Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-05-01
THE WORK OF A BURGLER.
How General Funston Outraged Army Tradi.
tlons.

tlons.
Having accomplished the feat Of arms
which the goldlaced, highly-trained
major generals have for two years been
steadily failing to accomplish, the cap
ture of Aguinaldo, General Funston
must now prepare to have heaped upon
him by the war department the oppro-
brium which he deserves. He must be
made to realize that although he cap
tured the head and front Of what the
major generals studiously term 1.-THE
organized opposition to the United
State forces" he did 1t in a manner
which violated most of the regulations
of the United States army, several Of
the articles Of war, and q variety Of the
rules which are learned at West Point.
But Funston, then common volun-
teer-and from Kansas at that-broke
into this Philippine business without
the invitation Of the adjutant generals
and major generals and other red tape
experts who have been playing with
it for two years, and therefore he can
hardly be expected to know all the
rules Of the game. Now that 1t Is
all over he doubtless bitterly real
ICES what bad form he displayed
in his precipitate action in the for
est when he grabbed the 1.-THE in
surgent chief around the waist and
told him to lie quiet or get hurt. He
did not realize at that moment how
very much this rude action savored Of
the arrest Of a disturber Of the peace
by a common policeman.
With Aguinaldo safe under lock and
key, the high-salaried and expertly
trained members of the How-Not-to-
Do-It-C Club are verbose in their explain
ations Of how that willy chieftain should
have been captured without doing vio-
lence to the traditions Of the army and
Of the Infallible Red Tape Division of
the government service. When Fun
ston learned from Filipino traitor
just where Aguinaldo was he should
have shot the traitor at sunrise for be-
ing spy. Then, with a band and
few regiments Of troops he should have
moved grandly to position few miles
from Aguinaldos capital, and, should
any Of the troops have been left after
the ambuscades they would have pass
ed through, he should have sent de-
tachment of them ahead under a white
flag to tell Aguinaldo that the great
American general was willing to grant
him an audience. Meanwhile he should
have cabled to the Infallible Red Tape
division Of the government at wash
ington to learn what terms he might
offer the insurgent chief when he sur
rendered. After a wait of two or three
days, during which Aguinaldo would
have moved a few hundred miles far
ther into the country, the survivors of
the white flag detachment would have
returned and have had the honor to re-
port that they had failed to find Agui-
naldo. Thus General Funston, while
he would not have actually captured
the chieftain, would at least have
shown proper respect for the traditions
and precedents Of the army and could
have returned with flying flags to Ma
nila.
But with that blatant disregard OF
the sacred cow known as "the customs
of the service" which ever character
ICES the blundering volunteer officer,
Funston got the strange idea that the
way to end the insurrection was to
capture Aguinaldo, and the way to
capture Aguinaldo was to go out and
get him.-Saturday Evening Post.