New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1910-03-09
CONTINUED from last week. J

Mr.. steinhauser agreed to have it published in
Continued from last week.
Is it any of our concern what the
citizens of that county propose to do
in the matter of internal improvements
within their own boruers, or can it
possibly concern the people of Brown
county or the citizens of any other
county? IF perchance the citizens of
Brown County should wake up some
fine morning and it would be to their
credit if they did, fully convinced
| that nothing would bring them greater
happiness and pleasure and content
ment than well-paved highways that
would be passable at all times of the
year and for the heaviest loads, they
could not construct them even if they
did not want and did not expect to
call upon the citizens of neighboring
counties to assist in defraying the
expense thereof, and were willing to
pay the entire cost of construction
| alone. And why not? Because the
cost would be SO great that they would
not be able to pay for it at once and
they can not legally issue bonds and
pay off the indebtedness in succeeding
years.
The same principle holds good with
all legislation pertaining to matters
of merely police regulation. Why
should the great state of Minnesota
determine for the citizens of Hanska,
or for any town or city at what hours
of the day or what particular days OF
the week the citizens are to be per-
mitted to carry on their business, in
Guiding the saloons, if you will? Or
to put it in other words, why should
the citizens of st. Paul, Minneapolis
and from all other voting precincts of
this great state have voice in de-
termining matters of police regulation
pure and simple for the citizens of
New Ulm, for instance? Is it because
the citizens of this or that town, this
city or that municipality are not
honest, upright and peace-loving
citizens and can not be trusted to do
those things which are for their own
good? Or shall we say that they lack
the necessary mental equipment, that
they are mentally deficient and in
clined to imbicility and that for those
reasons we are not willing to trust
them to agree on and carry into effect
such rules and regulations for them
selves as will do the greatest good to
the greatest number and work the least
hardship?
We can not honestly say that for
any of the reasons enumerated the
citizens of ally community should not
have the right to determine these mat
tiers for themselves, and I can not
imagine any valid reasons that can
be advanced why they should be denied
such right 1t is certainly no argu-
ment to say that laws must be uniform.
We might just as we'll advocate the
election of half dozen or a dozen
delegates from each township to pre-
scribe rules for the individual farmer
to run his farm. Isn't it wiser plan
to allow the individual to work out
his own salvation or damnation and
learn from experience what methods
to employ? We know that experience
is our best teacher and why should we
then take away from the Individual
or from the individual community the
right to learn? My main objection to
the Capitalization Of government is
the baneful effect it has on the indi-
vidual. It prevents him from taking
a keen and lively interest in matters
that are of vital Importance to him
and binders him from learning, grow
ing and developing.
Suppose for the sake of argument
that by granting the citizen, either as
an individual or as an integral pant
OF a municipality, a greater share of
liberty and freedom than he now pos
sesses, and he shonld in his ignorance
not do as we'll for himself and his
commonwealth as the Wisehei1ners
could and probably would do for him,
that is certainly no reason why his
liberties should be curtailed. We
have all fallen down at some time or
other and have suffered pain and
anguish as a consequence, but we
have learned and grown stronger
through just these experiences. Think
of all the bumps and falls a child gets
and how many bitter tears it sheds
before it reaches the stage where it is
able to take care of itself. If we
could and would eliminate the pain
and suffering that the average child
experiences in its development stage
uh Of would cuoh a child omnnnt too