Telegraph and Texas Register

In February 1835, brothers John and Gail Borden entered a partnership with Joseph Baker to publish a newspaper. Although none of the three had any previous printing experience, Baker was considered "one of the best informed men in the colony on the Texas-Mexican situation". Because San Felipe was centrally located among the colonies in eastern Texas, the group chose that location for their newspaper enterprise, hoping it would be easier to gather and distribute news. was one of the founders of the Telegraph and served as its first editor They announced their venture in an advertisement in the March 15 edition of The Texas Republican, promising that the new paper, Telegraph and Texas Planter, would be "a tool to no party, but would fearlessly expose crime and critical error wherever met with". The advertisement also vowed that the new newspaper would "be ready to advocate such principles and measures as have a tendency to promote union between Texas and the Mexican Confederation, as well as to oppose everything tending to dissolve or weaken the connexion [sic] between them." The first issue was published October 10, 1835, days after the Texas Revolution began. As editor, Gail Borden strived to be somewhat objective, avoiding blatantly biased or partisan opinions unless a counterpart was also provided. The newspaper was published weekly. Each issue contained eight pages, with three columns of text. In earlier issues, the first page generally contained poetry and an article reprinted from another newspaper. Later issues usually had advertisements printed on the front page. The second page was miscellaneous news, while the third contained an editorial. The remaining pages were filled with ads, articles from other newspapers, and local news. Occasionally, the first two pages would contain reprints of recently released official documents. ==Texas Revolution==

The small skirmish known as the Battle of Gonzales had occurred on October 2. Over the next few weeks, men began gathering at Gonzales to form an army. John Borden joined them, and his brother Thomas took his place in the newspaper partnership. Thomas Borden joined the Siege of Bexar The paper's first issue was late, despite long hours worked by the printers. By the time the second issue was printed, the printers did not know where to deliver many of the subscriptions, as the subscribers had left their homes to join the army. The papers' expenses were approximately $250 each month, while it collected about $75 in its first month of operations. Borden contracted with the Consultation to print items for the interim government. By November 24, they had incurred $593.75 in costs, but the cash-strapped government was unable to provide reimbursement. The frequent public document printings caused the press to run low on newsprint, and by mid-December the Telegraph consisted of only four pages rather than eight. Gail asked his brother Thomas to travel to New Orleans to purchase more supplies, but Thomas refused to leave the army. The paper missed an edition in mid-December due to lack of paper. New supplies towards the end of 1836 allowed the Telegraph to resume service, but by February newsprint again ran low. Borden attributed this to a larger-than-expected subscriber list and frequent opportunities to publish other documents. According to historian James Lee, the Telegraph was the most important newspaper in Texas during the Texas Revolution and was "one of the foremost papers devoted to the revolutionary cause". Historian Eugene C. Barker describes the paper as "an invaluable repository of public documents during this critical period of the state's history". Editorials in the newspaper often compared the fighting in Texas to the American Revolution, even publishing extracts from United States documents of that era. Stephen F. Austin, leader of the Texian Army until December 1835, sent news directly from the Siege to the Telegraph's editors. From early December 1835 until early March 1836, there was little political stability in Texas. The Telegraph, along with the other major newspaper in the region, the Texas Republican, began printing more circumspect stories about the war after a January report in the Telegraph on a rumored counterinvasion by Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna sparked a panic among Texas settlers. Borden further noted that "It has never been the objective of this paper to forestall public opinion and to crowd upon the people our own views in a matter so important as that touching a change in government." Nine days later, Baker joined the army. In February 1836, Borden seriously considered moving the press to Washington-on-the-Brazos, where the Convention of 1836 was set to meet. He scrapped those plans when another group announced plans to establish a press there. The competing publisher never formed, and Borden remained the official printer of the interim government, but at a disadvantage as he was from the proceedings. On March 3, 1836 the Convention officially declared independence, creating the Republic of Texas. The publishers of the Telegraph immediately offered their services to the interim government, pledging that they were "prepared to execute any order, either at night or day". More prominently displayed was the letter To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World, which Texian commander William B. Travis had written begging for reinforcements and supplies for his garrison at the Alamo. By the following issue, the Telegraph was decisively for independence, praising Consultation delegates for their "unparalleled" speed, as "the alarming situation of our country admitted of no delay". After their victory at the Battle of the Alamo on March 6, the Mexican Army began moving east into the colonies. The Texian Army, in disarray after losing so many men, began to retreat east. The newspapers in Brazoria and Nacogdoches soon stopped printing. The Telegraph–the only newspaper in Texas still operating–printed its twenty-first issue on March 24. Borden refused to join the Runaway Scrape, asserting that "so long as a paper should be printed west of the Brazos, the people east of it would not take alarm." On March 27, the Texas Army reached San Felipe with word that the Mexican advance guard was approaching. According to a later editorial in the Telegraph, the publishers were "the last to consent to move". The printing press was dismantled, and the Bordens brought it with them as they evacuated with the rear guard on March 30. The Texas Revolution ended one week later, when Santa Anna was captured following the Mexican defeat at the Battle of San Jacinto. For the next few months, there were no newspapers in Texas. ==Reestablishment==

. Lacking funds to replace his equipment, in May Gail Borden asked Burnet for governmental assistance in forming another newspaper. The Bordens had intended to reopen their printing business in whichever city became the new capital of the republic. on July 23, Burnet called for elections for the 1st Texas Congress, which would convene in Columbia on the first Monday in October. The Bordens promptly relocated to Columbia. Houston and Columbia were separated by of boggy river bottoms. It was very difficult to transport large loads overland, so publishers made arrangements to ship the printing press via boat. On April 16, 1837, the press arrived in Houston, on the same boat as the executive departments of the Republic of Texas. The first issue to be printed in Houston appeared on May 2, 1837. ==Moore era (1837–1854)==

The newspaper was in financial difficulty, as bills were rarely paid. Settlers moved often as they rebuilt their lives after the war and often did not pay their subscription fee. The government also provided very little toward their debt. The Bordens soon decided to leave the newspaper business. In March 1837, Thomas Borden sold his interest in the enterprise to Francis W. Moore, Jr., who took over as chief editor. Three months later, Gail Borden transferred his shares to Jacob W. Cruger. The new partnership continued until April 1851, Under Moore's leadership, the newspaper became "the most influential news organ of the Republic of Texas". The Telegraph participated in newspaper exchange. The Republic of Texas followed the example of the United States and allowed newspaper editors to exchange papers with each other without paying postage, allowing for the quicker dissemination of information. Texas also allowed each editor to send up to 30 newspapers to editors of papers in foreign countries, which included the United States. Until 1842, the United States mirrored this practice. Although the capital moved to Austin in 1840, the newspaper remained in Houston. Many of the paper's articles were aimed at attracting immigrants to Texas, or retaining those who had recently arrived. Articles emphasized the good character of recent settlers (as opposed to the widespread belief that residents of Texas were scoundrels) and the advantages of living in the country. Through much of 1837, Moore wrote a series of articles describing the natural resources of Texas and the geography of various regions of the nations. In 1838, the company purchased a printing press from R. Hoe & Company. The new press was powered by cranks turned by workmen. == Ownership changes and decline ==

In 1854, Moore sold the newspaper to Harvey H. Allen, who retained it for less than two years. During that time, he expanded the newspaper to a thrice-weekly printing. Edward Hopkins Cushing became the chief editor in 1856, when Allen sold it to a corporation. Cushing later acquired all stock and became the sole owner. The newspaper continued to publish throughout the American Civil War (1861–1865). and Cushing was forced to print the newspaper on wallpaper and wrapping paper. After Union forces closed the Mississippi River, making transportation more difficult, Cushing relied on a pony express to gather and forward news from the battlefronts. He published so many extra editions that on February 6, 1864 the newspaper officially became a daily. After the war ended, Cushing travelled to the northern United States to purchase new equipment. When he returned to Houston his editorials began to "counsel[...] acquiescence" as he related some of the attitudes he had seen in the north. Many Texans, staunch Confederates who were still unhappy that they had lost the war, resented the advice, and the newspaper began to lose readership. Cushing sold the paper to a syndicate, which put C.C. Gillespie in charge. Gillespie's editorials reflected a very different political leaning than Cushing's but the paper continued to decline. The syndicate soon sold the paper to William J. Hutchins, who retained Gillespie as editor. Declining sales led Hutchins to sell the paper in 1867 to William G. Webb. Webb again reversed the newspaper's political leanings, yet he was unable to make the newspaper a success. In 1873 the Telegraph suspended publication. In March 1874, the Telegraph was resurrected by Allen C. Gray. For a time, it received the largest circulation any newspaper in Houston had ever received. The revival lasted less than three years, however. Unable to satisfy impatient creditors, on February 11, 1877 Gray ceased publication of the Telegraph. ==Editorial leanings==

Borden Shortly after the newspaper launched, Borden set out his philosophy that "to render the press useful it should never be prostituted to misrepresentation, slander, and vituperation." Borden used language he described as "decorous" and tried to avoid covering issues that would divide his audience. Moore His reporting did not necessarily please politicians. Governor Sam Houston once referred to Moore as that "'lying scribbler of the Telegraph, whose one arm could write more malicious falsehoods than any man with two arms'". Moore included many articles explaining and justifying the Texas Revolution and the very existence of the Republic. At the same time, as early as 1837, the newspaper advocated annexation to the United States, even publishing a series of articles explaining that Texas should have been considered part of the Louisiana Purchase. ==Legacy and impact==

The Telegraph was the second permanent newspaper in Texas. According to historian Andrea Kökény, the Telegraph was "an influential molder of public opinion", which "has become an essential source to the understanding of the early history of American Texas and the construction of the identity of the people who lived in it". According to Barker, the Telegraph "is an invaluable repository of public documents during the" Texas Revolution. ==Notes==