The San Francisco call., 1897-09-22
MAY MEAN
A NEW HEAD
AT BERKELEY.
University President Given
Power He Did Not
Desire.
II WILL TEST His ABILITY.
Budd Roasts Kellogg for Hold
ing Back a Letter Against
Holden.
CHARGES MADE By All ASTRONOMER.
Declared the Director Had Doctored
Lunar Negatives and Sighted
Work.
II WILL TEST HE ABILITY.
'HARG}S MADE By All ASTRONOMER.
Declared the Director Had Doctored
Lunar Negatives and Sighted
Work.

Reforms that may later result in the Sc
lection of a new president for the Untver-
sity of California were adopted at a special
meeting of the Board OF Regents held yes
terday in the Mark Hopkins Institute OF
Art.
President Kellogg over his own objec-
tjon, was given full executive control OF
the university. Hereafter he Will be held
directly responsible for all its affairs. He
will have greater power and proportion
ately greater respon> iOllity. He will no
longer be hampered Dy com mitUee of the
regents, but will stand and be judged on
his own merits. He did not favor the es-
Enlistment OF this test, though it was
introduced for the purpose of putting the
head of Caliiornia's university on a par
with the res ponsible presidents of the ma
jority OF the other great universities OF
the country.
Ore of the regents after the meeting re-
marked: 1T Will give him more work to
do. cannot now say, however, that it Is
a step toward the selection of another
president"
That was not tie only development OF
the special meeting.
\ remarkable condition OF affairs was
yealed IN CONNECTION with a supposed
letter OF resignation from a former astron-
omer.
A motion had just been made by Regent
Phelps to grant Director Holden OF Lick
Observatory a leave OF absence for three
months with full pay in recognition OF
his long services 10 the uniye -sity as
president, snd later to the observatory as
director. This was to be done preparatory
to acce pting Director Holden's resigna-
tion wbicn 1t was announced was con-
TEN mplated and would certainly take place.
Then il was that Governor Budd sprang
a sensation. He called for a certain letter
that he mad learned had been withheld
from the board. Ii was from Astronomer
Cotton, and contained his resignation nd
charges at considera BILE length against
Director Holden. Cotton had addressed
a letter to the president and the Board of
Regents. That was number OF weeks
ago. Subsequently he left the observa-
tory and went East. He had been at
Mount Hamilton for the last lve years.
The letter had fallen into the hands of
Pre- sident X, Ilogg, who had turned II over
TO Regent Phelps, chairman OF the Lick
Observatory committee and a warm par
tisan OF Holden. In the letter Holden
was charred With allowing the important
work of lunar photography to degenerate.
He was charged ;tith docioriug certain
lunar negatives that Cotton declared were
not up TO the standard for photogravure
reproduction in a lunar atlas now being
published. He quoted a conversation III
hich Holden was credited with saving
in effect with reference to photogravure
from an i'm perfect negative, that the pub
lie would not know the d ference and
could not tell that it had been doctored.
He charged Holden with petty indIgnities
and finally with reducing himself from a |
nj 70
graphic copvist.
The Governor severely scored President
Kellogg for having turned This letter over
to a committee without first submitting il
to the board. Tnen he showed ty the
tes on testimonials of efficiency sub |
mitted by Director Holden that Holden
had first written denying some os the
charges in CoIton's letters and subse-
Quently, while that letter was still with
eld from the board, had been enabled TO
submit other matter in an attempt o for
THY himself. The Governor characterized
it as the most extraordinary proceeding
he had ever heard of.
President Kellogg sat silent but frown- |
ing. under the repeated rebukes OF Gov
ernor Budd.
An effort was then made to give COM
mittee power to accept Colton's resigna-
ton, to grant Holden a three months
leave with full pay and to accept his res
ignation, 10 take effect January /, 1898 |
This m otion was segregated. ColIon's |
resignation was accepted by a vote of IL |
TO 3. Holden was granted leave OF
three months with full pay. But the mat
ter of his resignation was lett to a special |
committee.
A spirited debate took place over the
merits OF Director Holden and his ami
ca bic conduct of affairs at Mount Hamii
ton.
The Governor finally said: That con-
tnuaI pickering and wrangling ami back
biting at Lick observatory has got to stop
il we have TO remove every man at Mount
Hamilton"
As TO the power TO be given the pres-
dent of the University of California,
special committee COMPOSED o. Regent
Wallace, Foote, Denicke and John E.
Budd had advised his radical change In
the conduct OF affairs:
The executive administration of the coll
l geS at Berkeley should be vested wholly in
the president. He should be held strictly &C
countsble for the staining and efficiency or
the colleges the qualifications AMI abilities of
the professors and Instructors, and the con-
duct OF the university generally. THIS re-
sponSibiiity should not be divided with any
committee, ard al matters in relation to the
colleges at Be erkeey. tie conduct and condi-
ton thereof, should, upon the report OF the
university president, BE- passed upon and Ge-
termined by the board com mittee OF the
whole.
This recommendation, carrying with it
the aboi ion of the com mittee on internal
administration of univer ,iIy affairs, was
adopted. The regents were equally divid-
ed on the issue. Governor Budd cast the
deciding vote. Strangely enough Presi-
dent Kellogg voted against this reform in
tended to test his ability as the actual
head of great institution of learning.
The vote was as follows: Affirmative,
Governor Budd and Regents Chase, John
e. Budd, Denicke, Mrs Hearst. Reinst Elm
and Rodgers; negative. President Kellogg
and Regents Hall.die, Houghton, Morton,
Maryc and Pm lps.
Regent Rodgers, advocating more power
TO the president, said:
is Ii wise 10 have the un iversity con-
ducted at loose ends? Or is il wise to have
some definite head, with professors look
frah hn do