162 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' JttEVIEW. 



and experiments in my half century of bee- 

 keeping. I claim I am under no obligation 

 to prove any thing about my experiments 

 further than that I am under obligation to 

 tell the truth. If what I have told has harm- 

 ed Mr. Heddon it is because I told the truth. 

 I am opposed first last, and forever to mo- 

 nopolies of all kinds and under all names. I 

 do not like the present patent laws because 

 they are one of the strongholds of monopo- 

 ly. Inventors should be rewarded, but as a 

 rule they are not. Capitalists are the ones 

 that get fat out of inventions. Poor men 

 invent machines, and poor men make them ; 

 but rich monopolists reap the benefit. I 

 crave neither fame nor fortune in connec- 

 tion with the double brood chamber. No 

 inventor does more than take an advance 

 step on the long journey that all useful in 

 ventions have traveled. If after I had seen 

 a case of sections for surplus honey I had 

 thought of using the idea for a brood cham 

 ber, I would not have been vain enough to 

 feel that I had made a tremendous leap. I 

 do not believe I was under any obligation to 

 cenceal my work because some speculator 

 might be hindered by the truth. 

 FoBESTViLLE, Minn. April 25, 1895. 



Brief Outline of a System of Co-operative 

 Associations for Bee - Keepers. 



W. F. MAKKS. 



BELIEVE that the first and most impor- 

 tant question for bee-keepers to solve is 

 some popular system of thorouyli organiza- 

 tion ; and I believe that can be accomplished 

 if we only begin right. It is claimed tliat 

 owing to the large extent of territory and 

 the difficulty experienced in getting bee- 

 keepers together, that we cannot get a very 

 large or thorough organization. 



As citizens we are not required to leave our 

 homes to take an active part in the manage- 

 ment of any political organization to which 

 we may belong. We can all attend the town 

 or ward caucus of our party. We do not all 

 go to the various conventions. It is not 

 necessary, and our organization would not 

 be any better if we did. In attending the 

 caucus we have registered our choice and 

 have taken a small but necessary part in di- 

 recting the course of our party organization. 

 If great political and various other organ 

 izations can be a success without all their 

 members meeting at some point in a mon 



strous convention, why can not a bee-keep- 

 ers' association, if properly organized, be a 

 success under the same conditions ? 



The plan of organization which I submit 

 for your consideration will not require the 

 bee-keeper to leave his own county to be- 

 come an active member of an organization 

 that will include every bee-keepers' associa- 

 tion ill the United States (and perhaps Can- 

 ada if the Canadians will adopt the same 

 plan) and all for the small fee that he pays 

 annually into the treasury of his local asso- 

 ciation. By this plan I believe we can get 

 bee-keepers interested in forming societies 

 in nearly every county in the United States. 

 I believe that a membership in any one of 

 these societies should entitle the party hold- 

 ing it to equal membership in all, excepting 

 the privilege of voting in the election of of- 

 ficers, the party to have such a vote only in 

 the association of which he is a resident 

 member and from which he received his cer- 

 tificate. In this way all associations become 

 co-operative. 



Going one step further, I would form all 

 the county societies into a State association 



to be known as the State Association 



of County Bee-Keepers' Societies, each 

 coanty society to pay a small fee to the State 

 association which fee would make all mem- 

 bers of the county society members also of 

 the State society and entitled to all the 

 rights and privileges of that society (except- 

 ing a vote in the choice of its officers) the 

 officers of the State society and delegates to 

 the North American Association (hereafter 

 mentioned) to be elected by a committee 

 composed of two delegates from each county 

 society, chosen for that purpose. In this 

 way all county societies would have an equal 

 voice in the management of the State 

 society. 



Further on, by this same plan, I would 

 form, through the several State and provin- 

 cial associations, each State and provincial 

 association to pay an equal fee, a North 

 American Association of Bee-Keepers' Soci- 

 eties, the officers of wliich would be elected 

 by an equal number of delegates from each 

 State and provincial association (said dele- 

 gates to be chosen as previously described.) 

 No one could become a member of any 

 State, provincial, or the North American 

 Association except through their local soci- 

 ety, and then they would be equal members 

 of all. You will observe that the local or 

 county societies are the very life of the 



