The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1899-1900, 1899-05-10

Topeka, May 5. "A cablegram was
received from General Frederick Fun
ston this morning making the recon-
mendations for promotion made neces-
sary by his advancement to brigadier
general. The Governor ordered the
issue Of commissions according to
Funston's recommend .tions. They
are as follows:
Major Wilder f. Metcalf of Lawrence
to be colonel OF the Twentieth Kansas
regiment. Captain w. 2. Bishop Of
Salina to be major in the vacancy
made by the promotion Of Metalf.
First Lieutenant Daniel F. Craig Of
Garnett to be captain. Second Lieu
tenant Edward ]. Hardy of Salina to
be first lieutenant. Sergeant Cassius
E. Warner OF Fort Scott to be second
lieutenant.
The press dispatches of this morning
tell Of the death Of William A. Metag-
gart of Company G. Funston fails to
mention his death, but makes another
recommendation for promotion, which
means that there is vacancy in the
regiment. The promotion is that Of
John g. Murphy of Company G. Lea
venworth to be a second lieutenant.
Theophilus Little, the father of Lieu
tenant Colonel. Ed Little, called on
Governor Stanley last night and pro-
tested against the promotion of any
one over the head of his son. He car
ried with him letter from W. F. Law
renee Of Eldorado, national committee
man of the Silver Republican party,
denouncing the intention of the COVER
nor to appoint Metcalf instead Of Little.
Colonel Wilder s. Metcalf was born
in Milo, Me. He went to Ohio at an
early age and was graduated from
0berlin college in 1878. He came to
Kansas in 1887 and went into the land
and loan business. In 1897 he was
graduated from the law school Of the
University Of Kansas and formed a
partnership with w. G. Spangler. In
Ohio he got his first military training
and rose to the rank Of captain Of the
Ohio national guard. On coming TO
Kansas he connected himself with
Company H of the Kansas guard. He
became major, lieutenant colonel and
finally colonel of the First regiment of
the Kansas National Guard which place
he held when appointed major Of the
Twentieth Kansas.
Major Whitman outranked him Bs
major Of the Twentieth Kansas, so by
his promotion Metcalf goes over the
heads Of two men.
We have inserted the above extract
from the Kansas City Star for two rea-
sons: first, to show how a promotion
from the head OF a regiment disturbs
the organization all along the line
second, because Of the interest oul
people have in the principal subject Ol
the article, Col. w. s. Metcalf Being
from Lorain county and formerly from
Wellington, and his wife being here
with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. G. w
Crosier. during her husbands exile
in the antipodes, makes the article
pretty good reading for Wellingtonians
1t may be a matter OF surprise tt
many how Col. Metcalf was promoted
over the heads OF two officers of the
regiment who out-ranked him, viz
Mai. Whitman and Lieut.. Col. Little
The explanation is easy. Metcalt
was the best military man in the state
of Kansas, and when his regiment was
in San Francisco so long he taught and
drilled the officers and those OF 9th
er regiments who were glad to pay fol
their tuition. But weightier reason
was that the Major and Lieutenant
Colonel mentioned have not merited OF
gained any prominence in the fighting
line Of the army at Manila. while Met
calf has been in the thickest of the
"unpleasantness" and twice wounded,
more or less seriously. The next pro-
motion, if any, will not come from q
populist governor but from President
Mckinley himself.