The San Francisco call., 1903-01-20
SEATTLE CREATES
4 PLAGUE SCARE
Hill Adopts New Plan
to Injure San Fran
cisco.
Makes Use of Medicos in At
tempt to Steal Trans
port Service.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19.-At a meet
ing to-day of the representatives of nine
teen State Boards of Health resolutions
which sought to make capital of the allie
cations against San Francisco in order
to take away the Government transport
service from that city were defeated
through the protests of Surgeon-General
Wyman and DR.. Matthew Gardner, dele
gate from the California State Board of
Health.
Dr. Gardner. reviewing the action of
the conference and it's purposes, said to-
night:
The whole thing was star chamber
proceedings leveled directly at the city
OF San Francisco. The hostile proceed
ings began at a meeting of the delegates
in q secret caucus Mst night at the New
Willard Hotel At this caucus they ex-
cluded Surgeon-General Wyman, after
inviting him to the meeting, and they
challenged my right to represent my
State on the foolish proposition (Which
l admitted) that 1 was chief surgeon Of
the Southern Pacific Railway The con-
ference caucus allowed me to remain
and it mapped out by vote I believe. of
eight to seven. series Of resolutions
which it was proposed to run through
the conference to-day.
AT the morning session to-day the
following resolution was adopted:
The representative from California, DR..
Gardner ks requested TO present 10 this COLI
ference, within as short time as possible,
definite signed assurance from the Governor Of
the State and the Mayor of San Francisco
which will bind the city Board of Health and
the State Board OF Health, far as those two
men can control those offices, TO assume each
their several and Joint responsibilities in the
the utmost, in harmony with each other and in
full co-operation with the United States pub
lie health and marine hospital service
Il said in the open session of the con-
ference that 1 was willing to get these
assurances, but that l doubted If it was
possible to communicate with members
of boards that were now scattered.
DIsCoURTEsY TO WYMAN.
lone of the most extraordinary Incl
dents of the conference to-day, to my
mind was that when the conference re-
assembled after the morning session. it
did not wait for DR.. Wyman, but went
into session with DR.. Braeken of Min
nesota in the chair. This was, therefore,
simply a continuation of the caucus
which was held last night, the purpose
of which was apparently to legislate
against San Francisco. General Wyman,
however, subsequently took the chair
and did something in the work for San
Francisco.
Il think I should also say that one of
the members Of the conference, and a
most active one, was DR.. Woodward,
Health Officer of the District of Column
bia. He represents a territory and 1
don't think he had any legal right 10 sit
with the State Boards Of Health. AT
least that is my understanding of the
law.
''The proposed action with reference to
the transports appeared to me to be in
the interests of Seattle. 1t came up in
this way, and 1 think was put in shape
last night. DR.. Fulton. secretary of the
Board of Health Of Maryland, introduced
a resolution asking that the Secretary of
War, Mr. Root, take action to remove
the Government business as to trans
ports from San Francisco, owing TO the
prevalence Of the plague.
DIR. Wyman promptly said that this
resolution was out of place He said
that there was pending great rivalry be-
tween San Francisco and Seattle as to
this transport matter, and that 1t would
not be in good taste to take action at
this time by State Boards of Health.
DR. Woodward of the District moved
an amendment which was practically the
same as the original, 10 the effect that
the Government troops be prohibited
from coming through San Francisco.
Objections were made TO these reso-
lutions by Dr. Lewis of New York and
by Dr. Simmons of Charleston, S. c., and
passage the adherents of the transport
business let it drop by indefinite post
ponement.