Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1906-12-28
REM|N| SCIENCES OF
A LONG LIFE TOLD
VERY ABLE NARRATIVE WRIT
TEN BY LATE CARL SCHURZ.
Interesting Article in January Nc
Clure'S Magazine Dealing With
Mr.. SChurZ as He Enters Ameri-
Can POlittCS-BGgdn Career in
WdtGrtOWn.

miniscences OF long life written by
the late Hon. Carl Schurz appeared
in the January number of McClures-
Magazine and will be read with inter
est by many of the readers of the
Leader:
When we arrived in America, in
May, 1856, the public mind seemed to
be in state of high political anima-
ton. The hotels and the railroad cars
and the steamboat decks were buzz
ing with eager discussions of the slav-
cry question and the impending presi
Dental campaign, which were not sell
dom enlivened by bitter attacks from
Democrats upon those who had left the
Democratic party to join the new Re
publican organization. then entering
upon it's frs national contest. My
German neighbors in Watertown, Wis
consin, were almost all Democrats.
AS a rule, the foreign immigrants had
drifted into the Democratic party,
which presented itself to them as the
protector of the political rights of the
foreign-born population, while the
Wings were suspected of "natlvistic'
tendencies, hustile to the foreign-b born,
and among them the Germans, to the
Democratic party was, therefore, not
at all Unnatural, and although they
were at heart opposed to slavery, yet
thnIr of w oil fhn1r bt g
outweighed for the time all other con-
sideratIons, and served to keep them
in the Democratic ranks. But what
| read in the newspapers of the inva
sions of the Territories of Kansas by
the pro-slavery 'sborGer ruffians' of
Missouri, and of their high-handed and
bloddy attepmts to subjugate the free
state settlers there, deeply aggitated
me. In June, the national conventions
of the great political parties were
held. That of the Democrats met in
Cincinnati, in It's platform approved
the opening of the territories to sIa-
very under the gulse of popular SOW
ereignty,' and nominated Buchanan
and Breckenridge as it's candidates; !;
that of the young Republican party
met at Philadelphia, IN its platform
demanded the exclusion Of slavery
from the territories dedicated to free
dom, reaffirmed the principles of the
Declaration of Independence, and
nominated. as it's standard bearers,
Fremont of California and Dayton of
New Jersey. The Republican plat
form sounded to me like bugle call
of liberty, and the name of Fremont,
1.-THE Pathfinder, surrounded by a
halo of adventurous heroisIn, nightly
stirred the imagination. The old
cause of human freedom was to be
fought for on the soil of the new
world. The great final decision SEEM
ed to be impending.
Mr.. SGHURZ ENTERS POLITICS.
| was eager to take part in the con-
test. But at the same time feeling
came upon me that | was still sadly
incompetent for the task. While |
was in that troubled state of mind, |
was surprised by a visit from Mr..
Louis ?. Harvey, later governor of
wisconsin, who was then member of
the state senate OF Wisconsin, and one
OF the Republican leaders. He asked
me whether l would not make little
speech in German at massmeeting
to be held in a few days at Jefferson,
country town near by. No, | could
not think of 1t, for l was not prepar
ed. Would | not, then, at least come
and hear him speak at that meeting?
Of course | would. with great pleasure.
1t was an open air meeting, attend
ed by large crowd of country people.
Mr.. Harvey invited me to the plat
form and introduced me to the local
magnates. He spoke with uncommon
eloquence.
When the applause following his
speech had subsidized, the chairman of
the meeting coolly rose and said ::
81 lave now the great pleasure of in
Producing Mr.. Carl Schurz, of Water
town, who has fought for human lib
erty in his native country and who has
come to us to do the same in his adopt
ed home. He will address his fellow
citizens of German birth in their ma
tive language Well, we'll! | felt
myself blush all over; but what could
l do? | stammered few initial words
about the entirely unexpected honor,
and then, for half an hour or more,
blurted out what happened to come
into my mind about the slavery ques-
tion. After the first sentences, the
words came easily and my hearers
seemed to be we'll pleased This was
my first political speech in America.
The Ice was broken. Mr.. Harvey
triumphed over my diffidence. Invita-
tions to address meetings poured IN
upon me from all sides and kept me
busy during the whole campaign. |
did not yet trust myself to make pub
lie speeches in English, and therefore
in that campaign addressed only Ger
man audiences IL. their own language.