The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1879-04-24

: Ladies and Gentlemea-Fur the fir
, time IN the history OF Austin we behoI
a vAst assembly OF joyous men and W,
men who have come from every Do
ton OF this mighty State TO p4rtake
the festivities an ys Of S4enge
fest.
Composed, as this sssemblaee il Il
the most part, II Ge1 1man-AmerIcsI
and their descendants, II 10 but uRt
and proper that l sSouli remind yo
Ut the origin and progress OF Germs
civilization in Texas, before speskin
OF the objects, origin and tendencies @
the Saengerfest which you are here t
enjoy. And, my frlenGs. this duty i
the more pleasing, since no written his
tory of Texas has yet traced the origil
and progress of German settlement il
our midst.
The arst distinguished Gsrmans O
whose settlement IN Texas our ouhli,
archives give evidence were Col. Vor
Roeder, an officer of the Prussian army
Mr.. Ernest, now of Austin county, til,
two brothers Kleeburg and Col
Hsrkort, all OF whom came voluntaril,
to the wilds of Texas in the early dsyI
OF her revolution, seeking that freedom
denied TO them in the,I native land.
To these must be added the name
of Hon. George B. Ersth. Col. Har-
kott was an officer in the Mexican army
during the Gbvement for liberty, be.
gun inthe revolution of Hidalgo and
Morales, but when he saw the despotic
purposes of Santa Anna, he resigned
his commission in the Mexican army as
q colonel Of artillery, and, like another
Lafayette, rendered his sword to Hous-
ton and espoused the cause of freedom.
Conspicuous among the early patriots
of Texas stood Col. Harkort, who,
with Van r 'eder and his grown sons,
fought with Houston at San Jacinto
and enjoyed his confidence and esteem.
Thus German blood was offered at the
very birth Of freedom in Texas as a
voluntary offering on her altar. But 1t
is of those who came afterwards and
OF their descendants who are before
me that l propose more especially to
speak.
FIRST COLONIZATION
now hold III my hand paper, kind
ly losned To NE for this purpose by the
Secretary of State, which contsins the
hrst propt sition ever made to the Re
public of Texas for the Introduction of
German Immigrants. 1t bears the date
OF February 8, 1912. The mind of
Houston grasped at once the great ad-
vantagts to the infant republic, which
would flow from AN increase of her pop-
ulatlon, which was then so much need
ed, and 30 in the town Of Washington
or the Brazos, on the first day OF Sep.
tember, 1S43, and in the eighth year
of the independence of Texas, Sam
Houston, president, of the Republic,
and Henry Fisher aud Burchard Miller
signed the first contract tor German
immigration to Texas. It provided
for the introduction within three
years Of six hundred families, or single
men over seventeen years old, to be
colonized between the Colorado and
LlanO rivers, with the privilege of in
creasing the number to six thousand
families.
We search the pages of Texas his
tory IN vain for some light on the pro-
gress of this enterprise 80 full of results
in subduing the wilderness, building
cities, aud aiding US forward to
a his her civilization. Its history
is not yet written in books, but
lts results may be contemplated ut
New Braunfels, at Fredericksburg,
aud in the happy homes scattered eli
over Western Texas, and now made
glad with German thrift and enter
prise.
While Fisher and Miller were the only
contracting parties, known to the Re-
public OF Texas, behind them was q
power in Germany greater than they
ted with more than thirty Ger
man princes aud gentlemen, fur
nished the means which organized
the emigration, and helped 1t forward
to Texas. 1t is not fitting an occasion
like this that I should dwell on the
sad neglect of the contractors, which
resulted in so much suffering to the
early emigrants. No prudent fore
thought had provided for their reeep.
ton during q rigorous winter, and
thus disease: thinned their number
while suffering, such as the enigrant
has seldom known, marked their pro-
gress from the coast to the interior.
In pursuance of the contract between
Fisher 8 Miller aud the Republic Of
Texas, between the twenty md
day of October, 1845, and the fifteenth
day OF February. 1S46, three thousand,
four hundred and seventy-one men,
women and children of German birth
were transported and landed on the
coast of Texas. by twenty-five differ
ent vessels, which cleared from the
cities of Bremen and Antwerp. vi
that number, 1s47 were men over
seventeen years old. They came
chiefly from Wirtenberg, Baden, Hes
se-Cassel and the Rhine LroYlnces, and
the records in the Department OF
State, which I have inspected, give
the name of every man, woman and
child.
Let us here pause and contemplate
the spectacle presented, /, as over the blue
waves of ocean those emigraut vessels
bore to an unknown shore theil
living freight OF hopeful, yet
sorrow1ng hearts. As the Lofty
spires of Bremen faded and grew-din
ON the horizon, how the memories o.
the vine clad hills OF the Rhine--iti
blue waters and the songs which onc'
echoed through the vineysrds-to b
seen and heard no more, saddened th'
heart Of the emigrsnt, moistened hiI
eye and found expression In mournfu
song. Before him the broad expanst
of ocean. and, still beyond that, hi
destined home, in q new world, amoni
a strange race, speaking an unknown
tongue behind him, the bills and val
leys OF his native lsnd-friends ant
kindred and tie old home, arouut
which clustered the rosy memories o
his life. But, strong in hope and long
ing for that freedom which was re
pressed by princes, he looked forWar'
with confidence, and thus from th
vessels deck, in the bosom OF the vas
deep, his mingled feelings Of sorro'
and hope found utterance in the mourn
full song Of the emigrsnt.
There are marked points of resem
blance between the Huguenot VIII
peopled South Carolina and tue Gea
man emigrant TO Texas. Both sough
to escape from the despoiism Nhich n
strained national progress, and eec
tolerated in his new home thu
independent expression OF opinio
3 by others in social, political and rel
= aious Affairs which be claimed for hin
. self. No gloomy Puritan, who locke
through the glowing nature of cart
. and skV only to behold . stern 40
forbIddinR Deity, was IN the ranks