The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-03-24

History OF the syndicate-its BIRTH
in Mercer County. aad its Goooie
Of the Schools.

sfftutions are IA the hands ci
wealthy syndicate? That is the Dur
dsa Of q score Of inquiries received
AZ this Office since the expose OF OF
Dhausee evils have been made An
answer only requires simple stale
.uept OF business transactions, al
though these have been he'd as o.
saob a privats nature that very hi-
lie Satisfactory Information Is at
hand about The financial teEms OF
sucb ,Fsnsactions. UntIl the ior-
NATION Of the syndicate each OF the
twelve orphans schools IL the state
were owned individually, that Is,
there was only oEe owner or one sci
of owners for each school Besides
those twelve there are SIX church
homes or asylums where soldiers
orphans are cared for. When, IN
1854. the orphausge scheme was
first adopted by the Legislature, the
STATE had no money 10 pay Tor
buildings IL which the children
might be accommodated, so II en-
tered into contracts with various
school proprietors. agreeing to pay
for boarding, clothing, and edueal-
ing the little ones, giving sl5J per
annun for each child over 10 years
Of age. and sl15 for each child IN
der that age.
TEE MERCER IDEA
The syndicate had its birth in
Mercer county. There had been a
Soldiers Orphans School there
since 1865. The buildings are the
same that are no@ occupied by the
school il the town Of Mercer. Prior
10 the date mentioned they were
used IS q water cure establishment
mn had oeen vacant ier long time,
when Mr. J. @. White purchased
the property and founded the
school. he mad c0ntTO! Of II until
1914 He had los. money, aud 10
that wear wzs seriously embarrassed.
II became necessary for MS credit
ors u take the sCa8J.. az be vas III
solvent, and could give them no
money. At this time tie present
owners Of the school, ex-senator
George y. Wright, his brother, K.
Wright, and Ae=srs- ;. +. Thomp-
son and John |. Gordon. were Mr..
Whites creditors y a large amount.
he proposed To protect them by
turning over to tneu the school
They nad the cholcs between that
or nothing. They took Il, aad thus
did Senator Wright, the head OF the
present syndicate, become launched
In the educational traffic Of soldiers
orphans. Mr. White failed in the
venture because as he said food,
clothing aud provisions were nigh,
Oh account " hard times. Alter
the Wnghts succeeded him pnces
on ali articles began to decline,
while the State appropriations re-
mained unchanged. This enabled
the new proprieiOrs to support the
school comfortably, and az the same
time reap come profits. The profits
have increased ever since then.
INTERNAL DIssESsIoNs.
R.R. Wright had charge Of the
school the FIRST two years, He was
succeeded by George w. Wright,
who, having retired from the Mercer
County Recorders oiiics, had 40 oc-
cupation. He held a fourth inter-
est In the concern, J. J. Gordon q
fourth. and r. K. Wright q fourth.
as appears on the books. The latter
about this time entered into the
clothing business with Herman
Frankel. and the one-fourIh interest
IN the school, as well as the stock oI
goods, was held in equal portions
by Frankel d Wight; that Is, Mr..
Frankel represents One-eighth inter
est ia the institution, while his
name does not appear on the records,
this being 4 private arrangement
1t has been an open secret 10 Mer-
Ger that there were dIssensions ia
the company managing the school. (
Efforts were made 10 dislodge Geo. Z
Wright from the management, blL
ms own vote aud that OF Mr.. Gordon
prevented them from doing 20.
Since then be has had almost ex-
elusive control q the institution. |
buying goods without consulting
his opponents, and transscting ali I
other business. For SIX years there /
has been determined effort on the I.
part OF the other interest TO remove
him. lie has drawn ais salary OF
$1,000 a year as manager Ia the /
past five years the Mercer school
has been given sl9l ,S27.S2 by the
state. At the time Of Gov. Patti
sons visit there, year or two ago.
ne compelled the management TO
remedy the bad state Of affairs, and
repair the buildings.
EXTENDING OPERATIONS.
In 1877 George W. Wright, John
1. Gordon and James l.. Paul, pur-
chased the Mt Joy school for sl0,-
600 Paul was then Chief Clerk to
the State Superintendent, With spe-
cial supervision over all Soldiers
Orphans Homes, being allowed Il
all times thereafter to audit bills
This own among them from the
schools After an admission that be
went into the business to make mon
ey, Paul says
Il held a third interest in the
place. and do vet The aeed as re-
corded in Lancaster does not con-
tain my name as one OF the pur-
chasers OF the property. Ii was
thought best by my partners and
myself that my name should not APP
pear in connection with the manage
ment, because | was then holding
the position Of Chief Clerk of the
Department Of Soldiers Orphans at
Harrisburg. l entered the Depart
ment in '6S. and remained there
until January, sc, period of II
years"
Each of the above-named proprie-
tors held one-third interest in the
Mt Joy school, and it is said when
Wright went into il be offered to
take the other Mercer capitalists in
with him. but they wouldn't hear to
it A Mercer paper. commenting on
Wrightis spreading school interests,
says:
He receives from this Mercerl