The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-03-09
FRED FUNSTON SPEAKS
GUEST AT DINNER OF LOTUS
 CLUB.
Says Those People of United States Who 1fisunderstood Situation Are Responsible for Trouble
 in Philippines

New York, March s.-Brigadier- General Frederick Funston was the guest of honor at dinner given tonight at the Lotus Club. More than 900 members of the club were present. Frank R. Lawrence. the President of the club. presided. At his right sat General Funston. When the dinner WAS over, President Lawrence arose and introduced General Funston. who spoke on the Philippines.
 "The army in the Philippines" he said. .'l1as been doing as good as 1t could un- der the circumstances. When Manila was surrendered to Dewey and Merritt, some thousands of GpSniards 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 uncomfortable mob. known as Aguinaldos army would have been the blackest page of American history: one that thousand years of repentenance and restitution would not have satisfied"
 General Funston said: "I believe that 1 per cent of fhe American soldiers are a brave and humane lot of men. The other per cent. who have been writing letters to newspapers. have ornamented the inside of grog house for a longer time than they have distinguished tbem- selves in the field"
 General Funston then mentioned several instances of personal bravery on the part of the men in the army, which resulted in their death, including Captain Godfrey and Sergeant o'Rrien. General Funston said: a tf &
 All of these men who have fallen since December. 1900, have been victims of a lot of misinformed and misguided peo- pie here in the United States. It Is per- fectly proper for us to have all sorts of opinions as to what we should do with the Philippine Islands, but, for heavens sake, let them keep them to ourselves until every square inch of that territory recognizes the sovereignty of the United States"
 General Funston mentioned the staying of Antonii Luna. General Funston said Aguinaldo had told him in regard to Luna's death: T had him killed simply because @ he would have been dictator in- ton doing anything like thatT' asked General Funston.
 The General said there was not one of the so-called Filipino patriots who could not be convicted of murder if he was tried by a jury. He declared that there had never meen war in the worlds his- tory where the soldiers had shown such humanity as had the American troops in the Philippine Islands. He then told of twenty-four American soldiers who had
 
 ward captured and executed as traitors and then said: 'ats 8itQf
 There are many men in the United States who did more, with their mouths and minds to aid the insurgents than did these poor mon with the Krag-Jor- eensen rifles would rather see those mon hanged for treason than to see one Of our soldiers dead on the field of bat
 The General declared that the F'iIipinos could not be classed with the Cubans and if the United States troops should now leave the islands there would be half a dozen different kinds of civil war there and the world would hold the United States responsible for them.
 General Funston told in detail of the capture of Agtinaide The General said he talked with Aguinaldo oh their return to Manila and that Aguinaldo told him that neither Dewey or any one else had promised him anything, but that he and his people had faith in the Americans.
 General Funston called on Prince Hem " in the afternoon at the Princes most an hour.