Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1855-02-03
ANTI-SLAVERY BUGLE.
WESTERN TEXAS AND THE GERMANS.

Iexas and its German colonization, by Frederick
kapp. From it we make the following extract,
from which it will be seen that in Western Texas
there is a German population, who eschewng Sa-
very, are making practical demonstration in favor
of Freedom.
After giving history of the failure of early ef-
forts at German colonization, Mr. Kapp says:
The more enlightened, who could better value
the advantages offered by that country not
frightened away, and more than $1,000 Germans
have settled between the Colorado and the Guada-
lupe, mostly grouped around n ew Brauntels, Fred
ericksburgh. and San Antonio, engaged in agricul-
tural pursuits. Although this number is but
small com paratively German manners and Ger
man mind have more influence and re-
spected there than anywhere else in the United
States Tho reason is, that the German element
appeared there the first pioneer of civilization
and sustains that character. There you see the
German nobleman, the learned professor the sol
dier and the artist thriving and contented in their
occupations. The popularity of Texan life has,
beside this decided attraction for the more ener-
getic who mostly belong to the enlightened class
of society. You do not see there those wooden
coarse figures of German peasants, they show
their dstrustful faces in the streets of New York
The Germans there are the most prominent mer
hlnts, the most daring bear hunters, the most
gallant defenders agai st predatory INVADERS
Moreover, they sincerely attached to the cult
walton of their minds. They have not become ex-
clusively practical-nor were they SO when they
had to struggle with nature, and to shift for the
necessaries of life. They anxious to estab-
lsh good newspapers They were not satisfied
with an intelligcnccr, edited by speculative type
setter,as they arc sometimes in the Eastern States
The two German newspapers published in Texas
are the reflection of intellectual life, the cnlight
ened leaders in the political movement, the cham
pi0ns OF social improvement among them. Our
countrymen there even to the frontier of the In
dian territory, are thoroughly acquainted with the
ne = productions of German intellect and the lee
turer, a few evenings ago. participated in Listers
dale, for the purpose of founding the "Freeman's
Association" which suddenly interrupted,
during the discussion of the most elevated prin-
ciples of mankin by the appearance of more
than fifty Indians horseback. But this cult
vatlon of the brighter sides Of life is but particu-
lar and private in the general development. Its
effects are but little, if at all perceptblc in public
life, and their generous influence, if not checked,
will appear to good advantage in the next genera
ton. The political consideration, however, which
the Germans have in these remote parts of these
United States secured to themselves, is conspicu-
GUS from the fact, that all of them, although resi-
dents of a slave State decidedly opposed to
Slavery, and that they have shaken the institution
perhaps in the most effective manner; not by news
. paper polemcs and platforms, so potent in other
parts of the Union, but by the evidence 'tat cot.
ton can be raised By free tubor." Yes you can see
in Western Texas all the work done by German
men and German women, which, according to the
assertion Of the South so willingly believed by
many in the North, can only be performed by ne
groes. The German settlers there are planting
and picking cotton. with better success-as it is
70 ascertained by the statstics-than slave labor
has ever produced it up to the present time. The
South, in defending what it calls its rights, is
principally striving to show, by the law of nature,
that its labor cannot be done except by slaves. The
Germans, however, have overthrown that law Of
nature and thereby the fallacy of the above pre-
fayt 10 Hha hoc t, l,nE
out for anothers rights and unable to find it, they
openly rely on force and violence, without any
claim to legality. If you wish to wholly apprec-
ate this peculiar feature N German politics, sup
pose only, that some three months ago. similar
population, with like political and social views and
tendencies, had been residing just over the boun-
dares of Western Missouri Then the United
States would have to receive one, perhaps two
slave States less into the Union. Messrs. Douglas
Atchison and their accomplices knew very well
that Slavery would be imported from Western Mis-
souri, into Kansas With a German population
like that in Western Texas, however, they would
not only have meet antagonists in principle, but al
SO active resistance, and they would thereby have
been unable to pass Slavery through such body
of men further westward. The Germans would at
any rate have made dead letter of the Nebraska
bill-the most infamous deceit practced upon the
sovereign American people They would have
hurled that enactment back into the very teeth of
its authors. They would have saved the honor of
the United States Let us make the positive sup,
position, that the Germans in Western Texas, were
exerting themselves to detach their country from
the slave State, and 20 work for constituting
Western Texas as free State of the Union! This
is project which, perhaps, is nearer consumaton
than is generally supposed. The interest of the
nOn-saveholding settlers shows every day more
evidently that this solution is unavoidable, because
soil and climate are absolutely favorable to free
labor, because some occurrences of late have very
much disturbed the good understanding between
the American and German residents. The pres
ent Constitution is not SO far as i know, opposed
to such a separation. We aware that when
Texas was annexed to the United States, the con-
cesson was made to her to divide, at future time
her extensive territory into four different States at
least: concession made in the interest Of the
shareholders, no doubt, but it as well be avail
able for other interests, and by analogy, the Ne.
braska bill will certainly operate against the inten
lions of its authors by establishing the precedent
that Congress and the General Government shall
not interfere it such an attempt be made. The
tConstitation of the State of Texas itself can
throw No obstacle in the way of carrying out the
plan. Trne. the emancipation of the slaves there
in is subjected to the consent of their owners and
they are entitled to full indemnication but in the
whole country here in question there are but few
shareholders. Their whole number between the
Rio Colorado and the Rio Grande does not reach
200. Slave propertyi is rery uncertain there Mex
leo being too neaf and the negroes knowing very
well that no German will deliver slave to his
master. In the last year $50 slaves escaped to
Mexico, in spite Of blooahoands; and the number
will more likely increase than lessen. The pr,-
portion in respect to the nat witty of the residents
o. in Western Texas is twO-fiths native Americans,
!. two-ffths of German origin. and one-ffth Mexican
Each one of the first and the last is entitled to vote
while but one half the Germans are so. The Mex
icans however, can easily be induced to vote with
the Germans. because they are like any other
weaker race most contemptuousy treated by the
u Americana and thew hayeawaVs to with their
skin whenever slqye has made his escape Lazy
and gnoraEt. they. have, in political matters, been
easy tools in the hands of covetous ofhce-hunters
who are, as everywhere else, the tools of the slave
holders. Spanish paper. connteraetipg this in
Huence, published in the center of the Mexican
population, at San Antonio, would easily bring