Evening star., 1938-04-17
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL P. KENNEDY.

When the congressional party Of some
200 Senators and House members, with
their wives, are in Charleston, s. c., next
Sunday, attending the fifth annual azalea
festival, they will participate in a me-
mortal service for father and a son
who were pioneers in Congress. One of
the historic gardens they will visit is
Middleton place. These were planted by
Henry Middleton, who was Speaker of the
Provincial House Of Commons and
commissioned officer of horse of the
Provincial Forces. member of the Kings
Provincial Council for fifteen years. pres
ident of the Continental Congress. who
received the thanks of Congress for his
services in the cause of liberty.
These gardens were inherited and were
further developed by his son, Arthur Mid
dleton, who was born, lived. died and is
buried there. He was educated at Cam
bridge University. England. and studied
law at the Temple in London. He was
a member Of the Provincial House OF
Commons, like his father: a member of
the Council of Safety in ITS and 1776,
served in the Revolution. was held pris-
oner by the British for fourteen months,
was member Of the Continental Con-
gress. succeeding his father; was a signer
OF the Declaration of independence.
Governor of South Carolina and served
IN both branches of the State Legisla-
ture. Also buried in the family mauso-
leum at Middleton place is Henry. the
son Of Arthur, and grandson of Henry
Middleton, who was born in London
while his parents were touring Europe.
He was member of the State Senate
and Governor of South Carolina. served
in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Con-
crosses, was Minister to Russia for more
than ten years. leader of the Union party
in South Carolina and Vice President of
the Union Convention in 1885,
~
Americans have committed great in
justice in making Benedict Arnold the
arbitrator of the Revolution Repre-
sentative c. Elmer Dietrich of Pennsyl-
vania tells his colleagues, after extensive
research. He would give that distinction
to DR.. Edward Bancroft. friend and con-
f1dant OF Benjamin Franklin and recites
IAN amazing story of shameful facts"
and, as moral, warns against the
S1SNaAAOS Va lA1OSC CltlLCllS "IlO nave az
tanned places Of high authority in public
affairs"
Representative Dietrich quotes Burton
j. kendrlck. three times awarded the
Pulitzer prize. in his book of bio
graphical sketches of The Lees of Vir-
glnla' IN explaining that Arnold was
guilty OF only one act of treason. which
failed. while Bancroft for eight years
was daily betraying his country-and
successfully"-that through his machi-
nations the Revolutionary War was pro-
longed measurably and that the indie
scribable sufferings Of Washingtons SOL
diers at Valley Forge might have been
avoided" He quotes Arthur Lee, who
was member Of the commission, headed
by Franklin. sent by Congress to France
in Its. as bluntly telling Franklin that
Bancroft was "a spy in the pay of the
British government" when he found that
Franklin had installed him as his chief
confidential man.
Representative Dietrich says the proof
OF DR.. Bancrofts treachery is found in
twenty-five huge volumes of the Secret
Service reports during the Revolution
known as the famous Stevens facsimiles
released by the British Government in
1889. During those years the British
were far better informed of American
activities than was Congress itself" says
Mr.. Dietrich. "Franklin's embassy ap-
pears almost branch Office of the Brit
lsh secret service; every happening there
found its way instantly to Downing
Street-and to Windsor, for it was the
chief delight of George III to read the
reports of British spies. And the agent
mainly responsible for providing this
royal reading" he emphasizes, was that
same DR.. Bancroft, who so completely
bamboozled Franklin and who found so
many apologists in America.
"The prolongation of the war was
owing, more than to any other single
cause, to the information constantly
supplied by this man-for money-to the
British ministry. His written account of
his own misdeeds is one of the most ex-
traordinary bits in biographical litera-
ture, giving over his own signature
resume of his services to the British
crown-a long catalogue of treasons
against his native land" His commune
cations we're in "gallantry," as though
to sweetheart, with liberal spacing in
which the traitorous messages were writ
ten in invisible ink. These letters were
sealed in bottle and buried at the roots
of a certain tree.
Even the French Minister protested
that the Franklin embassy was shelter
ing traitor" says Representative Diet
rich. But franklin went to his grave
without losing confidence in the associate
who had sold out his country, and he
even took him in q confidential service
to the peace conference that ended the
Revolution. while Bancroft was still on
the British pay roll"