THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



375 



I simply mention it as a fact to show 

 that I uii.uht naturally expect re-elec- 

 tion without "laying any wires." As 

 I have already mentioned, I had said 

 nothing to any one on the subject; in 

 fact, had not even given it a thought, 

 until several came to me at the noon 

 intermission, preceding the afternoon 

 upon which the election of officers 

 was to take place, and told me that 

 Mr. Abbott was boasting that that he 

 was going to "do me up." I was told 

 that his plan was that of nominating 

 a popular Colorado man, Mr. J. U. 

 Harris, President of the Colorado Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, expecting that 

 the Colorado boys would rally around 

 and support one of their own num- 

 ber. It is possible that Mr. Abbott 

 would have made good his boasts, had 

 they not reached the ears of Mr. Har- 

 ris a short time before election, and 

 he, having a fine sense of honor, fair- 

 ness and justice, arose after Mr. Ab- 

 bott nominated him, and made a 

 speech that caused the Colorado bee- 

 keepers, very courteously, to vote for 

 myself instead of for himself. This 

 is the true, inside history of how Mr. 

 Abbott (not Mr. Hutchinson) unwit- 

 tingly laid the wires for the election 

 of the latter. 



Regarding my abilities as a presid- 

 ing officer. I shall have no argument 

 with the gentleman from Missouri. In 

 fact, I am inclined to agree with him 

 on that point. I have several times in 

 the past declined a nomination for 

 that office, and uid it on these very 

 grounds, that I thought there were 

 plenty of other men better fitted for 

 the position. As already explained, 

 I was elected at Buffalo without my 

 knowledge or consent; and I should 

 have withdrawn in favor of Mr. Har- 

 ris at Denver had it not been for that 

 tiait of human nature that resents be- 

 ing "turned down" for the gratification 

 of some one else. 



All of this talk about my holding 

 two offices, that of Director and Presi- 

 dent, simply shows the desperate 

 straits to which Mr. Abbott is put to 

 tind fault. Whether or not it is de- 

 sirable that a Director should also 

 hold the office of President, or Secre- 

 tary, is a fair question to discuss, but 

 it ill becomes Mr. Abbott to now ob- 

 ject so strenuously when several of 

 our late Presidents have also been 

 Directors, when he was the man who 

 nominated me at Buffalo, as I have 

 since learned, and who, last February, 

 most earnestly urged me to accept the 

 nomination for General Manager, 

 knowing, at the time, that I already 

 held two offices! Last winter he was 

 ready to give me three offices, now he 

 holds up his hands in holy horror be- 

 cause I hold two. "Oh, consistency, 

 tliou art a jewel!" Mr. Abbott says 

 that I do not seem satisfied with two 

 offices, but am striving to dictate who 

 shall hold a third office. I should be 

 entirely satisfied with no office at all. 

 I have never sought an office, and 

 never shall. I have no desire to dic- 

 tate who shall hold office in the Asso- 

 ciation. The members will attend to 

 tliat. and do it right, if they are only 

 fully acquainted with the different 

 candidates, and know all of the facts 

 in the case. All that I wish is that 

 the man best fitted for the office shall 

 be el3Cted. Mr. Abbott is a candidate 

 for the office of General Manager, 

 but it seems to me he must know 

 that, considering all of the trouble 

 there has been between him and 

 the Boai'd of Directors, his elec- 

 tion could be followed only by a con- 

 tinuation of past troubles. Without 

 wishing to say anything personally 

 against Mr. Abbott, I do feel it my 

 duty to say that the interests of the 

 Association will be best served by 

 electing to office a man who has had 

 no connection with the late unpleas- 



