FANCIERS' JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 



355 



tleman or a member of the American Poultry Association ; 

 and I have no hesitation in saying that I am willing to sub- 

 mit a question of veracity between Mr. Halsted and myself 

 to the poultry fraternity. 



In conclusion, I will say that neither malice nor jealousy 

 prompted me to move the expulsion of Mr. Halsted. I have 

 no reasons for entertaining such feelings toward him. My 

 personal acquaintance with him is very limited, and I have 

 never had any business dealings with him. My sole motive 

 in all that I have said or done in the matter was to maintain 

 the honor and integrity of the Association, and had I done 

 less than I did, I should have been recreant to the trust 

 imposed in me. Yours, &c, 



C. A. Sweet. 



Buffalo, May 18, 1874. 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 

 It has not been my intention to enter upon the discussion 

 of the merits or demerits of the American Standard of Ex- 

 cellence as adopted by Convention assembled at Buffalo, 

 N\Y., last January. I would not descry criticism honorably 

 made, but rather invite it, considering it the rectifier of 

 wrongs. Such was expected, but to see the tone of the 

 many offered, based upon the reasons given, would seem to 

 indicate that the standard was not good, because it was made 

 from their birds. Laying aside, however, all criticism of 

 the different varieties, to be brought up and thoroughly 

 investigated at a future meeting of the Association, there 

 appears to be one or two errors that seem to be accepted 

 without facts to back them. We find many complaining 

 that it was not expected to amount to anything, because it 

 was gotten up in a hurry, and for this reason it is desired to 

 call a new convention, to be held at a convenient place, to 

 have a full discussion, representations from all quarters, 

 and there and then make & perfect standard; in the mean 

 time, let all breeders send in their opinions pertaining to 

 matters of such a standard and let them be considered and 

 due weight given them. But, gentlemen, this was just what 

 was done by our last Convention, and what evidence that a 

 second call will do more than was done, except to lose the 

 confidence of fanciers in all standards. Some complain 

 that only a picked few composed the Convention. Its call 

 was fixed nearly, or quite, a year before its assembly, at a 

 preliminary meeting held at Boston, and there was not a 

 poultry publication in the country but what had some allu- 

 ion to the importance of all attending such an assembly, and 

 the last three or four months quite a large space was devoted 

 in each issue, urging upon all poultry fanciers to attend per- 

 sonally, if possible, and to send in to the Convention a 

 standard of different breeds, just what is asked for in the 

 new proposed convention. A very good number was present; 

 some at a personal expense of a hundred dollars or more, to 

 my certain knowledge; but the number of suggestions of- 

 fered by letters was comparatively very few. On the class 

 of Hamburgs, of which I was a member, not one. The sub- 

 committee were appointed with due consideration to their 

 knowledge of the varieties they represented, and with an 

 endeavor to have different sections of country and strains 

 represented ; at the completion of the committee's work, the 

 whole matter was open to free discussion by the whole con- 

 vention. If there was any member present that allowed 

 anything to go into that standard, contrary to his opinion, 

 and did not then oppose it, he has no right now to do so 

 through the public press, and shows that he had not confi- 



dence enough in his own belief to express it, till he found 

 some one to go shoulder to shoulder with him in fault-finding. 



Again it is claimed, it is impossible to make a good standard 

 in the short space of five days. Those who attended that 

 convention know full well that they did not do the work in 

 the five days of meetings of that assembly ; but the real 

 work, the drafting of the reports, the consideration of all 

 the communications received, the discussion of all the points 

 of standard, in fact nearly all the committee work was done 

 in the night hours, which time is not shown upon the printed 

 reports. There were very many who did not retire a single 

 night, during their week's stay, till after midnight, and some 

 committees, in a few cases, did not till nearly four on the 

 following day. 



"B" says, in the Journal of May 14, "If this society 

 choose to call a new convention, and will make their invi- 

 tation broad enough to admit all classes of poultry men who 

 may be permitted to take part in the deliberations, without 



being obliged to pay $3 for the chance, everybody 



will be satisfied with the arrangement, and ought to be so." 

 All this was clone at the Convention in Buffalo ; all were in- 

 vited, either personally or as delegates; nothing was men- 

 tioned of an admittance fee, and it was only done for pro- 

 tection after the Convention assembled ; then no one was 

 debarred from taking part in the deliberations, for the chair- 

 man, Mr. Churchman, very generously offered to defray the 

 admission fee of any one who did not feel able to bear the 

 expense himself, that it might not be said that three dollars 

 kept any out. Will they be any more satisfied with another 

 convention? 



Again he says, " The Executive Committee of the Ameri- 

 can Association is composed of but twenty men, and a 

 'baker's dozen ' could hardly be got together at once out of 

 this score of gentlemen, scattered as they are from Maine 

 to California; and these dozen men .ought not to be asked 

 to revise this standard by themselves, it is the people's work 

 to do, and the masses should meet and complete it rightfully, 

 in concert with this Association." I agree with him, it is 

 the people's work. The constitution nowhere admits the 

 Executive Committee power to change the standard, but 

 points out the manner how it shall be done by the Conven- 

 tion at their regular meetings. For this reason I would 

 object having the Executive Committee do anything but carry 

 out the spirit of the constitution, and for all propositions for 

 a change in the standard let them do nothing farther than 

 put such propositions in a form to be presented to the Con- 

 vention at the specified time. Before that time let all, every 

 fancier, who can find a man in the Executive Committee to 

 recommend him, hand his name to that Committee for a 

 membership, connect himself with that body, and wherein 

 the standard is faulty, help by personal effort to make it 

 right. This I believe is the wish of all members of the 

 American Poultry Association, as well as of 



Andrew J. Tuck. 

 Nashua, N. H., May 16, 1874. 



Jgir A down Easter believes there is nothing like adver- 

 tising. He lost his pocketbook recently, advertised his loss 

 in the local newspaper, and next morning went down into 

 his own cellar and found it on the floor. 



8@" The editor of the American Sportsman, published at 

 Meriden, Conn., has bought a five hundred dollar dog, and 

 meets his belligerent visitors with a happy smile of calm 

 content. 



