We would then have known the wishes
of the majority. We have, for years
been under license system, and as ne
one has seen fit to ask for a chance tC
vote on any other system, it is fair tC
presume and our aldermen had right
to assume that at least a considerable
majority favored that plan. No ISSUE
had been raised in any way, and nj
movement had indicated any particular
or exact number or location to which
the saloons should be confined. The
most prominent cor ner in Wauwatoss
has long been occupied by saloon
and what was there in the trend o
sentiment to indicate to the alder
men that point west of the bridge wal
more offensive than point east of tn,
bridge? Some of our aldermen could
under these circumstances, see no rea
son to refuse to one citizen what the,
had been wont to grant to others, an,
it is not claimed that any applican
was of bad character or that the loca
tons were infringing on new territor,
in quiet residence districts or neare
churches or schools Yet these alder
men have been met with storm o
abuse. Social ostracism and bushes