New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1907-01-09
CAMPAIGNS OF CARL SCHURz
Great German. Tells of
his First Tour through
Minnesota.
Campaigned the State with Judge
Goodrich in a Blackboard
in 1859.
Interesting "reminiscences of a
Very Interesting Man.

McClure's Magazine for January
contains another installment of the
entertaining "reminiscences of the late
Carl Schurz. In this article he tells
of a political tour which he made
through Minnesota in the pioneer days
and says:
"In the autumn of 1859, not only
was on duty in Wisconsin, but was
also urgently asked to make some
speeches in Minnesota, where the first
state election was to be held in No
vember. / obeyed the call.
81 remember that journey with pleas
ure, and may be pardoned for in
dulging myself in giving a picture of
what political campaigning, with its
humors, was at that period in the
Far West The population of Min
nesota was thin, the western part Of the
State being still occupied by Sioux
tribes. The twin cities of ST. Paul
and Minneapolis, which now count
their population by the hundred
thousands, were then still in their
infancy. st. Paul, if remember right
ly, had about 900 inhabitants and
the name of Minneapolis did not yet
exist at all. That settlement was
called the Falls of st. Anthony and
had a population of about 1900 souls.
At st. Paul was received by the Re-
publican candidate for governor,
Mr.. Alexander Ramsey, man of
moderate gifts, but blessed with one
sof those winning counter ances which
betoken sound sense, a quiet con-
science, good humor, and kind heart
for all men was to meet him again
at later period in the senate of the
United States and in the cabinet of
President Hayes.
81 found myself put down in the
plan of campaign for one Or two
speeches a day, with an itinerary
spreading over a large part of the
state. was to travel for several days
in the company of a gentleman who
introduced himself as Judge Goodrich.
There being at that time no railroads
in that part OF the state which I was
to visit, Judge Goodrich and l rode
in buggy from place to place, to
small country towns and sparsely
populated settlements. He was a
middle-aged man of slim stature, a
clean-shaven, somewhat haggard face,
and lively dark eyes. | soon dis
covered in him one of those Originals,
who at that time seemed to abound in
the country. His conversation was
indeed rather literally interspersed
with those over-emphatic terms Of
affirmation which are much in use on
the frontier, so that it seemed as if the
judge liked to appear as one OF the
people. But sometimes he made keen
observations touching a variety OF
subjects political. historical, philoso-
phical, even theological-which be-
trayed anuncommonly active andinde-
pendent mind and extensive reading.
Gas we became better acquainted,
he began to con6de in me the favorite
trend of his studies. It was the dis
covery and unmasking of the sham
characters of history. He had found
upon close investigation, that some
men, whom conventional history
called very good and great, had
not been good and great at all, and
did not deserve the credit which for
centuries had by common consent been
bestowed upon them; but that in fact
that credit and praise belonged to
others. His pet aversion was Christie
pher Columbus. His researches and
studies had convinced him that Chris
topher Columbus had made his voyage
Of discovery according to the log