Evening journal., 1897-02-17
1AE PLAGUE CONGRESS
Conference of Great Powers to
Prevent Pestilence.
BOTH SANITATION AND DIPLOMACY

Back OF the Sanitary Aims There Are
Great Political Purposes-E England OBJ
Jects to Quarantine of Her ships Ex-
cept at Ports of Final Destination.
VENICE, Feb. 17-This City of the
Doges that was has become the city of doc
tors and diplomats. Witness the assem-
blage Of representatives, Of all the great
powers to devise means to prevent the
entrance Of the bubonic plague into Eu-
rope The delegates come with the powers
of ministers plenipotentiary. The meetings
will be held in the council chambers Of the
royal palace.
This will undoubtedly be the most i'm
portant conference of the kind held for
many years. Diplomacy and politics will
underlie the sanitarian conference, ar
ranged at the instigation of Austria, Italy
concurring, and only such delegates will
be admitted as are acceptable to them.
The bone of contention will be this:
England wants her ships coming from
infected ports to be quarantined only on
arrival at ports of destination, claiming
that with her we'll organized sanitary de-
partment such measures will be entirely
sufficient.
"Qui s'excuse s'accuse, say the Other
powers.
Austria and Italy, who are backed by
Turkey, Russia and Germany. will pro
pose establishing quarantine cn the Red
sea, which is the English commercial high
way to and from India.
As regards the sanitary side, it is fortu.
nate that the original programme may be
somewhat modified and condensed, leav.
ing out questions Of detail This viii be
proposed by Count Luet2ow, the Austrian
minister plenipotentiary Only such reso.
lutions will be introduced as may serve rs
bases for law in the European defense
against the bubonic pestilence.
Questions to BE Discussed.
The principal questions will be these:
First. The construction of a large in.
.ernational quarantine station and hospi-
tai on the Rcd sea, and moro especially to
ward Suez, at which it shall be obligatory
for all ships of all nations coming from
countries declared suspected to stop. foi
examination.
Second. What should be the treatment
Of vessels arriving at European ports pro
vided with clean bill of health after pass
ing the quarantine and signed by the san
itary authorities of the aforesaid station?
Third. Should not the civil powers o.
Europe request the sultan to forbid in GER
5ain years the pilgrimage to Mecca
Booming guns from the men Of war an
chored off the Lido announced that tn,
day for opening the great internationa
sanitary congress had arrived.
The sitting was devoted to the parlia
mentary organization of the body. Coun
Won Bonin, the Italian under secretary O
state for foreign affairs, was elected presi
dent. His election was a foregone conclu
sion, not only because Austria Hungar.
and Italy were the prime movers in invit
ing the nations to a conference, but ais
because the conference Is held on Italial
soil.
Mayor des Planches was chosen secrp
tary of the conference. Wallace Jones req
resents the United States. Courtesies wer
exchanged, but all the credentials coul
not be presented. as some of the delegate
have not received theirs.
It's Political Scope.
The political scope of tho conference /
no longer disguised. The technical dele
gates are to be put forward as pawns o.
the diplomatic chessboard, whereas tn
real moves will be made by the diplomat
lists. The whole situation was very navel
put by technical delegate. He said
"We are going to make propositions re
garding the defense of Europe against tn
invasion of the plague and then to Sc
wheSer such propositions can be carrie
out under existing territorial and diplc
matte relations
"Then why not hayoshad purely diplc
matic congress- was teked.
Because it would have been impossbl
to get all the representatives Of the gree
powers together otherwise
France has sent her men, while Eng
land has moro representatives by four tina
any other nation. 1t is said on the very hes
authority that England viii object to th
quartering of her ships elsewhere than q
ports of destination, even if it comes to
practical notification Of the acts of tn
conference, to which, it is asserted, sh
ought not to have been admitted, hAvin
never ratified the Berlin congress.
The real danger of the transmission {
the bubonic plague is greater by land tina
by sea. To this those delegates who were il
terviewed readily gave assent. The dang'
to pilgrims from the far east to Mecci
however, is no greater than that Of pi
grimages from Egypt TO Mecca. Only
this instance the bubonic pestilence ma
be carried to Mecca, and in the other
may be brought away by the Egyptian pi
grims returning to their homes.
1t is much more difficult to control Il
danger by land. England has no powe
she says, to interfere with nor to stop pi
grimages from Egypt to and from Niece
but she adds archly, "Give us Egypt, al
we will guarantee to stop them"-a b
for absolute power.
MortEaged For Nearly $4,000. 900.
NEW YORK, Feb 17.-The New Jerst