Interview with Jacob Urich, February 21, 1962, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

MARTEN: This is Bill Marten, staff member of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. I am making this tape on Wednesday, February 21, 1962 for the Wisconsin Jewish Archives and I will be interviewing Mr. Jacob Urich at the Jewish Home for the Aged in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

[Pause]

URICH: Uh, Wisconsin Humane Society-- I beg your pardon, Wisconsin Historic Society, looking for relics, so here I am.

MARTEN: Oh, we're getting you?

URICH: And here is my vest and here is my watch and chain.

MARTEN: Beautiful. I'd also like some information from you.

URICH: Sir?

MARTEN: I would also like some information from you.

URICH: Yeah, well I'll try my best to give you... Well, I got-I got two scrapbooks ... which reports some findings...early findings of my life. I got 00:01:00some letters that I used to write to the papers and that will give you an idea too.

MARTEN: Okay, when were you...when were you born?

URICH: I was born in [pause] 1868.

MARTEN: Were you born in Milwaukee or?

URICH: I was born in Russia.

MARTEN: You were. What part of Russia?

URICH: Kiev. Born there, not in Kiev proper, 75 miles along the Dnieper and I was born and raised on the Dnieper, that-that famous river in-in Russian history.

MARTEN: How did you happen to come to the United States?

URICH: Well, I [pause] uh, I was in the-in the service, military service in Russia [pause] and over there, when a...when a man is drafted to serve, for nine months he goes through the whole training of uh war, maneuvers and so forth. So, on the end...on the end of nine months, they take them into like say a big field 00:03:00in big tents. A commission...They send a commission from Moscow or [inaudible] to get rid of the over surplus that the draft board...that the draft board took in. It was an over surplus of-of recruits. So in nine months, the commission comes, is sent from-from St. Petersburg to draw numbers and whoever-whoever pulls the number of the reserve army, he goes home to be a reserve, but the one that draws the blank ballot, he stays for four years more. All right, so I 00:04:00happened to be the lucky one and I went and I drawed-I drawed the number [pause] that sent me home. But-but the coincidence, if you want-if you got time, I overheard-I over... how did I come to draw that luck to be sent home after nine months? Because I overheard of a conversation of the [inaudible] that work in the office, but I...that fix up these numbers, and I overheard their 00:05:00conversation that the lucky ones are-are that I drew that are sent back home-the lucky ones, but the ones that remain, they balance a noose, because they don't bother with them, they just-they throw them away. But the ones that they tell to go home, they talk about it. He's a lucky dog; He's a lucky dog. I thought, "there must be some truth in it" and so I-I made use of it and when I stuck in my hand into that box and was trying to feel the ballots...and so I was trying to get the [inaudible] ballot but... And then by feeling it, it gets 00:06:00[inaudible], so I thought...so I just was about to drop it and look for another one and the officer in charge said "Hurry-up" and I took that one and I didn't drop it. And the reserve...in the reserve army ,that's what I went home that. [inaudible]. On going home well, you know our people...our people were in bad condition. Well, so I thought to myself after serving the czar...after serving the csar, being a true soldiers, now why-why be so frustrated. And I had an 00:07:00uncle that went to America ten years before. His name was Henry Ruben. Henry Ruben was the father of...was the father of [inaudible] W. B. Ruben, the lawyer...the famous lawyer in Wisconsin. He just died recently and he was my cousin. He was...His father was a brother to my-to my mother. Well, then I thought, so he was already was ten years in America and so I wrote him a letter about my intentions to come to America. He discouraged me. He wrote me a letter 00:08:00that I better stay where I am, because conditions in America is very bad. Of course, when he came here...when he came here in 1880, there was the APA movement and then there was a-it was hard to make a living, don't know the language, you are a stranger, you are frustrated, so he didn't want to see me suffer. He says, "stay out there as long as you can." Well, all right, I took his advice, but just temporary. Then I made my...I made my escape to America while-while I was at liberty yet, because I was in reserve army. I was at 00:09:00liberty. So I made my escape to America going through frontiers and all that stuff, got stranded in Germany. Well, all right...

MARTEN: About what year was that?

URICH: Well, I went into the service in 1888, I guess, and that was...I came to America in 1890. That's been two years after the service from 1888, yeah 1888 to 1890. I was in that service. So in them two years, I made my...[pause] I made my 00:10:00trip to America and I came to Philadelphia. Well, to Philadelphia, that was...the times was tough here. I was looking for work and I stopped in Philadelphia by some countryman of mine. And they looked up the papers and they saw in that and that factory they were looking for men to work, so I walked my way about three or four miles walk to that factory and I saw mobs about that factory in Philadelphia standing around looking for a job. I looked around and I thought to myself, "so where do I fit?" All right, finally through the back door 00:11:00of the factory a man comes out like that and he looks over...he looks over the whole crowd and he picks out the man that looks the strongest He says, "You! You come in." He picks him out, takes him in the factory, and he closes the door and the whole mob had to go back in disappointment. Such times were there, bad times. That was in 18-in 1890, when I came to America. Well, I came to my uncle, no, and I got stuck in Philadelphia and I didn't have no money. So I wrote to my 00:12:00uncle, Henry Ruben, that I'm here in Philadelphia and I'm absolutely penniless. I-I wish you would send me a railroad ticket to come to Milwaukee. He is in Milwaukee, yes. So I came to Milwaukee in 1890 and here's where the Milwaukee, where I found out...the old Milwaukee [pause] at the time, the old Milwaukee, the old home sweet home.

[Pause]

MARTEN: What kind of work did you do when you got here to Milwaukee?

URICH: Sorry?

MARTEN: What kind of work did you do here in Milwaukee?

URICH: What kind of what?

MARTEN: What kind of work?

URICH: Work?

MARTEN: Yes. How did you earn your living?

URICH: Oh, what kind of work! My uncle went to work...My uncle went to work and he bought me...he fitted me out with some stationery papers and envelopes, and envelopes, pencils, and he fitted me out with a bag and I should go out peddling. I went out peddling, I didn't know how...I didn't know how to start it. Finally, I-I thought...I heard the man...I heard the man on the wagon yell out "rags" and I thought "oh that man found out how to...how to make a living." See, you got to holler. So I started to yell out "paper envelopes, paper 00:14:00envelopes, paper-." Well, everybody looked at me [chuckles] as if I was crazy, but afterwards, I kindly learned the customs of the American people, watching at dinnertime...at dinnertime, people were eating dinner at that hour from twelve to one, it was quiet, because the people in the factories stopped. The whistle blowed, the factories stopped and they were all eating dinner. So I went under a tree and I took out my first reader that I had in my hip pocket and I-I learned the language. My first reader, I got with me right away. And then little by 00:15:00little, little by little, I got acquainted with the English language. Then, I got a job...at that time, the building, the progress of the Pabst building was in...was just in progress, so I went to work and I found a job there, a dollar a day. So big money. What was my job? To carry up, I was a helper to the mason, a helper to the masons; I carried up bricks. After I carried up bricks, he needed water. After he needed water, I had to bring up some [inaudible]. After I got this, he needed this and that. Well, finally, I succeeded in helping myself and 00:16:00saved up $50.00 [inaudible]. Why...why did I save? How could I save? Well in those days, there was beer in plenty. People, the working men, at dinnertime, they used to have a big log carved out for big tin cans and carried tanks of beer to the people that ate in the factory. Well, so I--[pause] now I just...I 00:17:00just lost the connections.

MARTEN: Did you help carry this beer to the lunch?

URICH: Huh?

MARTEN: Did you help carry this beer to the lunch?

URICH: No, no, there was man that was sent out from the factory that was his job, to carry the beer. Yes. Oh, yes, now I know. In those days, saloons were in plenty and mountains of beer was two for five. Mountains of lunch, liver sausage, cheese, every-all-all kinds of different breads, rye bread, wheat bread. It was just a big-- a big mountain of lunch right there. So men could buy 00:18:00for five cents his two beers and feed himself on that lunch. That was the days.

MARTEN: Yes.

URICH: Well, afterwards...afterwords, I-I found...I found that this job in a glove factory, the [inaudible] Glove Company, out past Water Street and Wells. Right there was the big pennies store, not like we have now -the five and ten cent store. They only save five and ten cents and up to dollars they charge you, but over there it was the name. Pennies Store, and really pennies you could buy 00:19:00something for a penny right there on Wells and West Waters Street, at that time. And that was...that was...that was right there near that factory, near that glove factory where I started working there. Well, so that was my beginning right there...that was my beginning, my experience...my first experience of America.

MARTEN: Um-hm.

URICH: Then, little by little, Oh well, I got in...I got acquainted with a friend of mine. That is, he wasn't a friend, he was a real stranger, but I made...I made friendship with him. So he was a cigar maker, I watched him how to 00:20:00make cigars. Well, he also was a poor man, but then he cigar maker -- he made his own cigars and went out selling. And he gave me proposition to go out and sell cigars. I'm...Of course I know a little English already that time and I took his advice and I went out selling cigars. All right, the first customers...the first customers... I found...oh yes, he made the cigar with the label and box "George Washington" and that was...and that was the brand, "George 00:21:00Washington," cigar. So I-I took, I packed up my bag, my valise, the first customer -I come in a basement in the barber shop...a basement in a barber shop and I-the name, Mike Zeidler, Mike Zeidler, the father of the ex-mayor in Milwaukee. He was a...He was at that time simply a youngster and he ran that barber shop in the basement there on eighth and [inaudible] in the basement 00:22:00there. So I came in and he bought of me the first box of cigars -"George Washington" and he gave me a shave for five cents that time. [pause] Well, from there, so I took...he kept his saloon and I sold cigars to his father. And those days, they didn't have no money to buy a box of cigars. And I had to trust him.

URICH: Well, but everybody paid. That's okay. So that was my development into the American life and it was the name of Zeidler that I got first acquainted...I got first acquainted. He was my first customer. He's-He is in business today, oh 00:23:00yes, on 16th-oh on 16th Street near-between Wisconsin and Clybourn. He's in business today, oh yes and usually when I need a haircut and a shave I go up by him, old friend. And all...the whole Zeidler family used to buy cigars from me. Yes, he had a big family too, big family. I remember the man, he was just a kid...he was a grown-up boy, yeah I remember him, too. He had the brother, 00:24:00Eddie; he was a tailor. And this fellow Frank, he was just a school boy, grown-up studying. He was sort of a [inaudible]...the father, the old man, used to call him he was my squirt. You know. Frank Zeidler, he was my squirt. And so I was-that was in the beginning, well of my development. All right, then I found a girl and got married and I went in and I then got acquainted with selling cigars all over. I sold cigars to all St. Paul Avenue, all the saloons there and I learned the language just from them people, just from them people, street 00:25:00people. I learned the English language, besides my reader. And I bought a second reader and study at home beside and then I went to night school. Yes. And besides that I had a private teacher that I...he was good on grammar. He was good. He was German. Lindenbaum. Yes, Lindenbaum his name was. And he gave me a lesson, well I don't know, for a quarter or a half a dollar. That was his compensation for his lesson. Lindenbaum. And he instructed me well enough in-in 00:26:00grammar and so from gave me way to speak more correctly and write more correctly.

MARTEN: Um-hm.

URICH: Then I joined the...then I joined...then I joined the Socialist Party. I joined the Socialist Party [pause] back in 19-in 1912, when Doctor [Inaudible] was running for mayor in Milwaukee. So, and I run...then I was a member of those branches, of those...not branches they call them. Well, ward-ward branches of the Socialist Party. Then I also helped me to learn the language and to learn 00:27:00the...to learn the life, American life. All at once I was drawn on the jury [pause] and I came up on the jury to sit with all the jury. George [Inaudible], that was in his court and the first case I heard and I was on that jury and the first case I heard...a boy that worked in the brewery...that worked in the brewery and a cork from a bottle just snapped out, hit him in the eye and he lost his eye. That was in court in George Halsey's court that time. So, a jury 00:28:00was drawn. Now, the-the lawyer of the brewery said he didn't lose his eye while on duty, he lost his eye while he was out for dinner. Well, now the lawyer, the-the opposition, stated that surely it was for dinner, but that was for his time to be on the job. He had dinner in the factory. And that happened at the time when one opened the bottle and snapped out and-and he lost his eye. Well, that's all in life.

MARTEN: Would you wait just a minute while I turn the tape over?

URICH: Oh yeah, sure.

MARTEN: Okay.

URICH: Well now I talk about myself and I don't...I forget all about Milwaukee.

MARTEN: I wonder if you could tell me some more about your work in the Socialist Party?

URICH: Oh, well I belonged to the Socialist Party, yes and in 1912, Mayor Zeidler, Mayor Zeidler was elected to 1910 and he just served two years andnd in 1912, Doctor Baeding, Doctor Baeding was on the Republican Party and he got elected and I was running with Doctor Baeding, but on the Socialist ticket. And I...and I almost got in there, but uh... At that time was a man by the name of 00:30:00Joe Herman. He was the alderman of the sixth ward and he was there for many years, alderman. I pretty near beat him out. So that was my experience in politics. Then I-I devoted myself to business more. What was the business? Cigar business. So I went manufacturing. I couldn't make no cigars, but I opened up a factory, small, took about two-three men. And I-I bought tobacco from all these packers here in Milwaukee, tobacco packers [inaudible]. Schusters was in the 00:31:00tobacco business. And I prepared the tobacco myself. I cased the tobacco myself. I sweated it and I gave it so much. I had three men working so much [inaudible] had for the day's supply to make the cigars. And I went out selling. And I sold cigars and I went successfully at it. I sold cigars to and I...as my sales increased, I hired another cigar maker, and another cigar maker and-and I 00:32:00came-employed about ten or twelve men. George Butler was my foreman. He was a good man, George Butler. He had to do preparing the tobacco, because I didn't have time. I had to go out selling. I really was spending...that was already after I got married, I got married and so I-my factory was at Nine [Inaudible] Street at that time. That was right next to that police station. It was the police station at Nine Fourteen Galena Street. And I was right next to that 00:33:00police station. I remember all those policemen that would [inaudible] and across the street was a firehouse across the street, Nine Four Galena Street. Yes, and uh--

[Pause]

MARTEN: Did you ever know Victor Berger?

URICH: Uh, did I ever know...sure, I did know Victor Berger. You see, all the branches used to meet...use to meet either in the, well, Brisbane Building. Victor Berger and Edmund, Edmund uh, oh yes, the one that was in charge. He was 00:34:00in charge, uh, he was in charge of...he was made commissioner of parks. He was park commissioner. [pause] And he used to, every [inaudible] day, we used to go to the headquarters that was in the Brisbane Building. All the branches were there and now [pause], I forgot the name of important people at that time, important people. Sure I know Victor Berger, oh yes, I read enough of his writings. I read his [inaudible] in the paper. It was a weekly paper and he was 00:35:00the editor of that paper. He used to put in some fine editorials. In those days, we had...we had all fine papers. We used to have the Daily News. It was a good paper. It was only-only a cent. We bought the Evening Wisconsin, the Sentinel, the Free Press. Morning papers and besides other weekly papers and all that stuff. Yes, I know Victor Berger well. He was...he was twice congressman. He was elected twice congressman. Yes, he got...he got killed by a streetcar, good 00:36:00fellow too.

MARTEN: What kind of a person was he? Was he very friendly?

URICH: Oh yes.

MARTEN: Forceful?

URICH: Yes oh yes, he was a friendly man, [pause] he was a friendly man. He could make friends...now I tell you what Victor Berger did. If you remember they used to have the AMU Strike, the railroad strike. Eugene V. Debs was the president of that union, of the railroad-railroad workers union, and he was...and he was sent to jail for contempt of court and-and for the strike, 00:37:00because-because it was a sort of crime against-against the society, all that. So Victor, oh yes, Eugene V. Debs was sentenced to jail. Victor Berger he...I don't know the city, but the jail I guess was somewhere in Illinois. He went there...he went there to Eugene V. Debs in jail. He went there quite frequently and he didn't know, Eugene V. Debs didn't know more about socialism than the man in the moon, but he made a Socialist out of him and Eugene V. Debs was more than 00:38:00a human being. He was more than a human being; he-he was a superman, I can say. He was a superman. As far as humanity is concerned, he was a superman character. A gentle man, a gentle, a lover-lover of people and we elected him...we nominated him for president. I guess he was...I guess he was nominated about three times. Of course, we didn't expect him to get elected, because that time, you know it was hard times and all that, but anyway, he got him...he got him out of jail. He got him out of jail. Victor Berger did. And he got him out and he 00:39:00was a poor...he then was a poor, trained Socialist. He taught Socialism to him in jail. And he then was good enough...he was made...he was well-versed in Socialism that he was good enough to put him up for President. But he was a highly educated man before, but he didn't know anything about Socialism. No. But Victor Berger made a Socialist out of him. Yes. And he ran on the Socialist ticket about three times as President of the United States. And of course, he was defeated, 'cus [pause] it was during those days. I guess it was before those 00:40:00McKinley and Bryan. Bryan had his philosophy, sixteen to one. If you remember?

MARTEN: Um-hm.

URICH: Silver. At that time, they relied very little on...they relied very little on-on farming, but on the...on the golden dollar, gold standard, gold standard. McKinley was...Mckinley as the Republican president candidate for President, gold standard. That means that our dollar should be-should be a gold 00:41:00standard dollar all over the world. Bryan wasn't. He was...he was on the Democrat ticket, but he never succeeded. He advocated the silver dollar, sixteen to one, and the people it seemed, that the people never understood thoroughly his theory about sixteen to one. And the poor fellow, he run and run and he never got the-he never got the smell of it. But of course, the Republicans got it all the time at-in those days.

MARTEN: May I look through your scrapbooks? May I look through these?

URICH: Sure, sure you can. The scrapbooks...you'll find something about my letters. I wrote letters to the Leader. At that time, we used to have the Milwaukee Leader. I forgot to mention it. I guess you'll find some of them. 00:42:00[long pause] I guess that the one that's got covers on that was the earliest scrapbook.

MARTEN: The one with covers on it is the earliest one of the two scrapbooks?

URICH: The other one...the other one is later on.

MARTEN: Okay.

[Page turning]

[Long pause]

MARTEN: How early did you start writing letters to the newspapers? As soon as 00:43:00you learned the language or...?

URICH: Oh yes, later, after...that must have been, uh...Well, you see, I was running for alderman. I was running for alderman in-in 1912 and those, 1912. Well, those letters, they were written from 1900, 1912, and after-after that, the years after. I don't...I don't think the letters are dated.

MARTEN: No, I don't believe they are. They are all in Milwaukee papers. Is that correct?

URICH: How?

MARTEN: They are all in Milwaukee papers? These letter that you wrote?

URICH: Yeah, yeah, yeah, Milwaukee papers sure. I guess someone put them in the Journal too, some put in the Sentinel, I guess.

MARTEN: I noticed part of the time you sign your name "JU."

URICH: "JU" that's right, Jacob Urich, and some of the them...some of them are signed "Uncle Jake."

MARTEN: I see.

URICH: I guess you'll find some, Uncle Jake. Of course, my-my writings, as far as writing is concerned, the line of writing, so that it would be eligible to go the press. And how to put line after line. It was a friend of mine that 00:45:00worked-that worked for the Milwaukee newspaper in the Leader. His name was John Work. That was his name John Work. His was a lovely...I guess he works for the Journal today.

MARTEN: Um-hm.

URICH: And he-he gave me a tip that I shall write too plain, leave space, leave space for correction, so that they can-they can correct or change or something. He advised me, he advised me right, John Work.

MARTEN: Um-hm. Did you send in quite a few letters that were never published?

URICH: No. Oh, that's-I cut them out from the papers. They were published.

MARTEN: Did you send other letters though that were not published?

URICH: Other letters that were not? Well some of them...some of them, I guess, yes. I guess, well you know, [stuttering] the editor. Well he just don't like it, he just put them in the wastebasket.

MARTEN: Uh-huh.

URICH: You know that. I believe plenty of my letters were found in the-in the wastebasket too. But [pause] oh yes, sure.

[Long pause]

MARTEN: I think you've written a whole book, just in these letters to the editor.

URICH: To the editor, yes.

MARTEN: You've written a whole book.

URICH: To the editor.

[Long pause]

MARTEN: These are two very interesting books.

URICH: Very interesting?

MARTEN: Yes. I think so. Well this information you gave me on how you signed your name will help historians identify you when they go through the papers.

URICH: Oh yes.

MARTEN: So I appreciate your giving me this time this morning.

URICH: [laughter] That's all right. I-I appreciate that-that you're giving me a chance too...I had them [inaudible] by my son you know. I thought [inaudible] 00:48:00and my son has treasured, and as Mr. Telund left me no [inaudible] so I telephoned to my son and he said...he should get me those, because I stayed with my son after my wife died. I stayed with seven years. And I had those...I had those books on the shelf in my room there. So he brought them over, right here. And they were waiting for you, because Mr. Telund told me so I prepared those.

MARTEN: Very good. I appreciate that.