The herald., 1896-12-01
THE STATE UNIVERSITY

THE STATE UNIVERSITY
Some suggestions for Southern Cal
ifornia higher educational institution
have come of the personal enmities OF
officers of the agricultural college at
Berkeley. The regents continue to al
low these officers to govern the public
station hereabouts on personal, poiiticai
and appropriation grounds.
1t is certainly blind piece OF policy
to insult our citizens and trample on
the rights of our people at these stations.
when. the Berkeley university is going
to ask us for great increase of taxa
ton for its benefit.
We hear that one Of our citizens soci-
cites intends 10 demand an investiga-
ton of the finances and business OF the
University of California. 1t seems that
they lend public money which Is un-
taxed. Some inquiries are proposed for
looking into their business. The ques-
ton is asked. Does Southern California
obtain any advantage from these un-
taxed loans? Some say that as far as
benefit from such untaxed loans so
our people might as we'll live in AriS2na
or even in Mexico as here. Then there
is the land department, with its great
land grant bounty, and quite number
of details on work, salaries and supplies
including also the Lick observatory
This observatory has been run, 1t is re-
ported. so as to ostracize astronomers.
The Examiner raked the regents over
the Goals some time ago about the mis-
management of the Lick observatory.
The same management continues. The
agricultural college is to be examined.
In fact it would be good idea to care
ful,v overhaul the whole university for
it's own good. There are doubtless i'm
provements in economy and in expendl-
ture. and most of all in the manner
and method of education that careful
examination of the university affairs
would suggest. The financial doings
need investigation. No one here knows
what has become of the land grant
money nor anything of the university's
vast loans. The Herald has been friend
ly to the University of California and Is
vet. 1t is clear, however, that board
of regents so far away as to neglect the
respectful requests of our citizens to be
admitted to public grounds for study
is too far away to do justice to them
selves or the true idea of university work
in this part of California.
If these gentlemen permit their agri-
cultural officers. for any reason, to i'm
pede the search for truth and handicap
or insult investigators, rich or poor, or
blacklist farmers institutes or scientific
men, it can only be because these re-
gents are so far away and SO preoccu-
pied with matters to them of much great
er importance as to lose sight of small
things away down here. We can well
understand that the regents now con-
sidering the expenditure of new mil
buildings in both Berkeley and in San
| Francisco for the university, forget the
| desolated and neglected forest station
in the Santa Monica foothills, five hun
dred miles away. The welfare of sta
ton here and the proper administration
of $50 foreman in this distant point
of course sink into insignificance when
| compared to the building of half
million dollar hall at Berkeley. The thou
sands and hundreds Of thousands spent
at Berkeley and San Francisco and the
| large salaries paid to able men about the
bay exclude from the regents thought
! mere foreman at an outpost. even
| though he use his post to advance Berke-
| ley enmities. That is all We are here
in Southern California to the great uni
versity-a mere forgotten outpost. The
agricultural officers drag themselves off
from their elegant Berkeley homes for
flying visits of few days here from time
to time, and might, indeed, better stay
at home. Professor Cook can run the
| Farmers Institute better than they can
By the way, Dame Rumor says Cook is
to replace Hilgard. The agricultural
| college officers have no experiment of
theirs to point to and no benefit to cite
in this community to console US for the
mismanagement of the public property
and agricultural interests here in this
change.
Southern California needs a staff of
skilled scientific truth seekers to help
its developing interests Of all kinds. The
public station here should be under local
control. Berkeley control has been a
failure. The college Of agriculture is
handicapped itself by being in the uni
versity government. In any case it Il