El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-16
THE GERMANS IN TEXAS.
A Notable Congress of Them To Be
sHeld October s.

German day in Texas Is to be observ-
ed in an unusually practical and in
structive manner this year. A move
ment is now we'll on foot for the hold
ing of q Observation-Disclosures con-
gress," either at San Antonio or Sal
weston on October 6, for q twofold pur.
pose-the perpetuation of German
Texas history and the advancement of
the interests of the German population
of this state. This congress is to be
composed of German delegates from
over the entire state. The practical
work of tt q congress is but hazily OUT
lined as "the general advancement of
German American interests as we'll as
| the fostering of German arts, customs
and culture
As an aid to.the practical side Of
this German-Texas congress, it has
been decided to rescue and preserve
the story of German history to Texas.
In this topic the congress will find a
rich field for its labors, for the stirring
epoch of German history-making in
Texas did not end with the establish
ment of the early towns of Fredericks-
burg, Sisterdale land New Braunfels
by the pioneer band of restless Ger
man spirits who came to his coun
t syz with Prince solms Braunfels in
The Germans in Texas had a subse-
quent history, equally stirring as that
OF the venturesome vanguard that
crossed the sea in 1S45 or those who
fled after the revolutionary period of
1S48. The Germans have been making
history ever since, or rather, have
been molding.character,l which, after
all directs the destiny of states his
tory. Bigining in tbs 40s, they push |
I'D northwestward the lines of civilizs-
lion redeeming from the savage all of |
the big bland country known as the |
Texas Alps, the heart of which is the
German burg, Comfort and the west
boundary the hills of Ere
For ten or fifteen years following
hey were the best Indian fighters of
he state. Fearless, hardy and
element in the early Texas Rangers.
nlthis English-speaking country this
act has been overlooked, but an in
pection of the records show that there
we're entire German companies of In
ian fighters and Germans in every
ompany. During this period they
we're the Transfers, the common car
1ers' of the. new state. Theirs were
he long wagon trains that carried the I
reight from the then important sea- ,
ort of Indianola as far inland as San
and from thence westward to I
1exicO, and into the mountains to the /
ierman communities that had been t
uilt up in the highlands. Il
1t is characteristic of the two nations:
he Americans were the owners of the t
asst stage coach lines. The drivers /
ere Americans with here and there /
German at the lines as if by the mer- I
st accident. Theirs was the swift 8
ace. The Germans were the owners q
the vast lines of mule freight trains. v
he drivers were Germans. Theirs was a
ne steady. solid work. It was work c
nat required accuracy and solidity, a
nd no people were better adapted for
ais hazardous task than the German %
ioneers of those days. d
By the time that the civil war broke
Ut the German population of Texas a
1ence and weight of numbers showed II
self to a marked degree in the bril- fl
ant campaign of Gen. Sam Houston, t,
lat almost wrested Texas from the Il
cessiOn movement. le
The Germans, though largely agri- W
lltural in pursuit, detested slavery. "
i'd with few exceptions deigned to CT
Did black human chattels. The pro- N
,sition was incompatible with their q
nse of justice and liberty, and thus b
hen Gen. Sam Houston made his ex- al
programme of union and I'll
imam freedom, the German vote was
his side. Liz
In the war that followed the German al
loiers in the confederate ranks were I'll
nscripts, and the Texas volunteers in N
g Union army were largely Germans, b.
no made their way to New York FL
rough the seaports of Mexico. In 10
e succeeding peace Germans have et