The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1909-02-18
Investigating Committee Rec
onlrnends a SaIaned Man
For State Geologist
.IIsy clarIes Broolss SlnitIl.l !.

" y ~ - ~ WIZ lSl. II
By Charles Brooks smith,
ca ARIEsToN Feb.
The authors Of the bulk vi deeidsdiy
interesting report "a public institus
lions, claim not @ have ibsrsonalIy iis-
sliled any otti6iais Ia charge of ans IL
The Institutions. yet they come Quite
near 70 II in the case Of al least one
ohicial, Prof /. q. White, The stats.s
geeiogist. BY Implication ana ihnens.
DO e not directly. the report gives
the Impression that Prot. White has
used the Information that he he's
gathered to the advantage Of special
interests mt L was on the wording OF
the special report ON the geoiogieal
survey that the committee had some,
sharp differences.
The reports first paragraph con-
talns the gist Of the committees
views The purpose had by the leg
Stature. II says, .'in Establishing the
geological survey was more particular.
Y g ascertain the mineral resources
OF OF. me state, and TO give the knowledge
% the public without reference to the
particular interests involved. or that
might desire specially to PROFIT by me
possession Of such Information. The!
value Of such knowledge In the pos
session OF particular interests or indi-
viduals to the exclusion Of the gem
eral public. and particularly Of those
Who may be the owners OF the land
IN which the minerals may be found
y Very great. The disadvantage to-
which the public and the owners OF
the land are put IS apparent and mo
Justice could result to them. For in
stance. If by the investigation anthor-
ized under the laws establishing this
survey. and under the amendments
which permit persons employed 10 ex..
ecute II to go upon the lands without
the consent of the owners. a knowi-
edge is acquired from which. he g,yer
to particular interests or individuals
great profits could be secured by this
special information III promoting in
'dustries, and in developing the fms
discovered resources. The ingenuity
Of the SPECTATOR and promoter COM
bined with the scientific knowledge Of
the investigator forms an aggregation
uneaually, and largely TO the adyan,
tage of those in such combinations. II
should be the purpose Of the law
when the public has paid the ex-
penses sof tho investigation contem-
plated and required by the act under
consideration, to safeguard the knowl-
edge thus obtained ana make IL euuaf-
ly the properly of all! ana to secure
the public from the results Of suchd
combination. The law In this partic,,-
lar cannot be too. much IN detail. nor
too carefully drawn, The state can
not expect the services of an indiyid-
ual. without compensation. TO be free
from all those influences that human
nature usuailyryleld to In the pursuit
Of the ordinary gains of life. In the
formation OF this survey, the position
Of superintendent was rendered to
Or. I. G.. White, of Morgantown and
his salary fixed at $4,000 a wear. The
committee was informed that rather
than accept the neager salary. which
was totally inadequate to the resnon.
sibillty involved he proposed to the
commission that he would devote as
much of his time as possible to the
survey without any salary whatever
Therefore. not having accented the
responsibility involved, the suryeS
was from the beginning, and has been
until now, without responsible SUI
perintendent. What advantage can be
derived from accepting his position.
in the way 1t was. has not been made
known to the committee According
to the evidence of the clerk of the sur-
vey there is no rule governing the oti-
GERS as to giving out Information
which they have obtained in their Of
fetal capacity"
However adroitly the committee has
sought to conceal It's censure az DR.
White. and Its serious suspicious as
10 MS department, the public Is not
likely to see clearly what is meant
underneath the veneer Of hifaiutin
verbiage. It is not meant that the
committee has sought to do this eth
er, but the accusations are by no
means as clearly direct as. they could
have been made. :
In this correspondence early In the
session 1t was stated that the commit-
tee had none too complimentary re-
port on the geological survey, and
that IT was charged that DR.. White
had used the.information collected at
the expense Of the state in the In
terests Of certain corporate Interests.
1t Is unnecessary to refrain from
mentiosqing the fact that the standard
OH and Fairmont Coal companv in.