The University of British Columbia

The British Colonist

Gold had attracted many printers to Victoria from San Francisco (i.e. Frederick Marriott, James W. Towne, and Abel Whitton), but it was glory that led a man named Amor De Cosmos to Vancouver Island. In December 1858, Bishop Demers' press was sold to De Cosmos. He had left behind his birth name in California, legally changing it from plain William Smith, born in Nova Scotia, to Amor De Cosmos, roughly meaning "lover of the universe" [22]. With Bishop Demers' press in his possession, he started the British Colonist on December 11, 1858.

Although Amor De Cosmos once remarked that he had "…started the Colonist for amusement during the winter months," in his ambitious hands, the newspaper had two definite purposes: (1) the paper was to be a tool for political reform; and (2) it was to offer a critical viewpoint of Governor Douglas and the Hudson's Bay Company [23]. The sincerity of De Cosmos' notion of "reform" has been interpreted by one author to mean the "…reshaping of the government in terms of his own ideas" [24]. Although De Cosmos had two purposes for founding the British Colonist, five issues, among other concerns, were considered by him to be the "great colonial issues of the day:" (1) responsible government; (2) a union of the colonies; (3) representation in the imperial parliament; (4) a Pacific railroad; and (5) an overland wagon road with a telegraph line [25].

The British Colonist, with Amor De Cosmos at the helm, certainly reflected the fact that "…printing and politics were fused together in the island and mainland colonies, and resulted in many, often-vitriolic outbursts in print" [26]. De Cosmos did not believe that Governor Douglas was capable of representing the interests of British Columbia because Governor Douglas was "serving two masters," the British Colony and the Hudson's Bay Company [27]. De Cosmos had his own opinions: he was against dance halls, believing that they offended public morality; and he was anti-American [28]. At the outset, the British Colonist mirrored the personal beliefs of De Cosmos.

In the first issue of the Colonist, De Cosmos outlined his plan of attack when he printed the paper's editorial policy: this newspaper was to be "an independent paper, the organ of no clique or party - the true index of public opinion" [29]. The public supported De Cosmos in his effort to be the "true index of public opinion." In an attempt to shut down the Colonist, Governor Douglas imposed a bond of £800 by invoking a rarely used statute on March 30, 1859. De Cosmos, a political strategist with an eye for hardball, complied with Governor Douglas' demands, shut the paper down for four days, and waited for public opinion to boil over. On April 4, at the largest meeting yet held in Victoria, the public paid the bond, on behalf of De Cosmos and the Colonist [30].

A bitter rivalry developed between the Victoria Gazette and the British Colonist. The Victoria Gazette slandered Amor De Cosmos by making him appear desperate, and attacking his credibility, with statements that De Cosmos had "for sale for an advertisement for a room to rent," and "a long and lean wolf in that sheep's clothing steeped in duplicity." In one instance, the Victoria Gazette went so far as to claim that De Cosmos "sold shoes on Dupont Street in San Francisco" [31]. Despite the libels, De Cosmos would go on to be a popular politician, and the Colonist would turn out to be so successful that it drove the Victoria Gazette out of business.

In 1866, Amor De Cosmos sold his stake in the British Colonist to D. W. Higgins, once a journalist with De Cosmos. In 1862, D. W. Higgins founded of the Victoria Daily Chronicle. Following the merger of the British Colonist and Victoria Daily Chronicle, the British Colonist's name continued to appear on the masthead, probably to vex Governor Douglas [32]. Following the sale of the British Colonist, the politics of Amor De Cosmos continued. Having moved from newspaper owner to politician, De Cosmos served in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for many years, and eventually became Premier from 1872 to 1874. In addition, he represented Victoria in the House of Commons from 1871 to 1882. Thus, he served as both Premier and Member of Parliament simultaneously, proving that he had a knack for reading the public [33].