The herald., 1896-12-23

oDtalnablo after the passage or res0-
luton asking that the station be opened
to students. 1t was granted, as one
might say. at the muzzle Of public opin-
ion.
Through this whole absurd petty jeal-
ousy and fever for appropriations an
attempt has been made to confuse the
public mind with garden and park rule
applied to visitors to protect brilliant
flowers. etc. Such rules are proper. But in
all botanic gardens and still more lib
orally in all forest stations or reserves
the fullest opportunities for study are
always granted.
Perhaps the strangest thing about this
station Acknowledgement is the blindness
or indifference. of the Berkeley regents.
Although a permit was formally ap-
piled for in September in writing to the
president of the university, no permit
has been given, though the last days Of
the year are slipping away. In the offic-
ial letter of the regents which has just
been sent to the different bodies here
who requested rules that would admit
loo6l students, the following points may
be noted:
First-They grant most ungraciously
the request and do in their modified rule
provide for students privileges through
a written application to Prof. Hilgard
at Berkeley.
In this modification the regents re-
treat from an untenable position and
throw as much mud in doing so as pos
sible. They confess. in fact, that the
ruie which prohibited students privi-
leges was bad rule. But instead Of
frank and manly admission Of a mis-
take they continue to confuse the issue
Of students opportunities and privileges
at an educational public forest station
with garden and park regulations
against visitors and sightseers. The
strangest faulty Of all Is a long series
of quotations from botanic garden regu-
lations in great botanic gardens In large
centers Of population. In every quoted
rule special students privileges are pro-
yided for This Is without exception.
Their own rule, which they so ungra-
ciously modify, positively prohibited
such privileges and especially orders the
foreman to refuse a students privilege
or any special privilege even If asked for.
The rules they quote from others plainly
condemn the rule they themselves aban-
don. The logical faculty Of the regents
seems to be on a blind mission, like that
Of the moral faculty Of the university or
gan, 1.-THE Berkeleyan."
This paper recently charged q premi-
nent citizen here with having been leg
ielated out Of office for incompetency
and corruption. 1t apologized on De-
cember for this deliberate and malic-
ious slander thus:
After reciting the charge and dishon-
estly substituting the words wasted
money" for Corruption" 1t continues:
This we find TO have been a mistake.
as his term Of office expired before the
commission was abolished, and he was
not reappointed by tho governor. We
are glad to make this correction, though
it Is entirely minor matter"
Indeed! So "ineff1ciency and oorrup-
ton" are entirely minor matters at
Berkeley. We have thought all along
that Berkeley and its lands, patents. tre-
mendous loans, large appropriations and
lack Of results, especially in agriculture,
and lack of executive head, needed IN
vestigation.
Recent stirring up Of the agricultural
college and the fact that ehlcisnoy and
honor are immaterial and secondary at
Berkeley demonstrate this need Of invee-
tigation.
The last 7etteY we publish in full from
Prof Hilgard. The letter shows that
Prof. Hilgard was charged with circu-
lating ISLANDERS about various persons In
the south years ago.
The letter denies some Of the ISLANDERS,
admits others, and implies still others.
1t charges Mr.. Kinney with seeking the
patronage Of the board in the first part.
and practically offers it to him in the
last half. The consideration mentioned
being to bury the hatchetand stand in on
appropriations. II Mr.. Kinney had any
such object as the patronage of one Ia
borer or one capenter foreman, like
Barber, for instance, who is, by the way,
a good Sunday house builder, all he had
to do was to stand in. Mr.. Kinney says
the statements and implications in re-
gard to him in this letter are untrue.
But, even admitting every statement
in Prof Hilgard's letter to be true, what
does 1t show of Hilgard?
An absence total Of the scientific spirit,
the admission of the "black list" that
exists yet, and a petty trading spirit,
which is ready to offer substantial re-
turns for cooperation in getting large
appropriations. The two letters of Prof
Hilgard show that Mr.. Kinney was rec
ognized as forestry man of ability and
citizen in sufficiently good standing to
have an Office waiting for him under the