The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-03-04
CHARGES NOT TRUE.
PROFESSORS In N. d. UNIVERSITY
NOT GUILTY OF IMPROPER
USE OF POSITIONS
INDICATED BY STATE RECORD
How Prof. Babcock Became Inter
ested in the Pembina County
Cement PIant-TransactiO
More Than Honorable.

GRAND FORKS, N. D., March Sin
articles in the Fargo newspapers, in cor
reSpondence to the Twin City press, ~
in statements by President Worst, of the
| agricultural college, there are certain al
| lusions which reflect on the professors
| at the state university with reference to
| their connection with the geological sur
vey and ne minerals discovered thereby.
| 1t is fact IAat President Merr1feld and
Prof. Babcock are interested in the &C.
ment plant at Mountain, in Pembina
county, and that Prof. Brannon is in
terested in the Dickinson Brick company.
| Prof. Babcock is state geologist and the
| charge has been made, both by direct
| statement and by innuendo, that he dis
covered these valuable clay deposits and
kept the knowledge to himself until he
and his friends gained control OF the
J property, thus using his position in the
! employ of the state for his own private
! benefit these accusations were made
| last winter and there seems to be a dis
! position to renew them. In justice to
! the professors and to the people Of the
state, it IS proper that me facts be stat
eu, though they were given fully last
winter.
Prof. Babcock is and has been in charge
of the chemical department of the state
university. This department is one Of
the regular departments of the univer-
slty, and irs management is one of the
duties for which Prof. Babcock is paid
| by the state. He is also state geologist,
but until the past few years there has
been no appropriation by the state for
this work, and whatever Investigations
have been carried on have been at the
expense of Mr.. Babcock himself; that is,
until the time that the appropriations
became available. The discoveries Of &C.
| ment and other valuable clays were in
vestigated by Mr.. Babcock prior to 1882.
a. o.
| thereafter Mr. Babcock spent his entire
| summer vacations in geological work.
| travelling at his own expense, and using
his own time in researches which he was
at liberty to pursue if he saw fit. The
state had no shadow of claim on him
for information as to what he discovered,
while on these excursions, any more than
it would have had claims his wages
had he seen fit to spend the vacations in
| the harvest field of some farmer. If he
had seen fit to keep -4le knowledge which
he obtained to himself, he had that right,
| and an equal right to use it or sell it,
as he saw fit. But he did not follow this
course. In the fall of 1891 he compiled
a pamphlet entitled "CIays of Economic
Value in North Dakota" which was
printed, not as a part of the university
report, for this work was not provided
for in the university appropriation, but
by the authority of the state commits
L. Kegleson, of Milton.
large part Of this pamphlet is de-
voted to a description of the Dickinson
clays, their composition, distribution and
probable economic value. Another pOr-
ton of the pamphlet contains a detailed
description of the cement clays of Penn
bina county, which are treated in a sim
liar manner. In this pamphlet the hope
is expressed that the accOun. there given
will lead to further invesIigation and to
the establishment of large and profitable
industries. This pamphlet was distribut-
ed by the state in the same manner as
are all its official documents, and all
who cared for the information were we'll
Informed as to the existence of these
clays their exact location and the pos
sibilites which lay beneath the soil in
those localities.
1t was not until five years after this
that any of the university men too steps
to become financially interested in any
of these deposits. During that period
President Worst and the Fargo news
paper writers were at liberty to avail
themselves of the information which had
been given in detail by Prof. Babcock,
Information which was, as matter Of
TACT his own personal property, and
which had been given by him to the state
free of cost. But five years passed aWay
and nothing was zone. The professors
above named then succeeded in interest
ing capitalists outside of the state, and
companies were formed for the purpose
OF developing these properties. Altogeth-
er through these efforts several hundred
thousand dollars have been brought in
from --4e outside, and there are now two
thriving industries where before there
was none. These statements can be yeri-
he'd by reference to the records, and the
accusation that the university men made
any improper use of the information
which they possessed is entirely unfound-
ed