122 FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT 



statement, and there is a whole column in it and the arti- 

 cle closes up with the statement I refer to. Of course it 

 was news to me. I thought I had been handling tons 

 and tons of foundation that was pure, or, at least, I had 

 been telling my customers it was pure, and I was standing 

 behind it myself, and I had my reputation at stake and I 

 wanted you people to know it as soon as possible. I 

 thought I would send it to the American Bee Journal, but 

 we like to get "a scoop," and I thought I would copy it 

 first. 



Pres. York — Have you the entire letter? 



Mr. Abbott — I have the entire copy, my comment and the 

 editor's upon it. 



Dr. Miller — Just what is the statment he did make? 



Mr. Abbott — The sentence states that honey is not 

 adulterated, but that paraffin is used wholly or in part in 

 the manufacture of foundation. Those are not exactly the 

 words but that is the substance of it. 



Dr. Miller — That leaves it, he might say if he knew 

 of a single case in which some fool who was making ex- 

 periments might have used only half a pound of it. Per- 

 haps it will be wise for us to be careful in what we say, 

 and rather ask the question whether Prof. Wiley has any 

 proof; and perhaps it would be wise to let the journals 

 ask him. I think that would be better. 



Mr. Dadant — I think you are doing Mr. Wiley a great 

 deal too much honor by paying so much attention to what 

 he says. In regard to this accusation, it only strikes one 

 or two firms. I am perfectly willing to stand on my own 

 responsibility, and my respectability, without any atten- 

 tion being paid to it. 



Mr. Dittmer — Mr. Dadant is wholly right. Prof. 

 Wiley's reputation in the past has been such that he de- 

 serves no attention on our part, and the best way to get 

 rid of an obnoxious person is to ignore him. 



Mr. Abbott — Mr. Wiley is chief chemist of the United 

 States; his word is authority not only in the United 

 States but all over the world. He is quoted as the repre^ 

 sentative of the United States by the chemical men of the 

 world and we cannot ignore Mr. Wiley. We have to face 

 the fact that he represents the United States among the 

 scholars of the world so far as chemistry is concerned, 

 and he represents the United States so far as the people 

 in command are concerned. We cannot ignore those 

 things. It is all right enough to say we are giving him 

 too much advertising. We are not giving him too much. 

 The chief chemist of the United States, who speaks by 

 authority of the United States, ought to tell the truth. 



Mr. Dadant — But he doesn't. It will serve no purpose 

 whatever to demand anything. A man who will state a 

 thing which he knows to be false will stick to the false- 

 hood. He will make an untruthful statement again, and it 

 will simply make matters worse by having anything to do 

 with him. 





