The Poor Man of Toggenburg - Autobiography of Ulrich Bräker

On Sunday 28th it was announced at Wattwil, and already on Tuesday 30th January it took place. The assembly was very numerous and included many men from other communes. Convincing speeches were made, the call to action was read and the present circumstances brought into account. Examples were related of how everywhere freedom and equality were being heralded, and in our Switzerland too. How the canton of Basel had made a beginning and had granted and promised in writing freedom to its people. How the whole Welsch-Bern had been made independent and placed under the protection of the French, how in all the cantons strong movements were going forward, all

All those present were earnestly of one mind, that no-one should raise his hand unless he were firmly resolved to defend liberty with his life and goods, like a free Toggenburger and a true Swiss. During the whole action a solemn silence reigned, which in itself is something remarkable. Now there was a clear majority vote for freedom. Not a hand failed to signal it, no opposing majority, no speech in opposition! Not but what there were a fair number of men in our commune of Wattwil, who were of another mind, who would rather have let things be, and maintained that the Toggenburgers were not a people capable of ruling themselves. But these wisely stayed away and washed their hands in innocency.

[Psalm 26, v 6]

Now some committees and deputies were elected. Music and songs of rejoicing rang out. Men formed a procession, dancing and singing songs of freedom. A tree of Liberty was dragged in, and amid music and dancing was set up in the same place where the assembly was held, and decorated with a cap of Liberty, flags and tricolour ribbons.

Now it ran like wildfire through the country. On Thursday 1st [Feb.] in Lichtensteig itself, a similar assembly was held under a tree of Liberty, with the same formalities and ceremonies, and the same success, and at which our Landvogt Müller was present, speaking, as he himself put it, as the last Landvogt in the Toggenburg, he made an excellent and most moving speech of farewell, which moved almost everyone to tears, in which he heartily congratulated us on our liberty, in so far as we made good use of it, which he solemnly recommended us to do, cautioned us to peace and unity, and expounded very clearly what true liberty is.

Thereupon, amid embraces, kisses and tears he took an emotional leave of the council and the Schultheiss [chief magistrate] and from the citizenry and the country people. His memory will certainly long remain sacred to all right-thinking people of Toggenburg, for no honest or sensible person can hold anything against him, he who strove always to act and deal as a friend to mankind. Only malcontents and nitpickers for whom even an angel could do nothing right, were capable of casting all kinds of tales after him, which were distorted and interpreted as evil. But one knows these birds by their feathers.

On Sunday, the 4th February the people were assembled in all communes of the whole province, and everywhere voted unanimously for freedom. In all communes representatives of the people were elected in parity of religion. They wish to indemnify the monastery at St. Gallen and pay what amount is needed for the purchase of the Toggenburg

This document has not survived, but it was not the same as the "Patriotic Appeal" published on January 30th. Wattwil was expected to take a lead because it was the largest town of the Toggenburg and assemblies of the Landsgemeind were held there. [Chronik, p 452]

They offered to buy their independence by returning the price that his predecessor had paid when he took over the Toggenburg in 1468. [Chronik, p 453] Not all were in favour of this, some pointed out that the French had not had to pay for their revolution.