Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1895-07-04

THE LATE COL. NJ. FRANK.
Southport's first president, Kenosha's first
mayor and the father of the public free
school system of the Northwest. The
date was, after some delay, fixed upon as
Friday, June %.
The third biennial reunion and banquet
of the Kenosha High School Alumni as.
ISOLATION was the first event in the days
programme. This was held at the high
school building commencing at 1:3O p. H.,
and is to continue through this evening.
This gathering is made noteworthy by the
the founding of the kenosha free school
system in which Col. Frank played a
prominent part A large number of the
old pupils who began their school days in
the beginning and others who have grad,l
atcd all along the years since then are in
attendance Some of them have gone to
other parts of the country to make their
colonel" :'honoyables'' and various Other
handles attached to their names, but here
used to be and have become for the occa~
sion simply Tom, Dick Harry and May:
Among the features of this section of
the programme are a paper by Col. John
q. McMynn on Tho Events Prccedin.
1893 as They Relate to Our Schools"
Prof. Mary D. Bradford read the paper
on Col. Franks life and character, Col;
Dennis Hynes told of the Free School
Boys Of Kenosha in the War for the the
Union, George w. Warville pleasantly
referred to THE Kcnosha Club in Chi
cago." A large number of the old pupils
have been arriving here for the past sew
eral days, but the greater portion came
up from Chicago this morning, which city
is inha bted by Il large colony of old he
nosha high school graduates.
The hand shaking, banquet and pro,
gramme of this association are expected
to close at 30 this evening. Then COM
mcnces the programme IN winch the gen
eral public of Kenosha is to ia Ike more
prominent part. The alumni meeting
dealt almost altogether with Col. Franks
efforts to establish the first free school
west of Boston This evenings meeting
will show the official. citizen and home
sides of his life. The meeting is to be
building Ex-Mayor Emory l.. Grant will
preside over the exercises. The pro
grammc will include speeches by Mayor
William NJ. Far on the colonefs otilcla
life. Col. j. q. McAlynn of Madison on
the coonel's character, Prof. Mary, d.
bradford of Stevens Point on his love
for the schools. J. a. Killeen on his work
MS an editor and possibly by others whose
names are not on the programme. Inc
speeches will be interspersed by songs by
Miss Lily Runals, who has national
and and" by ny Miss Belle Head. These exer:
ciscs will be attended by the common
council and school board in bodies. oo
Col. Nj. Frank died at the age OF 90
wears December ~, 1894. He was born
cember 21 1904. His early life was spent
in that vicinity largely in much reading
and study. He had a special loneliness
for newspapers, but there were few OF
them in those early days, lie very early
notifies. He never had the advantage
of very advanced education;;. As soon
MS he became of age his pubic HE be-
gan as an Inspector OF common SCHOOLS
and he was the youngest man ever chosen
early identified himself with the anti
slavery societies and subscribed for the
..I,monciDator' at the time that Postmas-
ter-General Amos Kendall declared 1t an
incendiary publication unit to pass
through the mails. . .
whom he married in 1927. in October OF
1899. and at once made Southport his
home In 1910 he made the first ten1-
perance appeal to the people Of the terri
tory through the Wisconsin Enquirer,
published in Madison. He remained
mainder of his life. In June. lS4o' he
associated himself with G. l.. Sholes as
editor of the Southport Telegraph Ills
connection with that paper continued TO
within about three or four years or ms
death. altogether tifty-two years. Ihat
same year Southport was Incorporated us
n village and he became its first president.
Tpon the incorporation or the CIT! Ill
1850 he became its first mayor. 1t was
during his term as mayor that what IS
known to early Wisconsin history as the
.wheat riots took place here. lie deait
with this affair firmly and won the ad-
miration of ALL even of the rioters
Col Frank was elected member OF the
territorial council for 1913, 1S44. 1910
md 1916 AS soon as he took hold OF
the Telegraph he began the agitation for
free public school. His opposition was
very strong. When he got into the TERRI
torial council he carried his HOBBY win
him and in 1915 finally succeeded IN
securing the necessary legislation to the
establishment of the school. His measure
was declared impracticable and the pro-
v;so was tucked on that it must be SUB.
m;tted TO and accepted by a majority OF
the legal voters of the town before 1t
oould 90 into effect. AT the frst meet
;ng called for voting on the measure the
nxo;tement ran so high that no vote couid
no taken and the meeting broke up In
confusion. The injustice or taxing 'nose
who had no children to educate. 10 pay
for the education of their nelghp s'.
children. was so strons! pLess ssI III.
,nar mon unable to pay for the schooling
IF their own children thought such Jaw
unrea sonable. Col. Frank persevered IN
his arguments until at second meeting
+ba law was approved. The system soon
| BECAME very popular and the nrst scnool
taYl;Sboa here continued until IL was
,,araad into the free school system I'M
| dor the state constitution.
| Col. Frank was elected state seha'oi