IN AMERICA 143(^5) See "Erinnerungen und Erlebnisse eines Achtundvierzigers," Pionier-lllus-
trierter Volks-Kalendar fur 1900 (New York Volkszeitung), 35-42. The article
probably was written by F. A. Sorge.
color and excitement of life in the city than to fire protection.^5
To found a foreign-language newspaper in the compact immi
grant communities just described, was a fairly simple matter. To
keep it alive for any length of time was quite a different problem.
Between May, 1850, and May, 1852, twenty-eight German papers
appeared in New York and twenty-six suspended publication.
Seven more were started before 1854. Most of these papers were
weeklies, and only the more important dailies, such as the New
York Demokrat and the New Yorker Staatszeitung, survived for
any considerable period. The latter has managed to continue pub
lication to this day.
It was relatively easy to find enthusiastic, like-minded readers
and adherents to almost any cause among the members of the Ger
man community of New York and the larger cities. Almost any
editorial program would find some support among the diverse
radical factions that were part of the German element of the
1850's. But the enthusiasm of the radicals for causes was not
matched by their resources, and consequently the casualties in
the radical German press were very high. That Weitling could
keep a paper alive for more than five years in New York is a tribute
both to his radical constituency and to his remarkable energy and
ability.
Die Republik der Arbeiter had numerous competitors in and
outside New York. In the city itself, Heinzen published the
Schnellpost and later the Janus and quickly became involved in a
newspaper feud with the newly arrived communist. In addition,
Fröbel's Allegemeine Zeitung, the Demokrat, and the Abend¬
zeitung were published in New York, and the last named was a
serious competitor for Weitling's paper. Other short-lived radical
papers were the Luzifer; the Hahnenruf, edited by G. Scheibel
and J. A. Försch; Gustav Struve's several papers; Weydemeyer's