The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-04-26

He performed some tremendous feats
OF courage. he and hts picked men, and
finally he captured Aguinaldo.
That was the cap sheaf to a series Of
brilliant performances. He made his
plans, matured them, and then went of
and did exactly what he had planned
to do. For this he was made a Briga-
dier-General, April 1, 1901. Do You all
remember the howl that went up? The
Regular Army officers nearly threw fits
over it. A little runt of Il volunteer
rough-rider-sort of soldier with abso-
lutely no military training made a Brig
adier-General in the Regular Army.
Oh, my!
Sent North.
Then Fred Funston was assigned 10
duty UP in the Northwest, with a COM
mand that extended over Alaska. Up
there the word came that the Indians
were starving to death. Humanita rians
nearly drove the President wild with
their pleas for half million dollars
more or less, to relieve the suffering OF
the Alaskan Indians. The President
wired Gen. Funston to send a detail to
investigate. Did he send detail? No,
indeedy: he just went himself. He can
yassed the situation thoroughly, and in
formed the Government there was not
word of truth in the story. He had
iOuHu d very lew hunters anu Settlers
cut off from supplies by the deep SHOWS,
and had relieved them with rations from
his commissary. Thus little common
sense had saved the Government a big
lot of money.
In the mutations Of time Gen. Fred
Funston was sent to command the De-
partment of the East, with headquar-
ters at Fort Hamilton. He stood that
about three mOnths-more or 1ess-then
l,.
dress and the parade, tbs sham and
the show of the social round at that
point, SO they sent him back to COM
mand in California.
To-day millions of people ought to
rise UP and call Brighten Funston
blessed. When the terrible calamity
befell that city Gen. Funston was the
first one out OF bed. He saw in a flash
that anarchy would reign in less than
a day unless an iron grasp was held on
the situation. He didn't wait to unite
red tape; he didn't wait for orders from
proper authority" he didn't stop to
establish line of communications be-
tween himself and the men he detailed
to duty in the stricken city. No, in
deedy, again. He and his dear little
wife went right down into the city them
selves, and while Gen. Funston was pO-
licing the district devastated his wife
poor little babies hurried into the world
by the horrible disaster. and cheering
with her gentle voice the frantic chill
dren rendered orphans and the sad
eyed women rendered childless.
Did just Right.
Gen. Funston did exactly the things
that ought to have been done; we know
1t now. He rushed his troops to the
city to patrol 1t and to save the build
ings left standing from loot and van
dalism. His orders were to "shoot on
sight those who refused to obey orders
Many were shot.
He ordered troops up from Monterey.
for he knew he had to have more help.
He didn't ask Washington IL he might.
He did it. and then wired to Taft that
1t was done. No red tape there. He
was Fire Chief, City Marshal. police
man-everything-w the help OF his
splendid men. What glorious work they
all did! All the powder and dynamite
in the Preside and Fort Mason was
ordered down to the city, and Funston's
troops set to work to blow up the build
ings to keep the fire from spreading.
Gen. Fred Funston directed every line
Of work. and with his own hands helped
it on. When he had things going and
everybody busy, he wired to Washing
ton: II shall do everything In my power
to render assistance. and trust the War
Department to authorize any action
may have to take" Doesn't that re-
mind you OF Grant. and Sheridan. and
Sherman. and Thomas, and all the rest
OF our great military heroes?
1t was objected by some that the city
was not properly policed. and should be
placed under martial law. That would
have meant a million yards Of red tape.
Funston, Brig.-Gen. Frederick Funston,
whose name Is most as long as he IL,
didn't call what he had done martial
law" he just wired the War Depart
ment. "Am working In conjunction with
the civil authorities" and went right
on, when. as q matter OF fact, he had
the city under martial law within two
hours after the disaster, and they didn't
know 1t. Oh. Gen. Funston knows how
to cut red tape!
Then he turned undertaken. Hun
dreds OF dead bodies lay about the city
ruins, fouling the air, unrecognizable,
and must be buried. He led the squad
Of his own men, showed them how to
dig trenches for 16 bodies to a trench,
and in them, with such tenderness as
they could under the revolving condi-
ton, they laid to eternal rest those
whose souls had been SO suddenly and
tragically demanded by their God. And
so 1t is that Brighten. Frederick Funs-
ton, born in Ohio, reared in Kansas
has, with the assistance of men who
love him as they love life, saved from
anarchy and the scourge OF awful dis
ease that once-beautiful city out by the
Golden Gate.
Fame has a high, wide and deep niche
for such a man. one who has three
times in less than a decade shown him
self great leader in a stupendous
crisis.
The 2Dth Iowa,
Editor National Tribune: have been
constant and Interested reader of The