The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-01-27

holds Q seat in the United States Con.
grees. lt 70 almost lsmentable that
be occupation Of farming II held to bt
anonymous with limited knowledge
md illiberality Of character. It 10 moi
surprising therefore, that Mr.. Funston
has had to struggle up to his respecta-
BILE position agalnst all this class Of I'm.
favorable prepossessiOns that are wag-
ed against the farming community. II
il certainly no discredit to man that
he 10 farmer, nor that his opportuni.
ties have been limited, but 1t IL q very
great credit to him II he has eurmOunt.
ed difficulties, and achieved honor
| where the efforts OF other men would
have accomplished nothing more than
signal failure. In the case Of Mr.. Fun.
ston 1t is mistakenly supposed that bis
early advantages were SO limited q.
his Improvement Of them go mad
equate that his present achievements
are to be regarded in the nature of an
accident. On the contrary his chances
In life were quite Ms promising rs
those of very many of our eminent
men, whose names rank high In the
history Of our country as Legislators,
judges and statesmen, as will appear
from this. very brief biographical
resume. He was born in Clark c0un-
ty. Ohio, in 1885; received his early
education in the common school of the
district. then graduated at New Car
Isle acedamy; then entered the Mari
eta college and continued there for
more than year when he was enlist.
en- as lieutenant, Sixteenth Ohio bat.
terry. As q soldier he participated in
the principal engagements along the
Mississippi river, and was mustered
out IN 1855. While In the service he
was for fourteen months detailed as
instructor of light artillery at New
Orleans. position that required both
scientific and practical attainments.
He subsequently arose to the position
Of ordnance officer of the Thirteenth
division. of the 18th Corps. The army
service completed, he taught school
two years, and then along with the In.
Vulnerable band Of pioneers located in
Kansas on 100 acres of our virgin soil,
where. bringing both Drawn and brain
into service, he achieved complete sue
cess as Kansas farmer. During all
these years he had been accumulating
library which Is more than usually
supplied with the best aud sOundest
literature In the English language. He
early familiarized himself with such
standard authors as Hume, Macaulay,
Gibbon aud Bancroft. 1t is not at ali
surprising that after working uuOn
his farm for five year,, his neigh6ors
should call upon him to represent them
in the Legislature. Commencing with
1873 he was three years in the house,
the last year Of which he presided over
the house az speaker. In 1850 he was
returned to the Senate, Of which he
was made president pro tenn. He was
e!ectedi to the Forty.eighth Congress
March l. 1884, to fill q vacancy caused
by the death of the late Hon. ID. G.
Haskell. He was subsequently elect
ed to the FOrty-ninth Congress, and
still later to the Fiftieth Congress, re-
ceiving 1887 votes against IL, AIS votes
for Robinson, democrat and $3.50 votes
for Pickering, prOhibitf0nist. All this
honorable success on tue part of Fups-
ton has been earned by hard work in
all directions. He is q hard student
and hard worker, and ho man in
Congress gives more Of his time and
labor Of mind and body for the benefit
OF his constituents. One almost inn
pregnable element of strength with
Funston is his unimpeachable honesty
The people know that his hands will
never be emirched with jobbery. He
pursues frugal economical course at
Washington and lives comfortably and
respectfully, entirely within the limits
OF the compensation provided by law
for the nations Legislators. While
dozens of members are living here In
q style for the payment of which their
salaries are entirely mad.
equate, we find Funston preserving
an honest margin above current ex-
He Is always prompt. al
ways ready for the call OF his name,
and always fortified with ample know
ledge as to matters in hand. Kansas
has ample ground for feeling proud of
her delegation in Congress, and to Mr..
FunstOn's friends and constituents in
the Second District it may be q graft
to know that their member
ranks as a thorough-going, reliable,
honest intelligent worker, q man un-
by jobbery or selfish
schemes Of any kind, and q man
whose frugal example, if followed by
III other congressman, would save thel
nation from those terrible periodical
rises of corruption and dishonor.