Morning journal and courier., 1881-01-03
News by Telegraph FROM ALL QUARTERS. SANITARY REGULATIONS AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
 ON THE SUBJECT. . . American Commerce in Africa. Advantages of the CoIoniza-
 ton of Liberia. Flying Columns Going Through Ireland. A MOVEMENT TO SUPPRESS
 NIGHTLY DRILLING.
American Commerce in Africa.
Flying Columns Going Through Ireland,
A MOVEMENT TO SUPPRESS
 NIGHTLY DRILLING.
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.

| The Liberfan Colony-Ehorts to Build Up Prosperous TraRc-Sanitary Reg | uIatfons-worl of the National Health Board.
 WAsH1NeToN, Jan, 2.-The political rela- l tions between the Uuited States and the re- public of Liberia have for years been ques- l ton of great interest to American philanthro- pists, and within the last decade the prosper
 ity of that people and the practicability of uti- | izing their territory as base from which to
 build up market for American manufactures
 and ultimately create prosperous traffic with the fertile plains of Central Africa has been problem to which the leading mer- chants of the United States have been dis posed to give earnest consideration. The cruise of the UA.ted States steamer Tconder- l oga and the mission of her commander, Con- ! modore Schufeldt, as the arbitrator for the l commission created to determine the ques- I ton of the boundary between Liberia and | Ssrre Leone, afforded an opportunity for | the investigation of all points of direct inter | est to the United States. In an interview \ with Commodore Schufeldt the following
 facts were elicited Liberia, it is to be under stood, is but a quasi-colony of the United States, having been settled by emigrants 1 from this country, and occupies seaboaId frontage of about six hundred miles of the
 most important portion in commercial \ point of view of the west coast of Africa. | The question in dispute was as to the strip of territory on the northwest boundary of Liberia contiguous to the British colony of
 Serre Leone. On this territory at point | I named Harris had settled and English goods | in large quantities were passed him from the rear of his dwelling across the Liberian bor
 der, thus evading the payment of all customs
 duties. Some twenty years ago the Liberians Entered their first complaint of this violation
 of their territory, and finally after long | diplomatic correspondence commission was 1 formed to look into the matters in contro.
 versy. The result was non-agreement as te the limits of Liberian territory, the question remaining in dispute, and g new commission, with Commodore Schu feldt as arbitrator, was formed te
 reinvestigate the question at issue. About | the middle of February, 1879, the Ticonder. | oga, having arrived at Serre Leone January ! 18th, 1879, the commission held it's first l meeting at Solehmat, and after protracte6 session of more than twenty days the English commissioners refused to accept any action
 on the part of the arbitrator, on the ground | that the Liberians had no case or technically
 speaking there was no such territory as that | they claimed Finding her mission fruitless the Ticonderoga sailed from Liberia to Fer
 nando Pa Congo river and Gaboon. The re
 suits of the cruise at these points will soon be
 made known. Setting aside all discussion oi
 the propriety of it's colonization by colored l immigrants from this country, Liberia, un ' def its pressStt status ,yould become req
 objective point for the extenslo.. oi Aineric',l
 commerce on the west coast of Africa. |
 fronts the sea with boundary on the inte
 rior that extends the Valley of Niger and tn. l Loudan region, the richest portion of the
 continent inhabited by the most industrious
 people of Central Africa It only needs {
 system of internal communication with that ! valley and external mail connections with tht
 United States to develop very large trade l in products peculiarly American namely, cot
 ton and tobacco. For many years England
 has sought every opportunity to conciliate
 Liberia in order to eventually bring it under
 her domain. It is hoped however that the | United States government will at least now .. assert, as in former years, it's unwillingness
 to see Liberia absorbed by any European | power.
 The international sanitary conference will
 assemble in this city tomorrow. Nineteen 1 governments will be represented. The con. l ference was called in pursuance of a, joint resolution of Congress approved May 14, i 1880. Under the authority conferred by | the resolution the President invited to the 1 conference those powers who have ju- | risdiction over points likely to be affected | with yellow fever or cholera. The object was l to secure adoption of an international system of notification as to the sanitary conditions
 of points and places under the jurisdiction
 of the powers participating in the confer ence, and of vessels sailing therefrom It was suggested in the invitation that the powers accepting should confer on their rep resentatives the power to conclude if deemed expedient an international convention in re-
 lation to any proper subjects for interna- tional sanitary regulations to be proposed for the consideration of the government interested. The idea of an international sanitary confer ence seems to have grown out of the difficulties experienced in preventing the in troduction of infectious and contagious dis eases to the United States prior to the crea- tion of the national board of health The places subject to visitation by yellow fever and cholera were very crude and imperfect. The practices adopted at different places to prevent the spread of these terrible diseases were oftentimes entirely dissimilar Proper precautions to prevent the spread of epidem-
 
 subscribed to stop the disease was wasted through the lack of knowledge and proper management With the establishment of the national board of health yellow fever was
 scientifically treated Strict quarantine reg
 ulations were established and a vast deal of good accomplished, while the importation of disease was prevented as much as possible with the means at the disposal of the board. It was felt that the introduction of the dis
 ease might be almost entirely stopped if the concerted action of those governments hay ing jurisdiction oyer ports likely to be affect ed and ships sailing therefrom could be ob- tained. In the hope of securing this desira- ble union of interests on sanitary questions the conference was called. If this object is attained the results of the conference will be valuable.
 There seems to be very little doubt but court martial will result from the publication of the full correspondence in relation to the differences between General Schofeld and Major Asa Bird Gardner. This consists, be- sides the papers filed in the War department | by General Schofeld and the reply of Major Gardner, of letters between the several mem bers of the Fitz John Porter board contain ing severe strictures upon Major Gardner's official conduct, The opinion has been ex- pressed by an officer who is acquainted with all the papers in the case that Gardner's trial will surely follow a consideration of
 these papers. A
 It is understood that the President will not appoint Secretary of the Navy on account of the great difficulty in getting suitable person to accept the position for so short time. It is stated that the Attorney General holds that the President can designate other officers to act for ten days each, and in ac- cordance with that opinion it is believed that the other Cabinet officers will each in turn be designated to act as Secretary of the Navy. In this event Attorney General Devens will succeed Secretary Ramsey as Acting Secreta- ry of the Navy.
 When the recess of Congress was taken number of the committees, especially on the House side, announced their purpose of hold- ing sessions last week in order to have busi- ness in readiness immediately upon the reas- sembling on January 5th.s But the members did not come up to the mark and hence the bills have been left unprepared. The appro- priation bills have been put in a somewhat forward condition by the clerk of the Appro- priation committee. They will have to be passed upon by the committee be- fore they can be reported to the House The army bill is the only on6 tha., IS in a condition to be S-Aes03 a1-.@