The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1889-06-06
To Fulton Belongs the Honor.
LEE WAS A TRAITOR.


In the last issue of this paper "Blue
Bonnet made an attempt to throw a great
deal of light on the darkness of our benight-
ed minds. Proceeded to rob Fulton of his
honor and to hold up the traitor Lee as q
man only ''irresolute and negligent" Well
let us see.
We claimed, and still claim, that Robert
Fulton invented the steamboat, for the
reason that he was the first to prove beyond
dispute, (though not the first to move u boat
by steam), its practical utility.
In Chambers Encyclopaedia we have these
words "Although Fulton was not the first
to apply steam to navigation, yet lie
was the first to apply it with any
degree of success" This edition
was published in Edinburgh. Again
in another place. Fulton has thus indis-
putably the honor of being first proved the
practical utility of standardization" What
difference how many were experimenting?
Hundreds have and are experimenting on
perpetual motion, and one or two have made
machines that as long as undisturbed would
90, but the moment the test was made to
to utilize, the machines stopped. OF what
use was such a machine? 70 the man who can
get perpetual motion that can be utilized
will belong the honor Of the invention, and
so with Fulton. The honor of the invention
belongs to the man who first developed its
indisputed and practical utility.
A little further on this brilliant produc-
tions of the seeming wise 'Blue Bonnet
we have "Mr. Hawke does an injustice, I'M
intentional no doubt in chasing Lee as q
traitor."Here the inference seems to be that
we are ignorant of American history, and
stumbling around happened to run on Lees
name In connection with the revolutionary
war, and having read something about his
dishonor, jumped to the conclusion that he
was u traitor. But as it happens we have
read q great deal Of American history and
have some idea what we were talking about.
1t is all very true the verdict Of the court
martial. and it is true that if they had found
him a traitor he would nave been sentenced
to death: but did "Blue Bonnet never hear
of many things coming to light after a trial,
even when the accused was found mot
guilty, that ifthey had eenbroughtto light
at that time would have condemned. Lee
died within q year after being deposel from
the army. After his death British officers
made it known that he had tried to sell
himself to them. | have already referred
to Chambers Encyclopaedia. / would call
"Blue Bonnet s. attention to another page.
1t will be remembered that Lee was taken
prisoner by some British cavalry at Basking
Ridge in l776 while quartered some miles
from his army. Concerning this imprison-
ment Chambers says 1T is now believed that
while in confinement he made reasonable
proposals to the enemy" 1t is just here
where "Blue Bonnet's' school history has
led astray. Eminent historians are divided
rs to whether he was a traitor or not; but
full Is many hold he wa q t%raitor, as there
are holding the opposite view, just accord
ing to whether they hold or reject this after
Testimony. School histories are not inten-
ded to 60 into controyerted points of his
tory; they are left for our after reading
when time can be devoted to the subject III
all its different phases. In reading these
fuller histories and comparing one with an.
other we get both sides, apd may draw our
own conclusions. We have had the pleasure
of reading five of these different histories