Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-02-20
EDITOR
FUNSTON.

Within few weeks the navy and the army har
lost their greatest fighters Dewey and Funston
And the nation has lost men who were great in peac
az we'll as in war
When Dewey stepped out OF active naval service
! he did not go into obscurity. He became the hcat
OF the general board, and there brilliantly shape,
the policies of Uncle Sans greater navy
Fighting Fred" Funstons career was on,
achievement after another. He was not only mill
tary commander. but had the qualities of civil Off
cial TO a high degree-efficiency, breadth of view
promptDess 10 act in a community emergency
knowledge OF how TO handle civilians which j,
quite different from handling military organza
tions.
Honolulu knew Funston we'll liked him. respect
him, admired him. To the comparatively few VIII,
knew his work few years ago. as commander OF
the Hawaiian Department, this admiration was ex
Extraordinarily strong
Funstons life was one of almost as varied and
quite as strenuous activity as that of Theodore
Roosevelt And this activity did not end with the
leading OF forlorn hope in filibustering expedi
ton or the capture of an Aguinaldo. He was as
great in relief work after the San Francisco earth
quake and fire as in leading TO battle.
Typical Of his direct. practical and informal
methods OF handling troublesome situations was an
incident when he commanded the Hawaiian Depart
nicnt a situation of grave Importance in military
defense preparations arose Gen. Funston invited
the newspapernen TO to his Office and there he
sat down with them in a heart-to-heart talk. He
told them the problem that he faced, what the Ha-
waiian Department was doing to meet it and what
he thought The newspapers could do to help him.
BOYS, he said in effect. "yOu can be of great as
sistance not only to me but TO the country if you
1,o,.z a.
job and il is one requiring some delicate handling
I've been newspaperman and know what news
papermans problems are in dealing with big news.
Now if We can work together, ] know we can get the
best efeetf'
Three years afterward, down on the border, Fun
sion told army officer of this and the officer later
coming TO Hawaii retold 1t to the editor of the Star
Bulletin 4a6
tAnd funston said the officer related, "that be
had never found more effective cooperation than he
got from the newspaper boys OF Honolulu He said
il was a splendid thing
Many other incidents quite as characteristic OF
his lnan-toman methods could be related either by
army officers or by the many newspaperinen who
were his stanch and appreciative friends.
1t is probably no exaggeratfon to say that Funston
would have lauded in the White House had there
been war with Mexico Every war in which the
United States has taken part has made presidents
Of military leaders, and Funston would surely have
been one of the great figures of Mexican war.
To such a possibility this fighting Kansan never
gave two thoughts, but he had a remarkably strong
hold on the affections of his country His type APP
peals to the American imagination and the fact that
Fred Funston made good in everything he tackled
has been sufficiently demonstrated to convince every
American who knew this little general that he would
have made good the occupant of the White House.
That cleanup week is here. but of course You don't
have to curb your ardor or fret yourself in waiting
for il to do all the cleaning by itself.
Duke Kahanamoku and his wave petered out ere
they reached the pageant beach.
Henry is now just one of the Fords
f0TII0H Hnlnn tn