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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



them a voting blank, which they could 

 return, we feel sure that every one 

 would ask for the change. 



But to return : The present General 

 Manager, on account of ill-health, feels 

 that he is unable to assume such added 

 responsibility. It would need a younger 

 man, he thinks — one full of vigor and 

 push. Mr. Newman is the man, but if 

 he is not available, we would recommend 

 some bee-keeper who is also a lawyer 

 and legislator — such a person, for in- 

 stance, as R. L. Taylor. 



With a Bee-Keepers' Union of 5,000 

 members, its chief could be salaried, 

 and yet have necessary funds for carry- 

 ing on the work of securing evidence, 

 and arresting and prosecuting the guilty 

 parties. But how about the member- 

 ship ? We feel that a very large number 

 of our own subscribers (and this will be 

 true of the constituency of other bee- 

 papers) would fill a membership blank 

 and plank down a dollar if a return en- 

 velope were placed before them. 



The reason, we think, why there has 

 not been a more hearty response before, 

 is because we have not yet given those 

 who are diffident about writing, an op- 

 portunity to express themselves. At any 

 rate, it would not cost a great deal to 

 try the experiment. 



Out of our over ten thousand paid-up 

 subscribers, to every one of whom we 

 would submit blanks, we feel pretty sure 

 we could get pretty close on to 2,000 

 who would become members of that 

 organization. 



The present Union does not offer 

 enough substantial benefits to make the 

 mass of bee-keepers feel the necessity of 

 enrolling their names. But a Union 

 that could not only defend them against 

 disagreeable neighbors, but could also 

 ferret out and carry on successfully 

 prosecutions against adulterators — in 

 fact, champion the rights of bee-keepers 

 in all things, would offer sufficient in- 

 ducements to call out a large support 

 from bee-keepers. 



We should like to hear from our promi- 

 nent contributors, for next issue, as well 

 as from the General Manager through 

 the American Bee Journal. There is 

 yet time enough for us to get the matter 

 In such shape that it can be presented 

 before the national association at Wash- 

 ington. 



It is very generous in Bro. Boot to 

 offer to "submit" blanks to the sub- 

 scribers to Gleanings, but he will find it 

 will not pay, unless he has much better 

 results than the Bee Journal has had 



after devoting thousands of dollars 

 worth of space to advertising the Bee- 

 Keepers' Union, and then has only 

 secured about 500 members. However, 

 we should be much pleased to see the 

 experiment tried. 



General Manager Newman sent us 

 the following letter for publication, after 

 having read the foregoing from Bro. 

 Root : 



I have carefully read the editorial on 

 page 897 of Gleanings for Dec. 1st, 

 and as therein requested, I will offer a 

 few remarks on the matters at issue. 



Mr. Root desires mo to "state in a 

 circular letter, the desirability of having 

 the Constitution changed, and submit 

 to the members of the National Bee- 

 Keepers' Union a Voting Blank, with 

 return printed envelope," etc. 



The advocates of the measure should 

 certainly be the ones to show the 

 " desirability of the change," and if Mr. 

 Root, or any other one of its advocates, 

 will undertake that duty, I will quote it 

 in my forthcoming Annual Report, and 

 call for a vote on the subject. As I 

 have never advocated the measure, it 

 would be quite out of place for me to 

 champion the measure before the mem- 

 bers of the Union. I will act in an im- 

 partial manner, and refrain from the 

 discussion, simply to get the full, free 

 and unbiased vote of the members of the 

 Union. 



I hope to have my 8th Annual Re- 

 port ready about Dec. 20th, and then 

 the whole thing can in it be laid before 

 the membership, and the matters to be 

 voted upon can be included in the regu- 

 lar Voting Blank for Officers. This can 

 be done without extra expense to the 

 Union, and will settle the whole ques- 

 tion in a legitimate and authorized 

 manner. 



Bro. Root very generously offers to 

 send out 10,000 Circulars, Voting 

 Blanks, and return envelopes to his 

 subscribers. Why, that will cost $100 

 for postage alone, besides printing and 

 stationery. Why not request all the 

 bee-periodicals to devote one advertising 

 page to the Union, and print thereon a 

 Circular and Voting Blank ? Then ask 

 the subscribers to fill up the Voting 

 Blank and enclose with a dollar for 

 annual dues, to the Manager. That 

 will save hundreds of dollars, and still 

 get at all the intelligent and progressive 

 bee-keepers of America at one and the 

 same time. 



