ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KLEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



111 



ing any new appointive office for the 

 governor as a political factor, as they 

 claim all appointive officers are politi- 

 cal factors for the administration. 

 Again, there were some parties in the 

 committee that argued thus: "Well, 

 supposing you go around and burn up 

 those people's ibees that have foul 

 > rood, what are you going to do with 

 all those in the hollow trees? "Won't 

 they stay there? You cannot go out 

 there and hunt those up, and the bees 

 that have been cured will be attracted 

 there and the disease will be carried 

 to them." 



Mr. Moore: Will you tell us why it 

 would necessarily be an appointive 

 office when it is not now with the 

 present law? Why would it be a 

 governor's appointment when it is not 

 now? 



I>r. Bohrer: Are you appointed by 

 the State Association? 



Mr. Smith: Our Act called for the 

 appointment by the governor. 



President York: The Act that failed 

 to pass. 



Mr. Smith: Yes. Now, we propose 

 to change it, so that upon the recom- 

 mendation of the Illinois State Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, the governor 

 shall appoint. Well, the governor might 

 appoint, would probably appoint, some 

 political friend. He might not appoint 

 a man that was competent, or that he 

 knew was competent for that purpose. 

 That was the objection they had. 



Dr. Bohrer: Was your law formu- 

 lated so as to call for a State bee- 

 inspector that should be a competent 

 person, recommended by competent 

 bee-keepers? 



Mr. Smith: It was supposed that 

 the State organization of bee-keepers 

 would not recommend a man who was 

 not competent. If the bee-keepers 

 have it in their hands, they will select 

 a man who is competent. 



Dr. Bohrer: The law ought to make 

 that provision. 



Mr. Smith: Then, again, there were 

 letters written to the members of the 

 House and Senate that it was a polit- 

 ical graft, that it was a personal graft, 

 and T don't know what all. I never 

 paid any attention to the letters, and 

 never read any of them. 



Mr. Moore: By whom were the let- 

 ters written? 



Mr. Smith: By some who claimed 

 that they were bee-keepers, and that it 

 was all unnecessary. 



Mr. Wilcox: Perhaps our experience 

 in Wisconsin in getting a foul brood 

 law might be considered in connection 

 with this. Our law provided that the 

 inspector should be appointed uopn the 

 recommendation of the State Bee- 

 Keepers' Association. It stood that 

 way until in 1898 a committee of law- 

 yers, when they came to that law, 

 struck out the clause relating to the 

 recommendation, and left it that a foul 

 brood inspector should be appointed by 

 the governor, and the Legislature ap- 

 proved the revision as made by the 

 committee. Our foul brood inspector 

 has been appointed by the governor, 

 and we have always been successful 

 because we have had the same in- 

 spector first and last. ^ 



Dr. Miller: I doubt the wisdom of 

 our spending time on that point, be- 

 cause we have at the capital two men 

 who are thoroughly competent to do 

 all that can be done. I am speaking 

 now of the president and secretary of 

 the State Association. I believe they 

 will do all they can,- to secure such a 

 law, and I doubt if there is anything 

 we could offer that would be any ad- 

 vantage to them. 



Mr. Moore: May be the president of 

 the Illinois State Association can give 

 us some advice as to how we can help 

 to get such a law. 



Dr. Bohrer: We had a good deal of 

 trouble in Kansas, and when we tried 

 to get a bill through the Legislature 

 creating a State bee inspector, they 

 would not hear of it. It provided for 

 an appropriation that looked big to a 

 good many, to the members of the 

 Legislature. Then we formulated a 

 bill providing for the appointment by 

 the county commissioners of a county 

 bee inspector who should be recom- 

 mended by the bee-keepers of the 

 county, and he was to be paid by the 

 county treasurer, the same as any oth- 

 er county debt was to be paid, the 

 property to be assessed or taxed 

 through the county commissioners. 

 That way, we got it through. 



Mr. Kimmey: I asked this question 

 because I wanted to know the argu- 

 ments for and against. I know a num- 

 ber of the members of the Legislature. 

 I know a good many of these fellows 

 who are raising a row down there now, 

 and I want to know what arguments 

 I may expect to meet if I have occa-^ 

 sion to talk with these men. 



Mr. Smith: If the members of this 

 Association that live in the State of 



