436 



American Hee Journal 



May 23, 1907 



resolutions. It takes a notice of 45 

 days, in order to act upon this next 

 year; and then leave it to their fairness 

 as to what shall be done. 



Mr. Holekamp — If I ever have been 

 sorry since I am a member I am sorry 

 now. It seems there is a great 'dissat- 

 isfaction in the East about nothing. If 

 we exclude these men we will be left. 

 Now, I am in the Association and get 

 letters from our members in Missouri. 

 All of our members either have a few 

 dollars worth of supplies or honey to 

 sell, or they are queen-breeders, and 

 if these resolutions would be passed I 

 would recommend our Association to 

 withdraw from the National, because if 

 we lose all of those men, who are acting 

 under the head of dealers, they will pay 

 little attention to our Association, and 

 those who do the work will be left out. 

 If these resolutions should pass I would 

 withdraw. 



Pres. Dadant— I will call on Dr. Phil- 

 lips to state to us what he thinks about 

 the matter. 



Dr. Phillips — What I have to say is 

 not to be considerpd my attitude in the 

 matter. I have attended meetings in 

 several of the Eastern States. Perhaps 

 those who are present do not know that 

 in several parts of the East resolutions 

 have been passed to withdraw from the 

 National Bee-Keepers' Association, on 

 the ground that the body is controlled 

 by the bee-supply dealers, editors, etc. 

 This dissatisfaction is manifested by 

 the withdrawal of several State asso- 

 ciations in a body from the National 

 Bee-Keepers' Association, so there is no 

 doubt of it. Now, in order that this 

 division may have an opportunity to 

 express themselves, they should be al- 

 lowed to vote upon these propositions. 

 Especially, to be explicit in this thing, 

 the New York Association withdrew in 

 December, last year, from the National 

 Bee-Keepers' Association ; several states 

 have followed New York. Some of the 

 individual men, who belong to the Na- 

 tional, still retain themselves in the As- 

 sociation, and several of the members 

 have withdrawn. These men have been 

 members of the National, and many of 

 them will become members as soon as 

 this thing is to be voted upon and they 

 have a chance to vote. Therefore, I 

 am in favor of passing these resolu- 

 tions in order to give them an oppor- 

 tunity. I think that these men should 

 be allowed to have their say. The claim 

 is made that these various interests that 

 are specified control the National Bee- 

 Keepers' Association for their own in- 

 terests. These resolutions, if carried, 

 will exclude from office the persons 

 mentioned. At any rate, if these reso- 

 lutions are approved, and it is put to a 

 vote by the General Manager, we will 

 have an opportunity to know what the 

 people think about it. Pennsylvania 

 passed a resolution to withdraw, but 

 can not do so consistently. Pennsyl- 

 vania is growing at a very rapid rate in 

 bee-keeping affairs. If these resolu- 

 tions are passed, I feel sure that this 

 Association will not withdraw. New 

 Jersey has withdrawn. Massachusetts 

 is represented by a few members, but 

 they have two societies that will join 

 as soon as it is passed. 



Pres. Dadant — According to the rules, 

 it will be necessary for them to be 

 passed upon and approved. It seems 

 to me that if these people are as weak 

 as they are represented to be, they 

 should give in; if they are strong, we 

 should give in. We are in a country 

 where the minority give in to the ma- 

 jority, and that is what makes us great. 



Dr. Bohrer — That being the case, I 

 shall not object to their going before 

 the National Association. I want to 

 be at the next National meeting, and 

 help kill the resolutions so dead that 

 they will never be brought to the front 

 any more. 



Mr. Stone — I don't see where the fight 

 is ; I don't see anything they have to 

 fight. Who are the directors, are they 

 all dealers or editors? 



Dr. Bohrer — They would be practi- 

 cally disfranchised. 



Mr. Stone — I know of several, and 1 

 don't know of any that are supply deal- 

 ers or editors; but I don't see any- 

 thing for us to fight, and as far as that 

 is concerned, I would feel about it like 

 voting out all the agricultural papers 

 and all the implement dealers; if 1 

 voted them out I would quit farming. 

 If the bee-supply dealers, editors, etc., 

 were voted out I would quit bee-keep- 

 ing. 



Mr. Rankin — I have been through the 

 West a good deal, in California especial- 

 ly, and this dissatisfaction exists there 

 to a certain extent. There are some 

 who think an injustice has been done, 

 and by giving them this opportunity this 

 will square them. If you give in and 

 do this, the next year they will deny 

 that they ever said it. It seems to me 

 that it is a safe proposition, that the 

 National can not help but win out on. 

 I don't want this Association to divide 

 the States, I want to help the National, 

 because it can not win any other way. 

 For instance, the Fruit Association is 

 composed of fruit-growers; a dealer 

 would not have a voice in these mat- 

 ters. I call attention to the fact that 

 the members in these dissatisfied States 

 do not represent the bee-keepers of 

 those States, nor do they represent the 

 bee-keepers' associations. 



Mr. York — I notice in the list of offi- 

 cers of this Association that there are 

 some supply-dealers. It is too bad they 

 are in, but how did they get in? Mr. 

 Dadant did not do any political work 

 to get in — he was simply elected by 

 the membership of the Association, 

 There are only a few that are dealers 

 or editors. I have been in office my- 

 self, but I never did anything to get 

 in, and I certainly did not vote for my- 

 self. Of course, it is too bad I am 

 the Acting Secretary now. Really I 

 don't see any sense in the opposition. 



Mr. Kimmey — Will the next annual 

 meeting have a chance to pass upon it? 



Pres^ Dadant — The Constitution calls 

 for a 45 days' notice. Therefore, if 

 we do not pass this, that would be put- 

 ting off a chance for these people to 

 get a hearing, while if we put it before 

 them to-day, they can still have an- 

 other chance to vote upon it at the 

 election. We are giving you a chance 

 to vote upon the amendment to our 



Constitution. One thing I think the 

 members are forgetting, that we are 

 not supposed to e.xclude anybody from 

 membership. I expect to remain a 

 member, but I expect to keep out of 

 office. I would be much disappointed 

 if you did not favor these resolutions 

 to-day; it would look as if we were 

 afraid to let them go before the As- 

 sociation. 



Mr. Kimmey — I think that I am 

 alone, and I don't want this amend- 

 ment to the Constitution, but you want 

 somebody to vote upon it. Now, if I 

 understand, it gives us a chance now to 

 approve to-day what we are to vote 

 upon at the next annual election. I am 

 opposed to the amendment ; I don't 

 propose to vote and approve it. I don't 

 propose to say that I attended this 

 meeting and approved of it. You are 

 asking me to approve of them at this 

 meeting. I don't believe in that kind 

 of organization. Of course I am right. 

 We are saying that a majority approved 

 of it ; you can not change this, the rule 

 on Amendments in the Constitution 

 here. 



Mr. Stone — I can understand it only 

 as Mr. Kimmey says. The Corwtitu- 

 tion says that it has to be approved at a 

 previous meeting. 



Dr. Phillips — As I understand, the 

 whole thing is this: This Convention 

 is not approving these things at all. The 

 resolution says the next meeting will 

 have an opportunity to approve this if 

 they wish to do so. You are simply 

 specifying business that is to come up at 

 the next meeting. I am not approving 

 of it. I want the membership to have 

 an opportunity of a say. This will be 

 held some time next year ; if they ap- 

 prove of it, a notice will be given, and 

 45 days after the next Convention will 

 be time to take this up. 



Mr. Kimmey — Suppose that the next 

 meeting occurs like this one — in No- 

 vember — the month of the election in 

 1907? 



Mr. Holekamp — Very few of those 

 here to-day will be present at this con- 

 vention, if it is held in the East next 

 year ; and part of the bee-keepers will 

 think that we approve of these amend- 

 ments. Very few will understand it. 



Mr. York — This, of course, is not in 

 proper form for an amendment. To 

 amend the Constitution we should form 

 a new article. It has got to be put in 

 proper form, and then the question is. 

 Do we approve of this amendment? 



Dr. Phillips — I think the President is 

 right. 



Mr. York — We are supposed to ap- 

 prove them at this previous meeting, 

 else they can't go to the membership 

 for voting. 



Mr. Kimmey — We have no right to 

 approve them. 



Pres. Dadant — We have the right to 

 instruct the General Manager to send it 

 out to the whole membership. 



Mr. Holekamp — I move that this 

 whole thing be put on the table. 



Dr. Bohrer — I second the motion. 



Pres. Dadant — All in favor of this mo- 

 tion, say "Aye." The motion is carried. 

 (Continued uexi week.) 



