The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1902-03-15
GENERAL FUNSTON SPOKE
ON WAR In THE PHILIPPINES
tie Was the Guest of Honor at Lotus
cIub-says the Army Has Done as
Mach Good n II Could Under the
cireumsfanees-Gay an Interest
ing Talk ON the Last Two Years.

New York. March 10. - Brigadier
General Frederick Funston was the
guest Of honor at a dinner given Sat
urday night at the Lotus club More
than 300 members Of the club were
present.
Among the other guests were
Charles s. Gleed. a prominent lawyer
OF Topeka. Kan; Frank r. McLennan
editor Of the Topeka Journal: T. T
jeffrey, president OF the Denver e. Rio
Grande railway; Captain Charles D
coghlan. U. S. N: Rev. Miner Saw
age, Jacob z. Hedges. Paul Dana, anc
J. II. Garfield Of Columbia University
who at one time taught a school il
Kansas which General Funston al
tended when a boy.
General Funston being introduced
| said: TO talk about the war in
the Philippines is not an agreeable
subject, but what say may aid some
Of you in forming opinions as 10 the
condition of affairs in the islands
The army has been doing as much
good as ii could under the circum-
stances.
When Manila was surrendered to
Dewey and Merritt. some thousands
Of Spaniards were in the city. In
the eyes OF the world these people
looked to us for protection. and to
have turned them over to the uncon-
trollablS mob known as Agllinaldo's
army would have been the blacklist
mage OF American history and that e
thousand years Of repentance and res
,itution would not have satisfied"
Beginning Of the War.
General Funston then told in min
Ute detail OF the instances which led
20 the warfare between the American
army and the insurgents. and during
the narrative told Of the shooting Of
who had passed the lines. He said
hat In the opening Of the battle be
tween the army and the insurgents,
Major Metcah OF the First Kansas
esiment had come TO his quarters
and said The dance has begun.
What dance asked, and the
J major replied, Go out and hear it.
sad went out and heard tbs patter
ng Of rife balls, and that was the be
ginning OF the war over there"
General Funston then said: AL
{ sorts Of men get into the army
They are good. bed and indifferent
but / believe that IS per cent Of the
: ]
! humane lot Of men. The other
per cent who have been writing let
'ers 10 newspapers have ornamenteC
The inside Of q groghouse longei
l than they have distinguished them
selves in the field"
General Funston then mentioned
several instances OF personal drawer!
: 81 men in the army which resulted
In their death. including Captain God
| Trey and Sergeant OBrien. He wa
present when Sergeant OBrien wa
} shot, and said: 1T was one Of thos
Wild moments that are worth 10 year
Of humdrum existence" His listen
. ers cheered the remark.
Then General Funston said: "A
e ~ those men who have fallen sine
7 December. 1900. have been victims G
lot Of misinformed and misguide
y people here in the United States.
= is perfectly proper for us to have a
sorts of opinions as to what we shoul
do with the Philippine islands. bu
for heavens sake. let us keep them I
'e ourselves until every square inch {
~ that territory recognizes the soVe
~ eighty of the United States"
: General Funston then gave man
examples TO show that the Filipin
leaders were not true patriots. II
!. mentioned the Staying Of Antoni
; Luna. who was ordered slain b
Aguinaldo. General Funston sal
- that Aguinaldo had told him in r
~ gard to Luna's death: I had hi
~ killed simply because he would haN
10 been dictator instead Of myself
n Would you imagine George Was
m ington doing anything like that
Nv asked General Funston.
he The general said there was n
We one of the so-called Filipino patrio
who could not be convicted OF murd
la L he was tried by jury. He decls
no ed that there had never been a W
in the worlds history where the 81
diers had shown such humanity
had the American troops in the Phil
pine islands He then told Of
II American soldiers who had Joined I
AZ Filiuinos and who were afterwar
ne captured and executed as traito
'~' and then said:
y" There are many men in the Unit
!" States who did more with their mout
- and minds to aid the insurgents IN
NJ Jorgensen rifles. would rather s
II. these men hanged for treason than
w see one Of our soldiers dead on
', teld Of battle"
Au The general then declared
w Filipinos could not be classed W
- the Cubans. and he said that IL
INV United States troops should n
leave the Philippine islands tn
would be half dozen different Xii
los Of civil war there, and the wo
,,,c, would hold the United States
lac spousible for them.
~ The general said he talked "
ON Aguinaldo on their way back TO Mar
mes from the vicksburg and that Ag'
r Of aldo told him that neither Dewey
en-. any one else had promised him a
~ thing. but that he and his people
faith In the Americans.