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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



April 21, 



and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with 

 the same measure ye mete withal it shall be measured to you 

 again." 



Let us help each other. I know there is a large element 

 in this world who would laugh at such advice and call it fool- 

 ishness ; but nevertheless the biggest fool of all is he who does 

 not know the value of such advice. We are here to help each 

 other— and ourselves. How can we best do this ? 



I believe it was two years ago that, in my address, I strongly 

 urged this Association to a more thorough organization and 

 co-operation. I again urge it. Trusts, combines, and monop- 

 olistic organizations are multiplying everywhere. Recently a 

 trust representing millions of capital was organized to control 

 one of our worst enemies — glucose. This is not the kind of 

 organization 1 urge, for such a one is monopolistic, selfish, 

 unkind, "giving that it may receive again." There is another 

 kind of organization which is honorable and kind, that re- 

 ceiiieWi Wiat it mai/ yiiie, and which we may call co-operation. 

 Fellow bee-keepers, are not our hearts as one in this? 



What shall be the work of this convention ? How have 

 you fared the past year ? Tell us what you have produced, 

 where and how you have sold it, and the remuneration. I find 

 the burden of complaint to be "poor markets." We must not 

 rest till something has been done to better the honey market. 

 With laborers unemployed or poorly paid, with farmers and 

 all classes of producers barely making a living, or going be- 

 hind, there is no use to expect higher prices. Our duties in 



sent to you later, I feel that then our organization will be on 

 a more solid footing. It will then be in order for you to reach 

 out to greater usefulness. I recommend that this Association 

 do something toward the support of the United States Bee- 

 Keepers' Union. I wish that every apiarist in the State were 

 members of that association. Of course we want your mem- 

 bership in this Association, too, but you should not neglect the 

 other. An advance of J-2 cent per pound on 500 pounds of 

 honey would far more than pay your dues in both organiza- 

 tions, and I believe that a conscientious support of both would 

 benefit you several times over all it would cost you. 



In order to advance co-operation a better statistical plan 

 is needed. I therefore recommend that you make arrange- 

 ments by which our secretary and other officials of the or- 

 ganization may get into communication with apiarists in all 

 parts of the State ; and to facilitate this, provision should be 

 made for printing return cards so that all the apiarists would 

 have to do would be to fill blanks and mail, this Association 

 doing the rest. In this and connected directly with it should 

 be a sort of information bureau whereby apiarists may be in- 

 formed of crop and market conditions. 



I believe that our State should be well represented at the 

 Trans-Mississippi Exposition at Omaha. Considering the 

 work that we should do at home, and the very low state of the 

 Association's financial condition, I cannot recommend that 

 our funds be applied in that direction. However, I appeal to 



Bee-Supply Factory of E. Krctchmer — One of Our Advertisers. 



general as citizens have to do with many of the far-reaching 

 Influences that have to do with general conditions influencing 

 morals and money, but as members of the Colorado State Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, and as bee-keepers in general, we have 

 duties toward each other in the pursuit. We may be able to 

 concert our action and better pack and market our product, 

 anil thereby help ourselves in some points at least until such 

 time as good-wilf shall prevail among all classes to the good 

 of all. 



I desire to point out in specialty some things this Associa- 

 tion should do at this time. We have a constitution. Its 

 limitations and regulations have not been properly observed. 

 We must amend our methods or our constitution — both need 

 amending. The constitution requires us to hold this, our an- 

 nual convention, the third Monday in January, beginning at 

 10 o'clock a.m. This is too ironclad to best serve our inter- 

 ests. I recommend that this provision be amended giving us 

 more liberty as to time of meeting, and that it be so modi- 

 fied as to be largely in the power of the executive to call meet- 

 ings. 



Besides this, there are other amendments needed in both 

 constitution and by-laws. Sections 4 and 7 of the constitu- 

 tion need amending. Also sections 3, 5 and 13 of the by- 

 laws. I will not here detail these matters, but so soon as you 

 shall be ready to consider the matter I will point out to you 

 what in my estimation is needed, when you can adopt or reject, 

 as seems best. 



Should you see fit to adopt amendments that I shall pre- 



the apiarists of the State to do what they can in that direc- 

 tion outside of the Association, and should the bee-keepers 

 rally to the support of the Association, we may also do some- 

 thing as an Association. Our State produces both quantity 

 and quality, and we ought to be represented. 



I appeal to the apiarists of the State to stand by your 

 Associatiou in both moral and financial support. Your officials 

 are willing to execute for you at a cost of both time and means 

 if you will but give them the proper backing. Stand by this 

 Association, for in helping it you help yourselves. Co-opera- 

 tive organization is just, proper, and to be desired for the good 

 of all. 



Defensive organization is a necessity to protect ourselves 

 against common enemies. Do you not know, fellow apiarists 

 and all classes of producers, that a large element of mankind 

 — perhaps I should call them by a less dignified name — are 

 planning, yes, even deliberately .plotting, in mauy cases, to 

 induce or compel you to divide your earnings with them? 

 There are non-producers — many of them — who are abun- 

 dantly worthy of our support, they are necessary in the social 

 economy, and we sin if we do not duly support them ; but the 

 monopolistic and unfair grabbers, and above all the parasites 

 who feed upon honest productions, must be gotten rid of. 



Dear friends, let charity prevail. Do a labor of love, so 

 loving the right and hating the wrong, that no wrong-doer 

 can stay among us and continue to do wrong. May our motto 

 be harmonious and persistent action, acti07i, action. 



R. C. AiKiN. 



