The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-12-01
FUNSTON AND HIS ASsAILANTS


Chicago Inter Ocean: What is the
object of the attack on General kuns-
ton and his army associates from
Kansas? If the object is to destroy
the reputation made. by the Twentieth
Kansas regiment in the Philippines,
why should any Kansan be a party to
the conspiracy? If certain disgruntled
officers and enlisted men of the
Twentieth Kansas are in conspiracy
to punish their old colonel, why
should the American pc )ple be patient
under the infliction? II the object is
to shield the negligent slovenly or
cowardly of the Twentieth Kansas,
why should not the hundreds of brave
men of that regiment rise up and
strike the slanderers down?
1t has been said by some of the
copperhead papers, encouraging the
agitation, that General Funston had a
press bureau in the Philippines, eN-
plotting his every achievement; that
he claimed through this press bureau
credit which should have been given
to other men; that il he did not shoot
prisoners himself, he connived at the
shooting by others, and that in a gen
eral way he was no better soldier than
many of his subordinates.
What subordinate is responsible for
this accusation? General Funston
had had an adventurous career before
he went to Cuba in 1896. On the
testimony of General Garcia, General
Gomez, and other Cubans, he served
most creditably in the Cuban army
and left it only when, against his pro-
test, some fifty Spanish prisoners
were shot. He was so outraged at this
violation of civilized rules of war that
he threw up his commission and
dragged his wounded body back to
the United States. He had seen all
this military service and had been
written about long before he was ap-
pointed colonel of the Twentieth
Kansas. Before that appointment
came to him he had been offered a
position on the staff of General Miles.
His desire was to command a regi-
ment of rough riders in Cuba. When
this was denied him he accepted the
colonelcy of the Twentieth Kansas.
Once in the Philippines, the Twen-
tieth Kansas, under its fighting
colonel, soon won an exceptional
reputation. 1t is undeniable that
Colonel Funston is one of the most
active, courageous and venturesome
officers in the service. This was
recognized by the men OF his regi-
ment and the commanding general
l t is not denied that he swan rivers
in company with his own advance
guard. 1t is not denied that he was
the first man in Malolos and that ht
was more frequently than Other
officers of his rank ON the fighting
lines.
There is one disadvantage to ease.
loving soldiers in having such q
colonel A regiment with such q
commander rarely misses fight
There may have been some men in the
Twentieth Kansas who felt that the
colonel was too enterprsing in the
matter of seeking battle, but it is well
known that the majority of his mer
sympathized with him i'm this particu'
lar. Certainly the United States rang
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from
the Lakes to the Gulf with the name
of Colonel Funston and hisl regiment
: The record and the compliments came
not from any press bureau, but from
correspondents of Democratic, mug
wump and Republican newspapers
not in kilograms and letters alone