Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-02
Government Employees Quit
the Mining World.
WHAT R. T. HILL SAYS
DEFENDS HIS CONTRIBUTIONS
TO THE MAGAZINES.
Relationship Apparently Existing Be-
tween Federal Officials and
Scientific Publications.

Scientific publications.
The Stars story of yesterday. setting
forth certain relationships apparently eX-
isting between biologists and other en-
ployes of the United States geological sur
vey and the Mining World. scientific pub
LEGATION issued at Chicago. has caused
general awakening In this particular
branch of the government service. Two OF
tn, officials whose names have been men
toned as special editors of the western
magazine have entered what. in law. would
be called a plea Sin confession and avoid
arce." From Information obtained today
1t is safe to assert that. with one possible
exception, all the Mining Worlds special
editors.'' who also are employees of the
geological survey, will sever their connec-
ton with the periodical. Two of these
Mr.. E. c. Eckel and DIR. G. Willard Hayes
all eady have resigned from the Worlds
staff There also seems to be disposition
on the part of the employees of the survey
to disclaim responsibility and to place the
onus of the alleged scandal upon the pres
en-. management of the Mining World.
Mr.. Hill Wrote and Lectured.
Mr.. R. T. Hill, formerly of the geological
survey, but now of New York. was In
Washington today. Mr.. HITS name has
been mentioned among officials of the geo.
logical survey who have written articles
for magazines and newspapers. When seen
by Star reporter today Mr.. Hill said: Il
am free to say that l not only wrote both
articles mentioned in yesterdays Star but
wrote them by request and was paid most
literally for them, and have written many
other articles for other magazines and
newspapers including The Evening Star
and In doing 1 feel that I did nothing
wrong. l not only wrote magazine articles
and books. but l gave lectures, and the
remuneration was SO far from muniticent
that added to the government salary
one Of the large ones. too. they go
after fifteen years of this life 1 was obliged
to resign and seek a living in private bust
ness. am proud OF my literary and scien-
tific work and regretted to leave il, and
do not feel that the press of Washington.
of which city have been resident for
over fifteen years, is quite fair in placing
my literary work under suspicion.
The writing of magazine articles by men
of ability in government service has been
neither disgrace nor even a faint. Every
prominent scientific man in the government
employ has done it, and in all departments
OF the government. including the Smithson-
ian Institution and geological survey. The
American public is grateful to Newcomb,
Greedy. Austin. Rathbun. Powell and 9th
ter which would otherwise have been only
buried behind the repulsive government
printing Office imprint
AS for myself when 1 found it desir-
able 10 enter commercial work not in line
with the traditions or spirit Of the survey,
l resigned from the organization and am
now private citizen
Mr. Eckel evidently does not share the
views of Mr.. Hill. To a representative OF
The Star today he stated that his position
as cement editor" on the Mining World
had been totally devoid of remuneration
and that a matter of fact h., had not
obi al oil,
copy. 1t Is understood that he was offered
compensation, but refused to accep. 1t. As
director he has met none of he other d.
rectors, nor has he had anything TO say as
to the mana cement of the periodical. His
position, according to his statement was
that of sinecure. and although he sent
letter to the Mining World on May % last.
forbidding the use of his name as "spe-
cial editor" the issue of June "a, quoted in
The Star yesterday, contained his name as
special editor"
Stock Held by Employees.
What is true of Mr. Eckel is true also of
DR.. Hayes. both gentlemen becoming dis
satisfied with the tone of the magazine
and the method of its management. 1t was
learned today that possibly ten employees Of
the survey hold stock in the Mining World
but that this stock. with the exception of
that held by DR.. David T. Day. does not
exceed in value $1,000 DR.. Day Is said to
have been the prime mover In placing the
stock among the employees Of the survey
and 1T is supposed that his holdings are
greater than those of his associates. DR.
Day Is in Oregon on field work Mr.. Eckel
explained the purchase of stock, saying
that it was the right of any citizen whether
In the employ Of the government or not, to
invest in any enterprise the object of which
is honorable. Persons interested in the
charges against the survey, however, have
rot contended that the holding of stock is
In itself improper. but that If, because of
this financial interest, particular periodi-
cal is given an advantage over its compet-
itors. the whole proposition is tainted.
1t has been intimated that the Mining
inent biologists attached to the government
as special editors it thereby furthered
Its private commercial interests; the i'm
preston being created that this particular
magazine. employing governmental experts,
could furnich important matter first hand.
and would have the preference in obtaining
information from government sources.
The stock of the Mining World placed
among the employees of the geological sur
vey, according to Mr.. Eckel. was placed
with the idea of thus interesting directly
men of prominence in the scientific world
The members of the survey had no control
of the policy of the publication and had no
power to influence it in any way.
The shifting of the onuS upon the Mining
World is made more complete by the fol-
lowing letter. addressed to The Star:
No Pay for Scientific Articles.
To the Editor of The Star:
In an article in your issue of Tuesday
evening relating to the geological survey
IL is stated that Mr.. Lindgren and | have
published an article on Cripple Creek in
certain mining journal. The whole context
of this statement clearly implies that we
received compensation from the journal for
material procured at government cost This
is a personal charge, and, without express
ing any opinion on the general ethical
questions raised by your paper, l desire to
state that ii is untrue. The supposed arti-
Gle very little investigation will show,
is merely reprint or abstract from our
previously published official report Mr.
Iindgren and ! neither knew OF this re-
print nor received any compensation of any
sort for its publication. Certain journals,
as you may see by turning to The July
numbers of the Mining and Scientific Press.
make a practice of publishing official re-
ports with such scant acknowledgements TO
the geological survey that the careless or
uniformed reader receives the impression
that the article was specially written for
the journal in which II appears Needless