University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1910-10-11
The German. Press
In Missouri

here along Cne MISSOURI river valley
going west we find the majority of
the Germans. The function of. Ger
man journalism in the United States
has been to prepare the German pop
ulation for good citizenship. One writ
er in speaking of the German papers
in this country says, "the daily pa
pers published in the German language
are not German papers, but American
papers published in the German Ian
|guage."
In the year 1885 the Anzeiger Des
Westerns appeared as weekly found
ed by Christian Bumpage, and this
may be said to be the commencement
of German journalism in Missouri. A
year later he associated himself with
William Weber as editor. Weber was
"a vigorous young man and soon drew
about him the leading men of the city.
DR.. George Englemann,- Gustave Koer-
ner, Fred Muench and others contrib
uted to this paper. From 1892 to 1886
it was issued tri-weekly and later on
as daily. In 1874 Arthur Olshausen
secured an interest and three years
later he became the sole proprietor.
Weber remained editor until 1850 when
he was succeeded by Henry Boern-
stein, student of medicine in Aus
trian Poland, who had fled from Paris
and come to America. Boernstein
soon employed Carl Daenzer as gen.
eral writer, and he ruled him and the
other employees of the Office harshly,
exacting the utmost amount of work
from them. The policy of Boernstein
was dictatoriai one and he under
took to rule the rising emancipation,
which caused him to lose favor Daen-
sibility and kept it until 1857, when
differ ences arose and the latter left
Bbernstein to start the Westliche
Post on $1,275 capital. This amount
would not pay weeks salary bill now,
but by careful managing the paper
continued to run. Daenzer took DR..
Wenzell on to the editorial staff, but
in 1860 sold the whole concern to
Arthur Olshausen and returned to Eu-
rope on account of his health, return
ing in 1862.
On his return from Europe DaenZer
found DR.. Charles L. Bernays installed
as editor of the AnZeiger and the paper
in run down condition. He revived
| it under the name Of Neue Anzeigerdes
Westens. It favored the Demo
cratic party. but could hardly be called
party organ as it was independent.
This paper strongly advocated the
gold standard.
In, April, 1864, the Westliche Post
was founded and in August, 1867, Thee
dore Plat was secured as business
manager, and Emil Preetorius as ed
itor, receiving at the same time a
large pecuniary share in the paper.
Three years later Carl Schurz joined
with Preetorius, and it was on this
paper that Joseph Pulitzer first learned
journalism. This paper became the
leading German Republican in the
West. On June 1, 1898, the Westliche
Post and the Anzeiger Des Westerns
were consolidated. Under this new
arrangement the morning Westliche
Post and the Evening Anzeiger were
Issued by the German-American Press
company
The history of the German press in
Missouri would not be complete with.
out an account Of the political strug-
|gles of the papers of this state. 1t
was the Civil War that brought out the
Ipolicy Of the German papers. They
took the initiative and saved Mis-
souri, for the Union, says Albert Bern
hardt Faust, in a book on the German
element in the United States. In St
Louis Arthur Olshausen and Heinrich
Boernstein of the Westliche Post couT.
Iageously continued voicing Union sen.
timents. K. L. Bernays Of the same
paper was sent to Washington to ex.
plain to Lincoln the state of affairs in
Missouri regarding the dismissal OF
General Harvey. Many of these news
paper men took up arms for the Uni
ion and thus forcibly voiced their own
sentiment
| About this time paper was founded
lat Hermann by Null and Strehle
called Die LIGHT Freund, philosophi
cal paper discussing the abolition Of
slavery. The people of this part did
not care for the philosophical dis
cussion of the slave question and the
Ipaper died. In 1S43 the Hermann
volkblatt was founded by the same
two determined men at the same place