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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Mr. IUcKniglit, in the last issue 

 of the Canadian Bee Journal, pays his 

 respects to Gleanings and the American 

 Bee Journal, about the matter of the 

 incorporation of the North American 

 Bee-Keepers' Association. 



Nothing now seems to need further 

 remark, except, perhaps, the point about 

 our consulting the rest of .the " Commit- 

 tee on Incorporation," and deferring the 

 matter until after the Albany Conven- 

 tion — but that idea never struck us. 



It was fully discussed at Keokuk, and 

 decided almost unanimously in favor of 

 Incorporation. The committee was 

 appointed to consummate the work — not 

 to consult and defeat the vote of the con- 

 vention ! 



The work of the committee was purely 

 ministerial. The only point it had to 

 decide was as to who should sign the 

 incorporation blanks. That was done 

 by a full, free, and almost unanimous 

 vote! The "life members" were in- 

 structed to sign the "blank applica- 

 tion " — the Treasurer " pressed the 

 button" (paid the fee), and the State 

 "did the rest !" That is all there is of it. 



If the Association ever tires of that 

 relationship, all it has to do is to change 

 its name, thus becoming a new but not 

 incorporated body, and be entirely free 

 to do as it may be inclined. 



As far as the editor of the American 

 Bee Journal is concerned, it is a mat- 

 ter of no interest whatever, one way or 

 another, and he would not give a button 

 to influence the decision either way. lie 

 heartily endorses the concluding sen- 

 tence of Mr. McKnight's open letter to 

 him, where he says : 



" And now, in conclusion, permit me 

 to assure you that nothing which has 

 transpired has lessened our esteem for 

 the brethren across the border, with 

 whom some of us have had much pleas- 

 ant intercourse in the past. The friction 

 is between bodies corporate, and not 

 between individuals." 



As these corporate bodies have offi- 

 cially taken their positions, it is not 

 worth while for the individuals to do 



anything else than to work together 

 harmoniously for the general good. 

 " Now, let us have peace." 



The following from Bro. Root, also in 

 reply to Bro. McKnight, will interest 

 our readers : 



Editor Canadian Bee Journal : — I have 

 read with much interest the reply, by 

 Mr. R. McKnight, to my editorial re- 

 gjarks regarding the action of the On- 

 tario Bee-Keepers' Association with 

 reference to further affiliation. I am 

 pleased to observe his friendly and 

 cordial spirit ; and I am sure that, on 

 my part, while I felt that the committee 

 were laboring under a big mistake (and 

 I think so yet), I had only the kindest 

 intentions toward them. 



It will be necessary to refer to only 

 two points in reply to Mr. McKnight; 

 and one is, I am certain that the pur- 

 poses of incorporation, while they may 

 not have been stated in open convention 

 at Keokuk, were freely talked over in 

 private conversation among the bee- 

 keepei'S. 



I know that Capt. Hetherington was 

 not the first one to do this. Mr. Newman 

 thoroughly explained the matter shortly 

 after the Keokuk meeting, in an edi- 

 torial — see page 6, Jan. 1, 1891, of the 

 American Bee JoxnRNAL. 



As to what I meant by "available" 

 matter, I will make an extract from a 

 letter just received from Dr. Miller, 

 which fully explains : 



Dear Ernest : — I do not believe Mc- 

 Knight looked up "available" in any 

 common dictionary, or he would find a 

 definition that would make your state- 

 ment all right. Moreover, it seems 

 strange that McKnight is not familiar 

 enough with newspaper terms to know 

 that the word "available" is a word 

 constantly used to mean : " ITor reasons 

 satisfactory to ourselves we do not think 

 it desirable to publish." 



C. C. Miller. 



I might go on and reply to other 

 points ; but I believe that further dis- 

 cussion is ill-advised and unwise, as I 

 have already made myself sufBciontly 

 plain in my original remarks on the sub- 

 ject. I believe that, if we cannot agree, 

 the best thing for us to do is to pleas- 

 antly agree to disagree, as brothers, and 

 let the matter drop. 



I am glad that Mv. McKnight f(H!ls 

 that the North American Bee-Keepers' 

 Association is elastic (enough to permit 

 him to remain a member, as it surely is. 

 In the same way, I bope the Ontario 



