The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-06-25
DEFENSE OF FUNSTON.
The House Cheered Landis' Ref
erences to the kanSan.

Washington. June 25.-The story of
General Frederick Funston's achieve
mentS in the military service as related
by Representative Lands of Indiana
was cheered in the house yesterday.
Mr. Lands, who made one of the most
effective and eloquent speeches of this
session of congress, devoted q large part
of his remarks to a defense of the Kan
san against the attack of the Demo-
Gratis. Said he:
What has Fred Funston done to be
called a Jayhawker brigadier, and to
be referred to as he was by the gentle
man from Missouri, Mr.. Vandiver.
few days ago as that river swimming
captain All that hate and malignity
and revenge could put in words was
concealed in that expression, that riv
er-swimming captain. Who is Fred
Funston, and why should he be abused2
The only reason I know why Democrats
abuse him is that he has been very as
sidious in serving his country in the last
four wears.
when a mere boy his country asked
him to go up into Alaska to obtain GER
tain information He went. He was
not of age, only 10. He secured the in
formation, even though he did have to
climb mountains covered with eternal
snow and swim the Yukon river. run
ming with ice and he camped during
the winter u0 there in that midnight
darkness.
During the Arctic winter that Fun
crew of imprisoned starving whalers and
he organized some EsquimauX dogs. He
hitched them to a sledge loaded WITH
provisions and went to their rescue 800
miles into that snowbound and ice-loek-
ed interior. He did not have anything
to guide him but the stars. He did not
have anything in the way of companion
ship but his compass, and then he came
back to this country and he heard this
wall of distress which came from Cuba
1t penetrated deeper than his ear. He
saw something in it other than an OPP
pOrtunity to turn a political trick. It
cOngregated into heroic resolve and he
went to the Cuban junta in New York
and tenCered his services. When he
appeared they laughed at him because
he weighed Cnly little over 100 pounds
| They told him, however, that they were
/ short in their artillery service. He told
| them that he would be ready to report
| for artillery service in three weeks, al
/ though at that time he did not know
! anything about that or any other branch
/ Of the military service. He secured
| books and he went to special school:
and in three weeks he reported for ser
vice. He went directly to Cuba, and
4 when the brave OsgoOd fell a sacrifiC
! to liberty, Fred Funston stepped over
/ his nfelesS body to command And he.
| too, fell, shot through and through. He
was lifted to the mountains. He was
| nursed by the chivalry of Cuba, the no
/ bllity of Cuban WOmanhoOd, and when
! he was able to travel he came home to
] L4Ac 0i1tl6d 0ldttS IL enter d HDSDlldl
Il saw Funston soon after he arrived.
/ He showed me his wounds and then he
showed two commissions. neither one
| of which would be traded for a seat on
! the floor of the United States senate or
house of representatives One of them was
| written on brown paper, the other on
white paper Neither of them had any
ribbon upon it, or any sort OF show. One
/ of them in the handwriting and bore
the signature of Manuel Garcia, the other
was in the handwriting and bore the sig
nature of Maxine Gomez. They were
| written in the hand of sacrifice with the
| pen of admiration. The other day we un-
yelled in this city a statue TO a F'renchman
| who came here to help Washington and
1 liberty
4 expect to live to see the day when in
1 the most beautiful park in Havana there
! viii be unveiled d statue to Fred Funston,
| who went there to help Gomez and Garcia
| and Cuban liberty I saw him after the war
broke out with Spain. He came to the
partment. He told me that it the
highest ambition OF his life to lead an
American regiment against the Spanish
| army.7s