The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-08-07
FUNSTON GOT EVEN.
Kept Sick Men on Firing Line
Because They Would Not
Reenlist.

| Kansas City, Aug. IA special to the
| Times from San Francisco says: De-
nunciation of the federal imperial policy
and the Otis administration in the Phil
/ ippines is the burden of the Twentieth
Kansas soldiers invalided home on the
hospital ship Relief just as it was the
| burden of those sent home on the Nor
gan City.
Almost to man the Kansans are
anti-expansionists The pictured colo
NAL empire in the Islands of the Pacific,
/ they say, is valuable only to the capt.
| talists. A white laborer would be a
/ fool to go there to compete against 20
! cent-a-day Coolies. Practically all the
| good land is in control of the Catholic
| church, and what little remains is rap
| idly being acquired by British syndi-
Gates. The natives don't know what 1t
is to be conquered, having fought Spain
for tWenty-seVen years and preferring
humiliation to subjugation. 1t is a
plain unvarnished tale the volunteers
bring home with them.
II should say I am not an expansion
ist,' said Haven H. Graham of Bald
win, Kan, leaning on his crutch while
! talking to correspondent. All the
volunteers in the eighth army corps
| agree that the war is unjust and need
less butchery. Not one of US knew what
we were fighting for. L guess we just
fought to save our own skins"
The unfair treatment of the Volun-
teers also comes in for a great deal of
comment. one Of the invalided officers
is authority for the following state
while stationed at Caloocan an offer
came from General Otis Of travelling
pay for all the volunteers who would
| re-enlist for six months. This is the
usual terms Of a re-enlistment. 1t was
generally understood that by the terms
of our enlistment we were entitled to
our discharge upon the conclusion Of
the war with Spain. 1t was SO held by
NT0T Eir1Ia in n
ing the volunteers for their voluntary
performance of additional service.
when this offer for re-enlistment
came poll was taken of the Twentieth
Kansas regiment and 65 per cent of the
men agreed to re-enlist under the prof.
fered terms. But this was the last
heard of it. The men blame Otis for
violating his agreement. Nothing more
was heard of travelling pay. Otis had
gotten a good many of us to vote to re-
main and had then cabled our willing
ness to Washington. Then we were
given no option. We were all kept in
the service whether or no.
After this, Major Bell. a dare devil
in the scouting service, whose blunder-
ing rashness cost Colonel StOtsenburg
of Nebraska his life, was anxious to get
volunteers to re-enlist in his regiment
of scouts. Funston took up with the
idea at once. My men will all en-
list he said.
FUNSTON GOT EVEN.
"A vote was taken, however, and only
| twenty-five men in the regiment We're
ready to go under Bell.
Then by c. I'll keep 'em on the
firing line" said Colonel Funston.
And he did. All through the Malolos
campaign, with not more than thirty
five per cent of the Kansas men fit for
duty. They were kept at the front in
the midst of the hard fighting. And all
this time Manila was swarming with
regulars with nothing to do.
THE men will long remember this
treatment against Funston and Otis"
Those of Funstons men who have re-
turned invaded home say that Fun
ston was given all too much credit in
the newspapers. He was constantly
playing the spectacular, the grand stand
say the Kansans. He was in no sense
a commanding officer, seldom giving a
command. Whoever heard, they ask,
of a colonel taking squad Of men and
dashing away from his regiment to per-
form some harum-scarum newspaper
exploit? But that is FunSton'S record
What was supposed to become of his
regiment? Funston never considered
that. The fact that he was in charge
of l 200 men apparently never occurred
to him. 1t was his province to dash,
and he dashed, regardless Had he
been a regular army officer, the men
say he would have been cOurt-mar
tailed till he learned better his duty.
Then it is said that the reports of
Funston's individual bravery were wild
ly exaggerated. He many times got the
credit that belonged to the priVateS.
It was Trembly and White of the
Kansas City company who swan the
Rio Grande at Calumpit in the face of
the insurgents fire. They carried with
them a string by means of which they
pulled across a rope, which they tied
to the enemy'S trenches, Funston and
some of his men afterward crossed the
stream on a raft, ferried by the rope,
but there was no special bravery dis
played in that The credit belongs to
the two privates of company B.
Another time Lieutenant Hardy, Cor
pOral DrysdaIe and Privates Jack
Huntsman and Clint Wiley of company
H swan the river in the campaign be-
fore MaIolos and captured raft, on
which company Q was toWed across. 1t
was these four men who displayed the
bravery here.
Funston has somewhat got a reputa-
ton swimmer" said one of the
men, but if he knows how to swim he
never showed his knowledge in the
Luzon campaigns. He always took a
raft, and it was the individual bravery
of privates, as a rule, that got the craft.
fear bullets No one does till he gets
a shot. But Funston has the reputation
of playing to the gallery and for having
a cheerful disregard for his men. Lieu
tenant Colonel Little has a much warm
err spot in the hearts of the common
soldiers than has General Funston"
The officer before quoted blames Gen.
eral Otis for the failure of the Luzon
campaign.
Jealousy seems to be the prevailing
characteristic of Otis" said he He
sits in his palace at Manila and gives
orders which spoil military operations