The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 36, July 1932 - April, 1933 Page: 110

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

humanity, it is no time to calculate cold policy and expediency-
let us'then do something for Texas."4
From the outbreak of the Texas revolution to the attainment
of recognition by this government the stirring events that took
place in that province constituted front page news. The journal
just quoted in its issue of January 7, 1836, shouted: "Texas,
Texas, the all absorbing topic of the day is Texas." In the col-
umns of the New Orleans dailies appeared long articles setting
forth the origin, progress and contemporary state of the colonial
settlements; these set forth in glowing terms the rich rewards in
the way of material success that awaited the emigrant. Important
documents such as the Texan declaration of independence, accounts
of the battle of San Jacinto, news of Fannin's massacre,-to men-
tion only a few illustrations-were printed in the New Orleans
journals at least two weeks before appearing in the leading news-
papers of eastern cities. The local press thus served as a kind of
publicity bureau, so far as the rest of the country was concerned,
for what was happening in Texas and Mexico." Reporters met
the incoming vessels from these two countries to learn the latest
news bearing on events in which the entire city was interested.
The Bee complained that its intelligences from Mexico, procured
at great expense, were copied anonymously in other papers.6 As
has been already intimated, most important of all perhaps, was the
moral support accorded the struggling Texans in the editorial col-
umns of the more influential journals. "The people of New
4This journal was edited by Putnam Rea at this period. Its columns
are valuable for matters pertaining to trade, industry, shipping, etc.
5Joseph Ficklen writing to Stephen F. Austin from Lexington, Ken-
tucky, in August, 1836, has this to say: "There is so little of what we
hear entitled to credit from your country that I should suggest the plan
of some faithful person writing regularly to the papers in New Orleans
all of whom appear friendly and supply the most of the news we re-
ceive." Eugene C. Barker, The Austin Papers, III, 428.
'Issue of September 14, 1836. For the history of L'Abeille de la
Nouvelle Orleans, or the Bee, "much of the most important of the ante-
bellum foreign language journals published in New Orleans," see Ken-
dall, "The Foreign Language Press of New Orleans," Louisiana Histori-
cal Quarterly, XII, 363-382. Its editor at this time was Jerome Bayon,
an able man. It was a stout defender of Whig principles after the rise
of this party. It was published at 110 Chartres Street, appearing Mon-
day, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, two pages in English, and two in
French. In 1829 a Spanish section was added, and for a while the paper
appeared under the triple title of L'Abeille, the Bee, and La Abeja. The
editor announced at the beginning of December, 1835, that the "subscrip-
tion list was rising to 2000." Issue of December 2, 1835.

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