The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-12-04
LOOKING FOR
A SECRE 7lRY
University Regents Are in
Search of a Successor
to DR.. Bonte.
He Must Be an Agriculturist
and a Practical Bust
ness Man.
Considerable Dissatisfaction With Dr..
Bonte Toward the Close of
His Career.

BERKELEY, CAL, Dec. 3.-The pro
fessors at the State University are much
concerned at the present time as to who
will be chosen secretary OF the Board OF
Regents to succeed DR.. ]. H. G. Bonte,
who died last week.
The Office is most important one and
involves an endless amount of RESPONSE
bility. According to the statute, which
creates the position, the holder must be a
man conversant with the law, an agricul-
turist and man OF business ability. 1t
goes without saying also that it must be q
man well known in the community and
popular among the Regents and members
of the faculty. He keeps the records of
the Regents, is their confidential adviser,
their land agent, their paymaster, the
guardian of the university reservation
and, in fact, performs the same duties in
relati on to the material interests OF the
university as the president does with re-
gard to its executive functions.
it is particularly necessary that he
should stand we'll with the faculty be-
cause of the close relationship which ex-
lists between the Office of a professor and
the Office of secretary as regards the aud
of acquisitions and the payment of sal
aries. To find man who is eminently
possessed of all these qualifications seems
to be somewhat of difficult matter.
There seems to be no doubt that the
Regents will go about the choice of a new
Keeper OF the privy seal' in a very eau
tious and deliberate manner because OF
the dissatisfaction which arose among
some of the faculty toward DR.. Bonte near
hn IA he laI mt
was entered that he grew to be overbear-
ing and unreasonable to marked degree,
and that he took advantage of his position
to work out his personal ends.
So strong was the feeling growing
against DR.. Bonte that there was serious
talk among the Regents of soon retiring
him on half pay. Though he had his
strong and staid champions on the board
he had his enemies. That he guarded the
interests OF the university with jealous
care and was scrutinizing even to fault
was recognized by the Regents, bnt
it is said that he had outliyed the period
of his usefulness and was growing TO re-
gard those about him with too little con-
sideralion. For the last two years of his
lite he was gradually losing his authority,
and it was only about two weeks before
his death that the supervision of the work
on the grounds was taken from him and
placed in the hands of Captain Emil
Kellner. This seemed to chafe the secre-
tary and Immediately he sent forth the
proclamation that he would no longer be
responsible for the SIS monthly contingent
funds previously allowed the head pro-
lessons for incidental expenses of their de-
partments. He ordered that acquisitions
should de made out for everything that
was used by the professors.
This seemingly unnecessary change
worked great hardship to some of the
faculty and they were free to express their
views. Instead of being allowed to pur-
chase 5 cents worth of ice for their la bora
tory, piece of rope, half a doZsn pencils
or similar small articles and to charge up
the bill at the end of the month they
were required to make out requsition
for each article and have it go, through
the same course of ''red-tape" as if it
were an order for $500 worth of books.
Among those who have been promi-
nently mentioned for the place are Pro-
lessor E. J. Wtckson of the department of
agriculture at the university; DR.. w. c.
Bartlett, formerly an editorial writer on
the San Francisco Bulletin; and William
A. McKeown, the present assistant secre-
tary. The choice will probably be made
at the monthly meeting of the board next
Tuesday. That there will be hot fight
for the place among the candidates, there
seems to be no doubt, because of the TACT
that there is much honor in the position,
comparatively little work, and the neat
salary of $500 per year.