New Ulm review., 1906-07-18
/ BROADER Law Of FREEDOM.
Opinion of the Daily News on Con-.
ditiOns Here.
Makes Editorial Capital out Of
Closing of Saloons.
Some Other Opinions of Different
State Papers Noted.

close at Ii o'clock.
It is unusual for saloonkeepers to
prefer such request, but it is little
more pronounced in New Ulm than
anywhere else.
New Ulm was founded, it may be re-
membered, in devotion to personal Ii
berty. The first settlers were SO fierce
ly fond of free thought that they would
not have church among them.
That was reaction againstrepression
of personal liberty and sitting of free
thought. The sons of these men know
that free thought includes the ministra-
ton of the churches and stimulus of
religious teaching.
They have learned also that where
men live together in communities per-
sonal liberty is bounded by social ar
rangements.
The saloonkeepers want the liberty
to go home at night at some sort of a
decenthour. Competitor compels them
all to slave at their business so long
as one keeps open. In other lines of
business men agree among themselves
not to work beyond certain hours.
The saloonmen found statute con-
venient to their purpose and invoked
it. They could have done the same
thing by agreeing among themselves.
For the sake Of larger personal Ii
berty, they are pleased to surrender
the right for every man to follow his
own whims. They establish social ar
rangements in place of individual
caprice.
And that is how society comes to be.
It is how law grows. For law is the
common sense of the community. Leg
islatures may write statutes, but only
consent of the community can quicken
them into law.
In New Ulm, the saloonkeepers who
wanted leave to quit at night called to
their aid the clergy, who cheerfally in
dorsed their petition.
Notice that while this law has tenn
perance in view, it was not particular
ly for the sake of temperance, but for
social order that its enforcement was
urged. Laws to promote virtues are
of little use. Laws to put in effect
social arrangements that meet the
wishes of the community are absolute
ly effective.
This New Ulm episode is striking
instance of social evolution. We get
along in society at all only by adopt
ing restrictions upon our unbounded
freedom. We have to come to some
working understanding Of what we
shall or shall not do, and, though that
involves giving up our own way at
times, it results, after all, in giving
the freest play to each mans inclina-
tions.
Any man has right to work Il
hours a day. But when men bind them
selves not to work more than eight
hours, all have more leisure to pursue
their own ends than they had before.
Each man can make more of his life
and enlarge his soul if he will.
And that is the deepest law and pur-
pose of our living.
New Ulm has existed for over fifty
years as one of our state municipali-
ties, but governed entirely by laws Of
its own, ignoring completely some Of
our more important statutes. New Ulm
is city Of priests and preachers, has
an organization of state militia, has
furnished US with a state treasurer, a
governor, a congressman, a district
judge, and other important cogs in the
bull-wheel that grinds out city, state
and national harmony. Last week
sixteen saloon keepers of New UIm
petitioned the mayor, asking him to
enforce them to abide by the law in
closing their places of business at IL
O'Clock p. IA. Tracy Herald.
The action of the New Ulm saloon
keepers requesting Mayor SilVerson to
enforce the IL o'clock closing law, is
far more significant as portraying the
tendency of the times than the average
observer would consider. It means
simply this, that this country is under
going general evolution, both moral
and economic. Law as it should be
lcarried out is simply an expression of
the maj that majority ex-
presses itself And when the majority
Of the people understand the existing
conditions and know what is to their
interests to reform they will do it
statutory law or not. The will Of a few
may be carried out, against the ordi-
nances, when the majority are Ignorant
as to their best general interest but
educate them by showing how they are
injuring themselves and so suddenly
will errors be remedied so suddenly
will common sense rule.