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Panoramas in World War I
The German-Texan Experience
During the war, rampant prejudice affected German-Texans who comprised five percent of Texas’ population. Many German heritage clubs, called Verein, closed. German-Texans suffered beatings, whippings, and were murdered by vigilantes for criticism of the war or refusal to buy Liberty Bonds. Even speaking German was a problem. Passed by the Texas Legislature in 1919, House Bill 304 prohibited the teaching of German in any public school, college, or university.
Many German-Texans supported the war effort, however. Local German-Texan newspapers, such as the Neu-Braunfelser Zeitung, urged support for President Wilson. Abroad, they fought in the war against Germany. First Lieutenant Louis J. Jordan of Fredericksburg was the first German-American officer to die in battle.
Trouble for German-Texans did not end with Armistice in 1919. Henry J. Neinast from Washington County was elected to the Texas House of Representatives. However, a legislative committee expelled him from the position by a vote of 114 to 13 for pleading guilty to charges of obstructing the draft during the war.
Christian Klaerner and the Texas State Library
The Texas State Library came under investigation by the Central Investigating Committee charged with investigating state institutions in Texas. Established in 1917, the Committee was a byproduct of growing public suspicion and distrust.
At the center of this controversy was state librarian Christian Klaerner. State Library employees accused the Bavarian-born Klaerner of being pro-German and ordering books promoting German culture at the expense of other library books. The Committee found German periodicals in the State Library they alleged were “openly antagonistic to America.”
Believing the State Librarian position “a dangerous place to put a dangerous man,” the Committee investigated Klaerner for disloyalty.
Despite the lack of evidence, the Committee reported that “[Klaerner’s] demeanor and appearance are not those of a representative Texan” and suggested he resign.
Klaerner bowed to public pressure and resigned on August 11, 1918.
Items in this Exhibit
Texas German Academy, about 1883. Places collection, Prints and Photographs collection, 1/104-129.
In 1877, Jacob Bickler founded the Texas German and English Academy, a boys’ school, in Austin. The school included the study of various languages, music, and the liberal arts.
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Service record of Ernest Harkrider, 1952. Harkrider collection, Manuscript collection, 2-22/787.
This card records an unspecified claim made by Harkrider, then living in Kermit, Texas, on December 16, 1952. Harkrider died on December 2, 1955 and was buried in Eastland Cemetery.
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Ernest C. Harkrider, about 1918-1919. Harkrider collection, Prints and Photographs collection, 1966/086.
Corporal Ernest C. Harkrider of Carthage, Texas served in the U.S. Army from March 28, 1918 to June 24, 1919. He was honorably discharged. Click or tap on thumbnail for larger image.
Letter from Ernest Harkrider to Schorre, about 1918-1919. Harkrider collection, Manuscript collection, 2-22/787.
In a letter to an individual named Schorre, Harkrider writes in German that he has not forgotten the recipient and is thinking of him (or her). Click or tap on thumbnail for larger image.
Subpoena for Sheriff of Bryan County, House of Representatives Special Committee to Investigate Charges Against Representative H.J. Neinast records, 1921. Texas Legislature, 1988/062.
Representative Henry J. Neinast was investigated by a special committee of the Texas Legislature to determine his eligibility to hold office after learning Neinast had plead guilty in 1919 to a federal charge of conspiracy and obstruction of the selective service laws during World War I. Several witnesses were called, including Hugh R. Robertson, then-sheriff of Bryan County, Texas. Click or tap on thumbnail for larger image.
“Main Library from the north window,” 1915. Places collection, Prints and Photographs collection, 1/103-135.
During World War I, the Texas State Library was located on the second floor of the Texas Capitol.
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Testimony and evidence, Texas State Library and Historical Commission, Records of Subcommittee 5, 1917-1918. Records of the Central Investigating Committees of the House and Senate, Texas Legislature, 1963/058.
In 1918, the Central Investigating Committee investigated the Texas State Library, the Texas Library and Historical Commission, and the Legislative Reference Library. The Committee considered reading, studying, or even encouraging the reading of German literature as part of a perceived German plan “to conquer the world not only with German armies but with German ideas, literature, and language.”
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Christian Klaerner, State Librarian photographs. Prints and Photographs collection, 1972/049.
Christian Klaerner, born in Bavaria in 1861, was investigated for disloyalty by the Central Investigating Committee of the Texas Legislature. Despite the lack of evidence against him, Klaerner bowed to public pressure and resigned from the State Library in 1918. He returned to teaching and choral directing and died in 1949.
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Testimony of C. Klaerner, Texas State Library and Historical Commission, Records of Subcommittee 5, 1917-1918. Records of the Central Investigating Committees of the House and Senate, Texas Legislature, 1963/058.
In his testimony before the Central Investigating Committee, Klaerner stated that the Kaiser was the reason for his immigration to the U.S. and that he had no reason to support the Kaiser during the war. He also pointed out that two of his children had marched in a loyalty parade in Austin, Texas.
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House Bill 304, 36th Legislature, 1919. Texas Legislature Bill files, 2-8/878.
House Bill 304, enacted in 1919 by the Texas Legislature during the administration of Governor William P. Hobby, expressly forbid teaching the German language in any public school, college, or university. Violation of this act was considered a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $25 and not more than $100. The act also specified that each day of prohibited teaching would be considered a separate offense.
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