Washington telegraph., 1855-10-31
Scraps of History.

IL is custom ot Hifpant ciap-trap orators
| and newspaper scribblers of the anti Amer
ican party to taunt us with The treachery ot
Arnold, and trlumphau,ly boast that he
the only traitor in the revolution was an
American By birth. We confess we DO net
envy CUR foes the feelings which promD,
them to this mode of argument Instead OF
announcing the fact with the bushes OF
shame. they seem to glory in his infamy be-
cause 1t affords them the power to revile
those who have warned the people to beware
of foreign influence. Can the anti Ameri,
can party expect to prove themselves better
patriots than others by proving that natives
of the soil are the only ones base enough to
betray the land of their birth If they do.
we pity their weakness
But it is untrue There were other trai-
tors than Arnold in the American revolu-
ton, and history records the fact. Gates,
an English general. plotted against the i'm
mortal Washington for the command Of the
army. Conway, an Irish general, support.
ed his pretensions, and became so violent
In his denunc;stions of Gen Washington,
that Cadwallader challenged him and shot
him through the head. His biosrapher
tells US that at this time he held the high
office of inspector general, and that he was
compelled to resign his position in conse-
quence of his unpopularity with the officers
of the army. Imagining the wound which
he received as mortal, he wrote to General
Washington an apologetic letter, confesssing
the wrongs he had attempted Gen Lee,
an EngliShman, if not implicated in this at
tempt to supercede the commander, detained
and vilfed the father of his country with
equal vehemence He was eourt-nartialed
for bis misconduct found guilty and suspend
ed from the service His denunciation of
Gen. Washington called forth challenge
from Col. Laurens I'VE beleve) one of Gen.
WashingtoDs aids, in which Gen. Lee was
wounded He lived and died the implaca-
bic foe of Washington
When the limited number Of foreigners
engaged in the war Of the American revo-
luton are taken into consideration. the con-
duct of these three alien generals. which, if
not downright treas0nable, was 50 very hioh-
ly culpable, should strike the foes of the
American party dumb, in regard to Bene-
dict Arnold. Had they accomplished their
wishes, TIE master spirit of the revolution,
he who breaihed life into a nation nostrils,
would have been shearcd of his usefulness,
and the fate Of the Republic would have
been doubtful indeed
Treason is as heinous at one period of
time as it is at another The desertion of
the foreign legion in Mexico is never men,
toned by our opponents. These men num-
bering nearly one hundred, commanded by
Riley. and some Of them decorated with
medals presented by citizens of New Or
leans, went over to Santa Anna in the
gloom.est hour our army experienced on
the very eve of battle and fought
bloody, battle against the banner they had
enlisted to support. They were captured
by the Americans ard tried by court
martial. which doomed Riley and his COM
panions to suffer traitors death hey
were saved by the clcmency OF Scott
1t is no pleasure to recur to these little
scraps Of history" or they might be nal
tipled to prove that Bcnei;ct Arnold was
not the only traitor Aper.cl has produced
True he is the only name that we would
willingly blot from the page Of history. in a
long catalogue Of native.b born children of
the republic, bat there have been imported
vipers whom we have taken TO cur bosom,
who have covered US, or attempted to cover
US all over with shame
4ustin (Teras) State Times