The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-03-11
WHAT ACUINALDO TOLD HIM
Leaders of the Insurgents Not the
Patriots They Are Some
times Pictured.

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night at the Lotus club. More than
300 members of the club were present.
The guests table, which was spread
in the center of the diners, was pre-
sided over by Frank S. Lawrence, the
president of the club, at his right sat
General Funston. The others at this
table were Chas. S. Gleed. a promi-
nent lawyer of Topeka; Frank r. Nc
Lehman, editor of the Topeka Journal;
Charles Leeds of Chicago: E. T. JEFF
fiery, president Of the Denver & Rio
Grande railroad; Captain Chas. D.
Coghlan, United tSates navy; the
Rev. DR.. Minot J. Savage; Job E.
Hedges. Paul Dana and J.. H. Can
field of Columbia university, who at
n time taught a school in Kansas,
which General Funston attended when
a boy.
When the dinner was over Presi-
dent Lawrence arose and introducing
General Funston said:
There are some things which don't
enter into the realm of controversy
intrepidity of the armies we have
sent to the Philippines. I have the
pleasure of introducing to you one
whose single act almost brought an
end to the war there. We greet him
very heartily"
General Funston said that judging
from the remarks of the president he
was expected to talk about the war
in the Philippines.
ITO talk about the war over there
is not an agreeable subject said he,
"but what I say may aid some of you
in forming opinions as to the condition
of affairs in the islands. The army
has been doing as good as it could
under the circumstances.
when Manila was surrendered to
Dewey and Merritt, some thousands
of S%paniards were in the city. In the
eyes of the world these people look
ed to us for protection and to have
turned them yer to the uncontrol-
able mob known as Aguinaldo's army,
would have been the blacklist page of
American history; n that a thou
sand years of repentance and resti-
tuition would not have satisfied"
General Funston then told in mi
mute detail of the instances which
led to the warfare between the Amer
lean army and the insurgents, and
during the narrative told of the shoot
ing Of several sentries by Filipino
scouts who had passed the lines. He
said that on the opening Of the bat
tie between the army and the in
surgents Major Metcalf of the First
Nebraska regiment, had come to his
quarters and said: "'The dance has
begun What dance I asked, and Mai.
Metcalf replied. Go out and heal it.
and I went out and heard the putter-
ing of rifles and hat was the begin
ming of the war over there
General Funston then said: Cali
sorts of men get. into the army. There
are good. bad and Indifferent. but I
believe that IS per cent of the Ameri-
can soldiers are a brave and humane
lot of men. The other 5 per cent,
who have been writing letters to news
papers have ornamented the insides
Of a grog house for a longer time than
thov Ioy-o Iictir u,,i,ho1 {bon,cc1ync
in the field"
General Funston then mentioned
several instances Of personal Drawer"
on the mart of men in the army. which
resulted in their death, including Cap
tain Godfrey and Sergeant O'Brien.
He was present when Sergeant
O'Brien was shot and said it was zone
of those wild moments that are worth
10 years of hundrum existence
His listeners cheered the remarks.
The general then said: Cali of
those men who have fallen since De-
cember. 1900, have been victims of a
lot of misinformed and misguided peo-
pie here in the United. 1t is perfectly
proper for us to have all sorts of opin-
ions as to what we should do with the
Philippine Islands, but for heavens
sake. let us keep them to ourselves
until every square inch of that terri
tory recognizes the sovereignty of the
United States"
He gave many examples to show
that the Filipino leaders were not
thorough patriots, mentioning the
Staying of Antonio Luna, who was or
dered killed by Aguinaldo. General
Funston said that Aguinaldo had told
him in regard to Luna's death: 81
had him killed simply because he
would have been dictator instead of
myself"