1903 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



I said before, and now repeat, that I did not see 

 even a purported copy of any proposed amenJmcuts 

 till after the voting-blanks ha'd been printed and sent 

 out. If we are not to be governed by cxiustitutional 

 authority, why have a constitution? If we do not 

 pr-ictice business methods, and follow parliamentary 

 usages, our a.ssocialion is but a rof)e of sand and is not 

 worth saving 



I hope soon to turn over to my successor the records 

 and funds of the largest and most prosperous bee- 

 keepers' a-sociation in the world: and if we will stop 

 our quibbling about unimportant matters, and put our 

 shoulders to the wheel in the spirit of fraternal help- 

 fulness, the future of the Association will be brighter 

 than ever; but if factionalism ai;d loveof office prevail 

 it will be rent in twain, and die a premature death 

 EVGENE Secor. General Manager. 



This seems like a reasonable and fair 

 statement save in one point: I don't see that 

 an explanation has been offered why the 

 name of Mr. France (and I voted for him 

 and will vote for him ag^ain if fjiven a 

 chance) should be favorabl_v recommended 

 on the blank ballot that is supposed to 

 favor no one. I presume Mr. Secor did not 

 intend to have the statement construed as 

 electioneerings matter, for he is a man who 

 means to be fair. 



I am free to acknowledge that I was one 

 of the parties who was in favor of a new 

 election, and am yet if it can be held with- 

 out bringing greater complications. I took 

 the ground that, while I believed Mr. Secor 

 ma3' have proceeded in a perfectlj- legal 

 manner, the ballot has the appearance of 

 unfairness. I had come in possession of 

 information to the effect that many who ex- 

 pected to vote for Mr. France voted for Mr. 

 Abbott, to rebuke what they thought was 

 an unfair ballot. 



The Directors are talking these matters 

 over informall_v among themselves. Ju.<st 

 what action they will take can not now be 

 stated. It mav' be the constitution will not 

 permit of a new election. I do not see it 

 that way. It is possible that a new vote 

 may introduce more complications more se- 

 rious than those now before us. Many 

 honest men in whom I have confidence think 

 so. The3- take the ground that, while the 

 ballot may have been a little unfair, there 

 was nothing illegal about it : that a new 

 election would be illegal, as the constitu- 

 tion provides that the election shall be held 

 in December. 



Mr. Secor might have said that the amend- 

 ments as published in the Modern Farmer 

 were not the same as those that were of- 

 fered at the Denver convention. In the first 

 place, the wording was changed in minor 

 points: and in the second place, important 

 limiting clauses, suggested by members of 

 the convention, and which Mr. Abbott there 

 accepted, are conspicuous by their absence. 

 Amendments to be voted on should be the 

 same as those offered at the former meeting. 



If there was ever a time when wise coun- 

 sels and cool heads should prevail, it is 

 now. It is no time for indulging in fault- 

 finding until we know just what action the 

 Directors will or will not take. 



I am willing to make the best of it in 

 either case, election or no election; and if 

 we can all do that we shall soon have har- 

 mony in the splendid organization that we 



have been laboring for 3-ears to develop. I 

 have no sympathy- with the idea that the 

 association had better be smashed if we 

 can't have things according to our notions 

 of right and wrong. There is a large 

 chance for honest difference of opinion. 



I suggest that the membership agree t'> 

 abide by the decision of the Directors: and 

 that the Board take time enough to go all 

 over the case carefully, and then decide 

 what is best to do. 



that pure-food bill xow before the 

 senate; do it now. 



It will be remembered that I referred, in 

 our last issue, to the fact that the pure-food 

 bill had passed the lower house of Congress. 

 and was then before the Senate; and I ask- 

 ed our readers to write their Senators, urg- 

 ing their support of the measure. The fol- 

 lowing letter from Prof. H. W. Wiley, 

 Chief Chemist of the Department of Agri- 

 culture, Washington, will explain itself: 



Dear Mr. Root:^\ am gratified in reading your arti- 

 cle on the pure-food bill, on page ii of Gle.-vnixgs for 

 January. This is a righteous measure, and the good 

 word you .say in regard to it is the most helpful at this 

 time. I msh that you could approach the Senators 

 from Ohio in some way so as to induce them to work 

 for this bill and secure favorable action before the end 

 of the session. Every influence which is now brought 

 to bear on the Senators in favor of the bill will do 

 much good. 



Thanking you for your interest in the matter, and 

 for the good work which you are doing all along the 

 line of bee culture. I am. H. W". Wilet, 



Chief of Bureau of Chemistry. 



Washington, D. C, Jan. S. 



Prof. Wile\- is in position to know wheth- 

 er this measure is a good one or not, and 

 when he endorses it that should be enough. 

 I do not see how any Senator who has any 

 regard for the stomachs of his constituents 

 can refuse to support it. I wrote to our 

 own Senators, and received from each a 

 statement, signed b.v his secretary, that my 

 letter would receive "careful considera- 

 tion," and that is all I know. I urge the 

 bee-keepers of Ohio, every one of them, to 

 write one letter to Senator J. B. Foraker, 

 and another to Senator M. A. Hanna, of 

 the United States Senate. Washington, D. 

 C, urging them to do all they can to bring 

 this '■ righteous measure " to a vote before 

 the session ends: and it is incumbent on ev- 

 er}- bee-keeper in ever^' other State to do 

 likewise bv- his own Senators. 



I do not believe our subscribers fully re- 

 alize how important this is. Nothing that 

 has come up in ^ears will do more to sup- 

 press adulteration than this. If I could 

 have my wa^-. every one would send in a 

 letter, if he has not already done so. before 

 he ate or slept. Do it now is a very good 

 rule, especialh- in a case like this. 



We are inclosing an index for 1902 in 

 this issue. We received so many requests 

 from our subscribers for an index that we 

 concluded we had better send one to every 

 subscriber. We have been greatly- delayed 

 in our printing department, or otherwise 

 this index would have been out sooner. The 

 present index is the most voluminous, b}' 

 all odds, we have ever sent out. 



