Huntsville gazette., 1886-02-27
RoBBlhc SOLDIERS. ORPHANS.

Which Controls the Management OF the
Pennsylvania Soldiers Orphan Schools
Systematic Course Of Robbery and Neg
lect of the States Wards.
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. pa morning
paper published a six column article on
the management Of the soldiers orphan
schools of Pennsylvania, which alleges
not only official discrimination, neglect
and corruption, but also that syndicate
is profiting at the rate of $4,000 year
in the management of the schools. A
voluminous array of figures, taken from
the books of the institution and from
those in the Soldiers Orphan Department
of the State, are given to support the al
legations. The article says: "Though
the war ended twenty-one years ago, and
though all the children whose fathers
died on the bettlefield have long since
passed their majority, the soldiers or
phan schools are still maintained by an
nual appropriations from the Legislative
body, mainly for the enrichment of few
men whose faces are we'll known in the
lobby at Harrisburg
Strange, as it may seem, yet neverthe-
less it is true, syndicate headed by
ex-senator George Wright, of Mercer,
Pa, profit at the rate of about $50,000
year upon the management Of
four schools located at Mt. Joy, Mer-
Ger, McAllisterville and Chester Springs"
There is evidence at hand that the chief
clerk of the Soldiers Orphans Depart
ment, James L. Paul, was a participator
in the profits of the Mt. Joy school, and
received checks for three years in sue
cession at the rate of $4,000 year,
all of which was charged upon the
books of the concern as "loans."
The State pays specific amount per
week for each child admitted to schools
under private management, and the State
laws require that the children shall be fed
and clothed in addition to their instruc-
ton in educational and industrial pur-
suits. The express requirements of the
law have been literally disregarded.
When this fact was called to the attention
of the State superintendent of soldiers
orphan schools, Rev. E. E. Higbee, he
remarked. swell, guess they got more
than they would have got at home.
In some of the syndicate schools chill
dren are packed together in bedrooms
and school-rooms like herrlngs. At Nc.
Allisterville the boys bedding was found
to be in a disgraceful condition. At Mer-
Ger, in consequence of the penurious
methods of the management, some of the
boys bathed in pickle barrels-two boys
to each barrel. At Chester Springs some
twenty-five or thirty pupils have been de-
prived of schooling for three months OF
more upon some pretext. Twelve chill
lren were crowded into hovel at Mt
JOY to sleep while rooms capable of com
fortably accommodating sixty children a
Mansfield were vacant. But Mt. Joy was
run by the syndicate and Mansfield was
not.
While Chester Springs was run in othe
hands. the sum of ST. per week pc
capita was paid for feeding the children
but when Wright, Paul and Geo. Fl. Pear
son bought the schools last June, Wrigh
said he and his partners would make thei
profit on the food. All regard for til
children seems to have been subordinate.
to heartless grab for profit, and thi
evil influence has been carried to such
extent that premium of twenty dollars :.
head has been paid to agents to re
cruit children for various schools. Iti
because of this competition. and becaus
of the comparative scarcity of orphans
that the schools are now half filed witt
children whose fathers are living. .
the $3.50, 900 appropriated annually by th'
State to pay for feeding, clothing and ed
ucatng these wards of the State, it i
calculated that nearly ninety Thousand
dollars is absorbed in excessive profits.