The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-12-13
THE GERMAN TURNER'S.

| dissolved it, because among the Germans o
| the North a large number" do not admire Sla
| very, it SAYS:
"The institution of the Turner's, for the frs
time in the fifty years of its existence, is nov
desecrated by devotion to despotism. The low
ofindependence and liberty inspired jain, whel
! he called upon the youth of his fatherland t
unite in bodily exercises, and thus reinvigors
ting the mind, and developing and hardening
the muscular power to prepare for a resistance
against oppression and for the expulsion of tn
invader. For half a century, the Turner's wer
the apostles and warriors of Liberty, and a
such dreaded and prosecuted by the European
| tyrants. Everywhere in l848 the Turner's wer,
| the first to expose their manly breasts agains
| hberticide missiles and assaults. 1t seems, how
ever, that in Carolina all this is now bravel,
| changed. We may yet hear of agility anC
| strength, acquired by the turner's" gymnas
| tic exercises, as employed in the work of tn,
shareholders in rivalry with the bloodhound
| in Texas or Arkansas"
This is un ust to the Turner'S, probably be
cause the writer is not well informed On the
| subject. The Tribune fails to state the whole
truth. 1t fails to say that the German Turner's
have recently defined their position on the Sla
very question; and that, like large majority
of the Germans in the United States, they are
strongly opposed to the Slavery propagandists
These Turner's, in the United States consti
tute fraternity which is spread through every
part of the Union. In nearly every State there
are Turner Societies. These Societies have in
view physical and intellectual culture. They
encourage and provide for gymnastic exercises
lectures, and social meetings. Nothing con
nected with them is secret. Everything is open
to public observation, their objects being only
such as those above stated.
In September last, the annual National Con
vention of this fraternity held at Buffalo, in
which each local "Turnveren," or Turner So
ciety, was represented by its delegates. Du
ring the session, the Slavery question was in.
troduced; and, after considerable discussion,
in which most of the speakers expressed strong
opposition to Slavery, the Convention adopted
resolutions which took the following ground:
"The Turner's are opposed to Slavery, and
especially are they opposed to the extension of
Slavery into free territory, because they regard
the same as entirely unworthy of Republic,
and directly opposed to free principles"
This declaration, to which nearly all the del
egates agreed, could not fail to produce commo-
ton in some of the Southern societies. but it
does not seem likely to encounter so much op-
position as might be expected. South Caro-
lima, always foremost in noisy violence against
Anti-Savery sentiments, has the honor of being
foremost on this occasion. The Turner Soci-
ETY. at Charleston, South Carolina, has loudly
rebelled against the resolution adopted at Buff
falo, and withdrawn from the fraternity. 1t
has also sought to draw after it all the other
societies in the South, but with no great amount
of success. In some of the Southern States, the
Germans are openly opposed to Slavery, and
In most OF them they are quite as likely to ac-
nap snoh doclarafi a h.
without complaint or objection, as otherwise
In Texas and Missouri they have Anti Slavery
papers, and it is now generally understood that
the Germans in Western Texas are likely to
make free State of that portion of this acqui-
sition from Mexico, whenever Texas is divided.
The seeding Turner Society at Charleston
issued circular, which was sent to all the 9TH
er Southern societies, urging them to follow its
example, denounce the action of the National
Convention, and unite in forming a Southern
combination against it. The responses to this
circular have not been altogether cheering to
the Pro-Slavery Germans at Charleston. In
" Die Turn Zeitung," the official organ of the
fraternity, which is published weekly at Cincin-
natl, we find the response of the Turner Soci-
ETY. at Wheeling, Virginia. 1t is well worth
reading; therefore we translate it for our read
ers:
WHEELING, November 4, 1855.
The Wheeling Turnperien to the Tnrnrerein
at Charleston: Your letter of October 2lst has
been received, in which you tell US that YOU
have withdrawn from the Turner-Bunde on &C.
count OF the resolution adopted by the Nation
al Convention. There is not much to be said
upon this point. One cannot well ask you to
remain in the connection, if you cannot do so
without endangering your own existence as a
society. But, since the reasons of your with
drawai have found their way into the public
Journals, and you, in your letter, invite us to
withdraw as you have done, you have given us
a right to speak freely on both these points.
The resolution that the Turner's are opposed
to Slavery and Slavery extension seems to us
entirely proper. The course of some journals,
particularly the Neio Yorker Stats Ze;tuno.
had made 1t necessary for the Turner's to define
their position. We understand the resolution
to mean, very plainly, that Turner who be.
comes a stakeholder, or desires to become one
shall no longer be considered as a Turner. A
Turner who should seek to be sunnorted in
idleness, by the enforced labor of others. would
be an absurdity. 1t does not follow from this
that the Turner Association has undertaken to
abolish Slavery in the States where it exists.
Tor 1t does not lie within the power of the Turn.
ers to do this. But it is plain that the Turner's
must oppose the extension of Slavery into free
territory, because they are ali free laborers.
ana must seek to preserve the soil for free
labor, and because 1t is only through the emf
grafton OF free laborers into the territory that
the future great States can be kent free from
the institution of Slavery, while to make these
Territories into slave States, would be to con-
sign their soil to the monopoly of few rich
planters, and close them against free labor.
ers. The resolution adopted at Buffalo does
not interfere with any right of the Southern
States. The South should have no exclusive
privileges; and the STAKEHOLDER, who lives by
the labor of others, should have no more RIGHT
than the free laborer, who, with his own hands.
procures bread for himself and his family.
Therefore we approve and accept the resolu-
ton OF the National Convention, although we
live in a slave State
In your invitation to US to unite with you in
your movement, we reply: l. We shall not
withdraw from the National Association OF
Turner's; 2. We shall treat with scorn all at.
tempts to divide the Association, and will have
no connection with any seeding society; 8.
we regard your proposition to form South
ern Association as a miserable business, and as
treason to the principles of our fraternity A.
We declare that if you find it impossible to re.
main IN the Association, this is no reason why
you should attempt to draw off other societies
Although we do not censure your withdrawal
yet we must treat your deliberate attempt to
corrupt and draw off other societies simply as
an endeavor to inspire them with your own COW.
ardice. 5. Your proposition and your reply
shall be published in the Turn-Zeiting, and the
Wheeling Repm6ticdner.
In behalf of the Society.
LEOPOLD SENTZKE, Secretdrv
1t does not appear that the example of the
Charleston Society will be followed by many Of
the Turner Societies at the South. But, what.
ever may be the result of its efforts to form a