The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-05-04
SENATE FOR
Gen. FUNSTON.
No Other Political Office is Good
Enough For Him.
At Least That is the View of
His Father.
PLACES ARE VACANT.
He Says Kansas Has No Senators
at Present.
Does Not Think Fred Will Go
Into Politics.

The Chicago Tribune prints the fol-
lowing from a special correspondent
under date, lola, Kan, May 2:
Kansans are happy tonight over the
promotion of Colonel Fred Funston to
a brigadier generalship and declare
there is nothing in Kansas he may
want and cannot have. At the same
time an indication of what he may get
is on the tongues of his fellow-townS
men of lola 1t is nothing less than a
seat in the United States senate. This,
they say, is as easily within his reach
as the position of town marshal of
lola.
Ex-Congressman "Fog-Horn" Fun
ston, father of Brigadier General Fred
Funston, told the correspondent of the
Chicago Tribune this afternoon that his
son should ask for no office of less dig
nifty than that of member of the Uni
ted States senate.
Il am for Fred for the place. too"
he said. Il do not think he will go into
politics, but if he does it will be as
candidate for the senate. Kansas has
no senators now. The offices are va
cant so far as ability goes. If Fred is
going to ask for anything, let him ask
for something worth having.
While flags were floating from every
Flagstaff in the town today in honor of
the new brigadier, who won his star as
a fighter, and everybody in the streets
was congratuIating Kansas in having
hero of such proportions, they were
talking of what he would do in a pO-
litfcal way when he got back to this
state, where politics is played by ex-
perts.
lola IS FUNSTON WILD.
lola is the home town of Gen. Fun
ston and here the feeling of pride in
this son of Kansas runs at flood height.
AS soon as the news reached here this
morning bulletins were posted on the
four corners of the public square and
in front of the offices of the local pa
pers.
Crowds gathered about them as soon
as they were stuck up, and since then
the people here have been talking or
little else. They have been busy1ng
themselves recalling the hundreds of
things in the life of the mild-mannered
youth that are taken now as evidences
of his greatness and sign boards along
the road to greatness
The home of the Funstons is four
miles north of lola on farm. 1t Is
one mile west of Carlyle, flag station
on the Santa Fe road, which is the
postoffice address of the family. The
father of the soldier, Edward H. Fun
StOn, who represented this district in
congress for eleven years and VINO IS
now engaged in filling the farm, was at
work in the field today when a cor
respondent of the Tribune drove to the
farm with the news of his sons pro-
motion.
II suppose there is no mistake that
this is true" he said, as if he doubted
the good news. When he was assured
that dispatches had been received from
Washington confirming a report that
had been received in the morning, he
started for the house to give the news
to Mrs. Funston.
"'I must tell Fred's mother said he.
"She has a right to receive the news
first"
MOTHER GETS THE NEWS.
A quiet, retiring woman came into
the room that serves as a study for
the farmer-lawmaker. She was smiling
and it heemed as if a tear had been
brushed from her big, brown eyes only
a moment before. She is little wo-
man, weighing less than 100 pounds,
and seems fra gile beside the giant fig
ure of her husband. He weighs more
than 200 pounds and is six feet and
two inches in height. 1t was plain to
see he was proud of his soldier son and
that she was not a bit less filled with
genuine pride in the fame which was
being heaped on her boy. Her silence
was eloquent of praise as the re-
strained expressions that fell in rumb-
ling tones from the lips of the her
culean husband and father.
This is the young man who brought
the news of Fred's promotion" said
Mr. Funston, and Mrs. Funston bowed
and smiled.
He came all of the way from Chi
cago to tell US that Fred was a briga-
ulously at the pleasantly.
'"But he does tell me, however,, he
added by way of apology for the Jest,
that Fred is talked a good deal about
in Chicago"
Il hope they speak well Of my boy"
she said, nalf TREMENDOUSLY. IF they
knew him as we'll we do they would
know he deserves it,
They know he is a great soldier"
Eyes, Fred is a good boy. But 1 wish
he were back at home again."
IF Fred comes back to us alive
said the father, turning from the win
dow where he had been looking in the
distance abstractedly. He had evident
ly been thinking along the same line as
Mrs. Funston.
There is talk of making him gov
ernor of Kansas" it was suggested.
FATHERS AMBITION FOR HIS SON.
mo, Fred does not want that. That
is not worth his effort. The people OF
Kansas are proud of Fred 1 know
that L do not know what the people
of other states think. but in his own
state they are proud of him. If he
should run for anything it should be
the United States senate. He should
seek an office worthy of him.
I'VE had better wait until he returns
before we talk of these things said
Mrs. Funston. He will come back to
US, too; I'm sure he will
He seems to lead charmed life,' it
was suggested.
yes, you know" said Mrs. Funston.
shield of their favorite god. Well, I'm
not a pagan, but 1 have a belief in the
ChristianiZed version of that doctrine
of the ancients, and I hope to see the
boy back 1 wish he were here now"
The tinge of sadness never once was
lifted from the atmosphere. While
father and mother evidenced their Ella
ton, the shadow of apprehension was
always present.
The father of the young hero has
been too long in politics not to see the
possibilities of that field of endeavor
for his son when he comes back to the
land of sunf1owers. And out of his
fears for his sons safety, he still drew