The age-herald., 1902-03-09
Claims That All Filipino Leaders
 Are MurderGrs
SPEAKS AT BANQUET IN N, y
In ..ls Opinion Several Bloody Civil Wars Would Start In Philippines
 If United States Should
 Relinquish Control. .f.

New York, March S.-Brigadier General Funston was the guest of honor at dinner tonight at the Lotus Club. More than three hundred members of the club were present. The guest table, which | was spread in the center of the diners, was presided over by Frank R. Lawrence. president of the club. 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 ''has been doing as good it could un- der the circumstances.
 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 uncomfortable mob known as Aguinaldo's army would have been the blackest page of American history; one that a thousand years of repentance and restitution would not have satisfied
 Soldiers Brave and Humane.
 General Funston said:
 T believe that ninety-ive per cent of the American soldiers are a brave and humane lot of men. The other five per cent who have been writing letters to newspapers, have ornamented the in- sides of a grog house for a longer time than they have distinguished themselves In the field"
 General Funston then mentioned sev- eral instances of personal bravery on the part of men in the army which re- suited in their death including Captain Godfrey and Sergeant O'Brien.
 General Funston said:
 All of those men who have fallen since December, 19oo, have been victims Of a lot of misinfot med and misguided | people here in the United States. It is | perfectly proper for us to have all sorts | of opinions as to what we should G. with the Philippine Islands, but for l heavens sake let us keep them to our | selves until every square inch of that territory recognizes the sovereignty oI l the United States.
 General Funston mentioned the staying of Antonio Luna. General Funs-on salo Aguinaldo had told him in regard to Luna's death: sAAsA T had him killed simply because he would have been dictator instead of my 1 self bl' g!bikzHY4
 Would you imagine George Washing ton doing anything like tnat7" Asked General Funston.
 Are Not Murderers.
 The General said there was not one of the so-caIled Filipino patriots who could not be convicted of murder if he was tried by jury He declared that there had never been war in the worlds history where the soldiers had shown such humanity as the American troops in the Philippine Islands. He then told of twenty-four American soldiers who had joined the Filipinos and who were afterwards captured and executed as traitors, and then said:
 There are many men in the United States who did more with their mouths and minds to aid the insurgents than did those poor men with the krag-Jorgensen rifles I had rather see those men hang ed for treason than to see one of our soldiers dead on the field of battle.''
 The General declared the Filipfnos could not be classed with the Cubans and if the United States troops should now leave the Philippine Islands there would be half a dozen different kinds of civil wars there and the world would hold the United States responsible for them.
 General Funston then told in detail of the capture of Aguinaldo
 The General said he talked with Agui- naldo on their return to Manila and that Aguinaldo told him that neither Dewey or any one else had promised him any thing but that he and his people had faith in the Americans.
 General Funston called on Prince Henry in the afternoon at the Princes apart ments and the two chatted for almost an hour.