...The first German newspaper approved in Chicago in 1845, under the little Chicago Volksfreund. The publisher was the printer Robert B. Hoeffgen, its editor the young teacher (later preacher and politican) Franz A. Hoffman, who lived in Bunkley's Grove, (18 miles distant).

Hoeffgen sold his paper in 1847 to a Swiss named Waldburger, who promised to pay $700.00 but never paid more than $300.00, so that Hoeffgen felt justified to publish a new German paper in Chicago in 1848-which he called the Illinois Staats Zeitung. The first three editors were: the physician, Dr. Karl Helmuth, the attorney, Arno Voss, who had something of a political career, and the brilliant Theodor Kriego, who became insane.

In the summer of 1857, Milwaukee already having its German daily, the Banner, Hoeffgen transformed the weekly Staats Zeitung into a daily, merging his forces for this purpose with a young 48er from the Palatinate, Mr. George Schneider.

Schneider quickly made himself an outstanding place in public affairs, interfering and attacking everywhere where it seemed necessary or useful. In 1854 and 1856 he was already, at the head of a small number of energetic, only just naturalized man; a real, sometimes decisive, force in political conventions.

In the early sixties, Hoeffgen having become a tired and exhausted man, his share in the Staats Zeitung was bought by Mr. Lorenz Brentano - Brentano immediately sold half of what he got from Hoeffgen to the Brentano immediately sold hlaf of what he got from Hoeffgen to the Sheriff on Cook County, Mr. A. C, Hesing, who by his personal energy and blunt directness contributed much to gain such influence, inside the Republican party organization, as numerically and otherwise it might well claim.

Soon after the outbreak of the Civil War, Mr. George Schneider was sent by Lincoln to Helsingfors- officially as Consul, actually as financial agent and plenipotentiary for Scandinavia and the German Hanse towns. Meanwhile, the Staats Zeitung under the guidance of Brentano joined the opposition against Lincoln. Schneider, requested by Washington to use his influence, immediately returned to Chicago, 3was unsucessful in his attempt to change the attitude of his paper, and so sold his share in it to Brentano. ( Hesing became 1/3 owner, Brentano apparently non possessing 2/3). Schneider created a paper to compete with the Staats Zeitung, and to counteract its policies, but had no luck with it. Some years later, Brentano retired from the Staats Zeitung, that now became the sole property of Hesing. Hesing made the excellent New York journalist, Hermann Raster editor-in-chief, and von Wilhelm Rapp from Baltimore as second editor. ( Brentano became for a number of years Consul in Dresden, later was elected Congressman, died after a long illness in 1892)...

The years of 1868-1872 one may call the balmy days of the Illinois Staats Zeitung. Hesing, whose personal qualities fitted him eminently for such a role, remained the leader of the local Republican organization, and this contributed in every respect to the business success of his paper, for which the brilliant journalistic feats of Raster gained fame and reputation not only in Chicago, but in the whole country.

Through mistakes and disastrous speculations, in business as well as in politics, the old paper step by step then declined from its one-time eminence. In 1891 Hermann Raster died, A. C. Hesing having already earlier retired from the management of the paper. His most cherished ambition, to see his son Washington Hesing in a leading political position, seemed to be close to fulfillment at the end of his life, when the younger Hesing proved his practical ability as Postmaster of Chicago. But after the death of his father in 1895, Washington Hesing, disgruntled by the faithlessness of politicians who had promised him the Democratic nomination for the mayoralty in 1897, was rash enough to become an independent candidate for the office. Because of his total failure - he received only about 5 % of the vote, he and the Illinois Staats Zeitung suffered about equally.

Hesing died in the fall, and the Staats Zeitung,a little later went into receivership. After a while the widow of Hermann Raster became the owner, but she had to consent to its merging with the publications of the German American Publishing Company, which for this purpose was transformed into the Illinois Publishing Company.

At the head of the enterprise stands Mr. Richard Michaelis, who edits now the Illinois Staats Zeitung as a morning paper, and the formerly twice-daily appearing Freie Presse as an evening paper. The Freie Presse was founded by Mr. Michaelis in 1871 as a weekly, and appears since February 1872 as a daily. The Freie Presse at that time joined the Liberal Republicans, after whose fiasco it returned with Schurz, Trumbull etc. into the Republican fold. Ten years ago, when the Republican party split over the school question, the Freie Presse went over to the Democrats to whom it has since remained faithful. The Staats Zeitung, though published by the same company has remained Republican - a contrast characteristic for American press conditions...

The modern labor movement is in Chicago since long represented by German papers. First came Der Vorbote of the Swiss printer Conzett. In the 70ies a daily was added, edited by Harry Rubens (who has since gained prominence as a lawyer). Dr. Liebig and others. Due to lack of capital it could not long survive. The Socialist Labor Party thereupon took over Conzett's Vorbote, and published aside from the weekly edition, at first three times a week, the Arbeiter Zeitung. During the hot fights for higher wages in 1877 this paper became a daily, and a Sunday paper Die Fackel was added.

In the first flush it seemed as if these papers would be able to weld together the German laborers of the city into a compact whole. But soon the leaders began to quarrel, and factions arose. The eloquent Grottkau, an agitator of the first caliber( who, however, inclined to intrigues and who was incapable of keeping the troops he had collected in one camp) was pushed out of the editor-ship of these papers by the youthfully enthusiastic August Spies. The Socialist Labor Party split. The left wing joined the International Labor Association and retained the papers, fought now by the right wing under Grottkau. After the catastrophe of 1886 and after the able Joseph Dietzgen who took over the editor-ship of the Arbeiter Zeitung in the hour of need, had died in the Spring of 1888, the fight started anew and has lasted to the present time- greatly diminishing the influence of the papers.

The youngest of the Chicago German dailies, the Abendpost, founded in 1888 by Messrs. Fritz Gloganer and Wilhelm Kaufmann is also the by far most widely read. The low price, the good news service have contributed to its almost sensational success, as well as the astute political attitude. Under the guidance of Mr. Gloganer, the paper stands neither in the service of any party, 7nor does it feel any urge to fight against the windmills of deeply-rooted prejudice. It has gained political influence by not seeking it...While it puts no obstacles into the path of progress, neither will it claim to find its fulfillment in serving it.