Telegraph and Texas Register (1835–1877) was the second permanent newspaper in Texas. Originally conceived as the Telegraph and Texas Planter, the newspaper was renamed shortly before it began publication, to reflect its new mission to be "a faithful register of passing events". Owners Gail Borden, John Pettit Borden, and Joseph Baker founded the paper in San Felipe de Austin, a community long at the center of Texas politics. The first issue was printed on October 10, 1835, days after the outbreak of the Texas Revolution. The first issue was printed on October 10, 1835, days after the outbreak of the Texas Revolution. Later, when John Pettit Borden left to join the Texas Revolution, brother Thomas Borden stepped in to take his place. Gail served as the editor and Tom served as the business manager. As the war for independence intensified, however, Thomas Borden and Joseph Baker joined as soldiers, and left Gail to run the paper alone.Sibley (1983), pp. 6668.
The Telegraph continued to report news of the war and the formation of the new Republic of Texas through the end of March 1836. As the Mexican Army approached the colonies in eastern Texas, most residents fled eastward. The owners of the Telegraph and their printing press evacuated on March 30 with the rear guard of the Texian Army. The press was quickly reestablished in Harrisburg. On April 14, Mexican soldiers captured the printing press and threw it into Buffalo Bayou.
The newspaper was reestablished in August 1836 in Columbia. When the 1st Texas Congress named Houston the new capital of the Republic, the Telegraph was relocated to Houston. Faced with financial losses, the Bordens sold the paper to Francis W. Moore, Jr. and Jacob Cruger in 1837. Under Moore's leadership, the newspaper became "the most influential news organ of the Republic of Texas". In 1846, following the annexation of Texas to the United States, the newspaper changed its name to Democratic Telegraph and Texas Register.
Moore purchased Cruger's shares in 1851, then sold the entire newspaper in 1854. The new owner transformed it into a tri-weekly instead of a weekly. When the paper was sold again in 1856, Edward H. Cushing became chief editor. He guided the newspaper through the difficulties of the American Civil War, occasionally printing on wallpaper when newsprint was scarce. Following the war, the paper went through a series of owners and gradually declined until it was shuttered at the end of 1873. In March 1874 it was resurrected and briefly held the largest circulation any newspaper in Houston had ever received. It closed permanently in 1877.
Establishment 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,Kökény (2004), p. 284. Baker was considered "one of the best informed men in the colony on the Texas-Mexican situation". He was the secretary of the ayuntamiento of San Felipe de Austin, a community which had long been at the center of Texas politics, and he could read Spanish well.Franklin (1932), p. 133. 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.Franklin (1932), p. 134.
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".quoted in Barker (1917), p. 141. 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."quoted in Franklin (1932), p. 135.
The first issue was published October 10, 1835, days after the Texas Revolution began. By this time, the owners had changed the name to Telegraph and Texas Register. In an editorial, the owners explained that the paper's original name had been chosen when "the engrossing object was the accumulating of wealth and consequent aggrandizement of the country. Since that time affairs have assumed an entirely different aspect, and the all-absorbing question is how to protect ourselves, and what we already possess." The newspaper was therefore renamed to reflect their new goal of serving as "a faithful register of passing events".
The inaugural edition contained letters from Stephen F. Austin, a report on the development of the Texian Army, translations of several Mexican documents, and reports from the Committees of Correspondance and Safety in several other communities.Franklin (1932), p. 134. As editor, Gail Borden strived to be somewhat objective, avoiding blatantly biased or partisan opinions unless a counterpart was also provided.Kökény (2004), p. 285.
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.
Readers could purchase six- or twelve-month subscriptions. Those who paid in advance were charged only $5 per year. An extra dollar was added if the subscription was paid at the end of the first six months, and the price was increased to $7 if the subscription was paid at the end of the year. Advertisements were limited to 8 lines. The first time the advertisement appeared in the paper, advertisers were charged $1. Each subsequent insertion was worth 50 cents. By November 1, they had collected less than $75, although their expenses were about $250 per month.Barker (1917), p. 142.
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. Gail Borden wrote to Austin on October 10 that both his brother Thomas and Joseph Baker also wanted to join the army. All were worried that they would be castigated for not joining, and Gail explained that he thought the newspaper was "of more importance than their services can be in the camp."quoted in Barker (1917), p. 142. Thomas Borden joined the Siege of Bexar and on November 5, Gail Borden again refused to allow Baker to join the army because he was their only translator.Franklin (1932), p. 136.
The paper's first issue was late, despite long hours worked by the printers.Sibley (1983), p. 67. 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.Sibley (1983), p. 68. 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.Sibley (1983), p. 68. 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.Sibley (1983), p. 69.
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".Lee (1917), p. 216. Historian Eugene C. Barker describes the paper as "an invaluable repository of public documents during this critical period of the state's history".Barker (1917), p. 142.
Editorials in the newspaper often compared the fighting in Texas to the American Revolution, even publishing extracts from United States documents of that era.Kökény (2004), p. 286. Stephen F. Austin, leader of the Texian Army until December 1835, sent news directly from the Siege to the Telegraph'''s editors. Borden received news directly from other military leaders, including Jim Bowie and James Fannin, and political heavyweights such as Sam Houston and Lorenzo de Zavala.Sibley (1983), p. 70.
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. For the next few weeks, the paper primarily featured official documents and letters, with little editorial comment.
The paper at first stopped short of endorsing a full split from Mexico. The editorial in the February 20, 1836 issue stated that: "To have advocated a declaration of independence, before understanding the true situation of the Mexican government, and without any assurance of assistance from the United States, would have been a rashness to which others as well as ourselves might have fallen victim."Kökény (2004), p. 287. 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."Sibley (1983), p. 72. Nine days later, Baker joined the army.Baker later served in the Battle of San Jacinto. Franklin (1932), p. 136. Gail Borden, Jr and two other printers were drafted for the army on February 29 but were excused from service so that the press could continue to operate.Moore (2004), p. 33.
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.Sibley (1983), p. 75.