260 The American Geologist. October, 1894 
Nevertheless the hosts showed appreciation of the objects of the con- 
s ress and a perfecl hospitality. 
The congress proper was opened al 9 a. m.. Tuesday, Aug. 28, in the 
council hall <>t' the Polytechnikum, of Zurich. The published proee* ter- 
hiiu.i nf the sittings of tin- council lack the local coloring which would 
explain how tlir propositions were accepted. The session vras opened 
witli Renevier, president of the committer of organization, in the chair. 
He proposed lo call over the names of the different countries, and asked 
all the members from those countries to give their names. This verj 
clumsy method resulted in the list first given on the proces verbal. On 
proceeding to the choice of president of the congress, Golliez named 
Renevier, who at first stated that he oughl not tohe expected to ask 
for tlie vote for himself and immediately thereafter gave thanks for 
his election without any vote at all. 
This was the keynote to ^he subsequent proceedings, which included 
the reading of a list of representatives of different countries, selected 
by the committee on organization, as vice presidents. The first obsta- 
cle it encountered was from Senor Cortazar, who naturally objected to 
having Spain and Portugal lumped together and represented by tin Portu- 
guese colonel Delgado. This objection being sustained or at least not 
opposed. Senor Cortazar was named vice president from Spain and Col. 
Delgado from Portugal. 
The next country, alphabetically, was the United States. M. Rene- 
vier declared that there were two delegates from the U. s. Geological 
Survey present, and that, one of them having declined the nomination, 
he asked the council to recommend the other. Mr. Lester F. Ward, as 
the vice president representing the United States. There were thirteen 
geologists present from tin- United States. The extraordinary principle 
was then announced that a subordinate department of a government 
said to transact a certain kind of work can. without the knowledge or 
consent <>f that government, semi two representatives to a congress of 
experts in that kind of work and can decide between themselves, 
without reference tn the other representatives from the United Stales. 
which of the two shall be the representative of tin- nation from which 
he came. This question is entirely independent of the character of 
the nominee and nothing herein contained is intended to reflect on the 
suitability of the appointment of Mr. Ward, but the principle is vi- 
cious and entirely subversive of those on which the congress is founded. 
Suppose, for instance, the architectof the capitol at Washington chose 
to send two of his salaried subordinates to an international congress of 
architects, and that these should decide between themselves, lo the ex- 
clusion of any or all architects who might have rormed integral parts 
of past congresses, who should represent their country. This piece of 
"diplomacy" is simply a notice served to the geological world that 
henceforth t he congress is si mph to be the creature of the official bu- 
reaus of the different countries, some of whose chiefs, having leagued 
together at first to strangle it. withoul success, are now content to use 
it to serve their own purposes. 
