302 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15 



were a good thing if the National would 

 undertake the marketing of honey and the 

 handling of bee-keepers' supplies for its 

 members; but when the matter is given 

 serious thought it seems to me that no con- 

 siderable number of persons could be found 

 who would favor such a proposition. Such 

 an enterprise would come into direct compe- 

 tition with many industries, the owners of 

 which have done more to build up the Na- 

 tional than any other persons connected 

 with it. Such a course would plant within 

 itself the seeds of discord, which, germinat- 

 ing, would culminate in disruption of the 

 Association. Individual bee-keepers in lo- 

 calities could, if they would, combine their 

 mites for the purpose of buying their sup- 

 plies at wholesale, thus making a saving of 

 expense. They could also unite to affect to 

 advantage the price of honey in their im- 

 mediate vicinity; but for the National to in- 

 corporate for this purpose for the whole 

 country is not only objectionable for the 

 above reason, but makes an unwieldy affair, 

 involving no small expense to keep the ma- 

 chinery in running order. Added to this the 

 liability of being involved in expensive liti- 

 gation, with possibly a paid attorney by the 

 year, insuperable objections to the National 

 entering into any such experiment or enter- 

 prise will be seen. 



Without dwelling longer upon this phase 

 of the case, let us pass to the next question. 

 Is it desirable to incorporate for the pur- 

 pose of having a standing in court ? Do the 

 advantages exceed the disadvantages ? If 

 the National is permitted to sue anybody and 

 everybody, it is put in a position to be sued 

 by anybody and everybody. Even at best 

 it would have a standing only in cases where 

 the interests of the corporation alone were 

 involved, but not where the interests of the 

 individual member is affected. Were the 

 National charged with adulterating honey, 

 it would have a standing in court against the 

 accuser, but not in the defense of an indi- 

 vidual member who might be accused. 



Newspapers and individuals may say what 

 they please in a general way about the man- 

 ufacturing of comb honej^ or the adultera- 

 tion of extracted honey, or about any thing 

 else connected with the business; yet there 

 is no way of redress through the courts, 

 even though the Association be incorporated. 

 Neither could any member invoke the aid of 

 the Association in its name, though he might 

 be swindled by some commission house, or 

 have his entire apiary stolen. Why ? Be- 

 cause it is individual property, and not prop- 

 erty of the Association. So far as the 

 members are concerned, incorporation is but 

 an empty name, yet likely to entail addition- 

 al expense. Very few corporations worthy 

 of the name but have a paid attorney by the 

 year. Would the National be an exception 

 to the rule ? Possibly, but more than likely 

 it would not be. 



But what of the next question ? Does in- 

 corporation give us any prestige before a 

 legislative body that we do not otherwise 

 possess ? Well, let us see. It is said that, 



on approaching the law-making power for 

 aid, we are confronted with the question, 

 "Are you incorporated ? " Now, from what 

 experience I have had in like matters, that 

 question should be regarded as a mere bluff 

 —an easy way of getting rid of a matter 

 which not in the least interests them. The 

 Illinois Association is incorporated, if I am 

 not mistaken; but its influence does not 

 count, nevertheless, for its ofl^cers come to 

 the Chicago and Northwestern and ask us to 

 join them that they may have the influence 

 of numbers before the legislature. Numbers, 

 numbers. Voters— this is the power that 

 sets the legislative machinery in motion to 

 grind the grist of pure-food and other laws 

 the honey-producers so much need. 



When the Association can present to the 

 politician the voter's argument of numbers, 

 then it will have all the power it shall have 

 any use for as an association. I do not 

 mean to say that legislators are not willing 

 to listen to argument, or that they are con- 

 trolled by improper motives; but they must 

 flrst become interested; and, if I'm not very 

 much mistaken, political influence is very 

 likely to have the desired effect. Organiza- 

 tion of local societies all over the country 

 where bee-keepers are found, with the ex- 

 press understanding that each shall become 

 an integral part of the National, would do 

 more to secure what has been so long sought 

 than if we incorporated in every State, not 

 excepting New Jersey. Use the surplus 

 funds for this purpose, just as union labor 

 organizations have done to increase their 

 numbers, and it will not be long before the 

 membership of the National will be swelled 

 to 50,000; then the question will not be, 

 ' ' Are you incorporated ? ' ' but ' ' What can I 

 do for you ? ' ' 



Incidentally another matter may be men- 

 tioned in this connection, which may have 

 sonie bearing upon this question of incorpo- 

 ration. It will be observed from the report 

 of the proceedings of the St. Louis conven- 

 tion that the proposition for an incorpora- 

 tion of individuals within the National was 

 entertained, and to some extent discussed, 

 by the members. Why any such matter 

 should have been entertained to become a 

 part of the proceedings might be a query in 

 the mind of a critical parliamentarian, but 

 such seems to be the fact. Now, suppose 

 we incorporate and encourage such an affair 

 —become a sort of foster father— how long 

 do you suppose it would be before the child 

 would be using the parent for his own ad- 

 vantage? It would be another case of " a 

 wheel within a wheel "—a case where " the 

 tail wags the dog," very much to the confu- 

 sion and bewilderment of the dog. 



If individuals, as such, desire to form an 

 organization for the purpose of handling 

 bee-keepers' supplies and the products of 

 the apiary, that is their matter, with which 

 no member of the Association should inter- 

 fere; but from the program so far as devel- 

 oped, the Association seems to become a 

 sort of sponsor for such an organization, 

 else why was the matter entertained— a 



