isys. 



THE AMKRJCAPi BEB JOLIRNAiU, 



707 



my inability to do justice to the requirements of the office, yet 

 I have ever endeavored to do what I could to hold up the 

 Union in its grand mission in the interest of bee-keepers ; and 

 I trust that I may soon be permitted to welcome my worthy 

 successor, into whose strong hands I will gladly place the 

 work and responsibility that accompanies the presidential 

 office. Faithfully yours, 



George W. York. 



The address of Pres. York was then discust as foJlows : 

 Dr. Miller — The great quantity of supplies sold this year 

 seems to be ground for the deduction that a large number of 

 persons are going into the bee-business this year. I am not 

 so sure of that. The large quantity of supplies sold this year 

 means that the business was very good last year; it seems to 

 me that is the most there is of it. The man who did a good 

 business last year and used up all his supplies wanted more 

 for this year. It doesn't mean that this is a good year, for it 

 has not been a good year. The Quantity of supplies sold is 

 generally an index of what was done the previous year. Of 

 course, there might be a good many new men who have gone 

 into the business, but I rather think the increase In the sup- 

 ply business is largely because the old supplies have been 

 used up and the bee-keepers had to have new supplies for this 

 year. 



PROSECUTING ADULTERATORS OF HONEY. 



Dr. Miller — As to the advisability of securing a conviction 

 for adulteration, if there is enough money In the treasury, and 

 that can be done, it is one of the biggest things that the Union 

 has to do, or can do. I suppose that our silence might be con- 

 strued as consenting to the adulteration, or endorsing it. Per- 

 haps there ought to be some expressions of opinion about the 

 matter. 



E R. Root — I would like to inquire of Mr. Secor how 

 much it would probably cost to bring one of these fellows to 

 justice. 



Mr. Secor — I don't think that question can be answered 

 now, because we haven't tried yet. The cost depends a great 

 deal upon the case Itself — upon its location, and upon many 

 other things. It may cost us $200 to get a proper attorney 

 to prosecute one of those cases. We cannot tell until we have 

 gotten into it. Good attorneys aren't lying around loose work- 

 ing for nothing and paying their own board. When we com- 

 mence a case of that kind we want as good an attorney as wo 

 can get, and we want to prosecute the case successfully. We 

 do not want to attempt the prosecution of a case in which 

 there Is much possibility of failure; we want to be sure we 

 have a good case, and then we want to make a success of it. 

 I cannot tell what it will cost. 



A. I. Root — Won't the State help in the prosecution ? 

 Isn't there a pure food commission in Illinois? 



Mr. Secor — I don't think there is. While they have a law 

 on the statute books, I think it is in the hands of any one to 

 look after its enforcement. They have no pure food commis- 

 sioners, as I understand. We have none in Iowa, and I think 

 they have none in Illinois. In those Stales where there are 

 pure food commissioners, whose business it is to look after the 

 adulteration of foods, prosecution is a very easy matter, com- 

 pared with prosecutions In those States where we have none of 

 those advantages. 



Pres. York — I had something to say in the American Bee 

 Journal along this line, and Mr. Taylor, of the Bee-Keepers' 

 Review, had this to say in reply : 



" Then the editor forgets that in such cases the information 

 is criminal, and the people of the State prosecute, or furnish a 

 prosecutor, and all the machinery necessary for a fair trial. In 

 this State, and I presume the same is the case in Illinois, the Union 

 would not be permitted to secure the services of an additional at- 

 torney to assist at the trial." 



I suggested in the Bee Journal that we did not have any 

 money to begin a prosecution, and Mr. Taylor replied as I 

 have read. He simply says that we would furnish the evi- 

 evence, and the State would do the prosecuting. 



Mr. Ackliu — The time this matter came up in St. Paul, 

 the commissioners were willing that we should have our own 

 counsel. 



Dr. Mason — If it is true that there is a law in Illinois that 

 makes the adulteration of honey, as well as of other foods, a 

 criminal of offense, I cannot see any reason why it is not the 

 business of the prosecuting attorney of the county, or of the 

 locality where the work is being done, to prosecute the adul- 

 terators for the ofifense. It is his duty under the law In Ohio. 

 If we find a man stealing or robbing it is the business of who- 

 ever finds him doing it to see that the prosecuting attorney 

 knows something about It, and he then conducts the trial. I 

 cannot see why the Union should not be permitted to employ 

 counsel to advise with the prosecutor. We all know that It 



takes considerable pushing and urging sometimes to get an 

 oiBclal to discharge the duties that he is sworn to perform. I 

 do not see why we should not try our hands at pushing the 

 man who has this business to attend to in Chicago. I do not 

 know why he cannot be seen by somebody in authority in this 

 Union, and consulted in regard to the matter and advised 

 with as to some of the steps to be taken to secure a conviction 

 of some one. Let the Union look up the matter — do the real 

 work of preparing the case, and let the prosecutor know that 

 we are willing to do our best to help him. 



E. R. Root — If I understand Mr. Taylor correctly, all we 

 have to do is to bring up the evidence and then the State will 

 take care of the matter and prosecute and bear the expense. 

 If I am correct in that, the Union could go to work this month, 

 or any time. I ask for information. 



Dr. Mason — I have been watching, in Ohio, for a chance 

 to catch somebody carrying on adulteration. But we have a 

 good, strong law there, and we have a Pure Food Commis- 

 sioner, Mr. Blackburn, who attends to his business, and peo- 

 ple dare not violate the law. If I could catch somebody vio- 

 lating the law I would go to Mr. Blackburn, and he would be 

 my right hand man in seeing that they were successfully 

 prosecuted. 



Dr. Peiro — I have heard a good deal about this subject, 

 and one question I want to ask is this : Is there anybody in 

 Chicago or elsewhere that does this thing on a scale that 

 would justify prosecution ? or is it done by some of these lit- 

 tle fly-by-nights that just put up a little adulterated stuff and 

 sell It ? If you can find a man who is responsible in the event 

 of a judgment, and who puts up enough of that kind of 

 " honey " to have its impression upon the market, then I say 

 let us prosecute ; and if we find more than one such man, I 

 would suggest that Dr. Mason be gratified, and that we send 

 somebody from Chicago over into Ohio, and let them prosecute 

 him there. 



Dr. Mason — If you will send one of them over to Ohio, we 

 will throw out the American flag and help you. It seems a 

 little strange that with such men as Dr. Peiro and Mr. York 

 living in Chicago, that city should have such a reputation for 

 adulteration ! What are you doing ? 



Pres. York — There is no doubt that there is plenty of such 

 work in Chicago. I secured some samples last winter from 

 one of the largest adulterating firms, and sent the samples to 

 General Manager Secor. I do not know whether he went any 

 further, or had them analyzed, but I was satisfied from the 

 price and from the flavor that the samples were adulterated. 

 That firm ships it all over the State, to suburban towns, and 

 have traveling men out all the time, and they carry those- 

 samples as one of their commodities to furnish to grocers. 

 There are plenty of adulterators in Chicago. One of the- 

 honey commission men there is one of the largest adulterators. 

 He buys honey from bee-keepers. I used to advertise for 

 him, but I don't any more. 



Dr. Mason — If our President thinks there is no doubt 

 about it why don't he find out and let us know. If it is true, 

 let us know it ; and if It is not true, let us know it. We are 

 contributing our money for the purpose of securing the con- 

 viction of such men. I would be willing to submit to an as- 

 sessment to carry on the work. If Mr. York and Dr. Peiro 

 can't look after it themselves let us hire somebody to do it. 



Pres. York — I would like to suggest that we have General 

 Manager Secor go to Chicago and spend a month, or as long a 

 time as may be necessary, and secure samples of whatever the 

 adulterators are putting on the market there, have them ana- 

 lyzed, and meet the State's attorney or prosecutor there, and 

 begin to do something active along this line. Of course we 

 would not ask Mr. Secor to do that for nothing. I think it 

 would be better to have him do it than to have any one else. 

 His word would count for more, as he is the General Manager 

 of the Union. I think he is the man who should do this work. 



E. R. Root — I move that General Manager Secor be re- 

 quested to take such action as he sees fit in regard to those 

 Chicago adulterators. I believe he will take the right course. 



Mr. Secor — I move to amend so as to include the words, 

 " The General Manager, acting under the advice of the Board 

 of Directors" — that the General Manager, acting under the 

 advice of the Board of Directors, proceed to attack the adul- 

 terators of honey in Chlcazo. 



E. R. Root — Chicago seems to be the headquarters of the 

 adulterators. 



Mr. Whitcomb — It seems to me that to name the place 

 where the attack is to be named would be Ill-advised, as It 

 gives them warning in advance. 



Dr. Mason — I think we should not confine the attack to 

 any place. It may be found advisable to choose some other 

 place for the attack. And I do not just fall in with the idea 

 of our worthy President, that Mr. Secor is the best man to 



