274 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
HOW TO MEET THE QUARANTINE 37 SITUATION 
The Advice of Congressman M. L. Davey of Ohio as lo 
How to Have the Ruling Amended—Substance of an 
Address Delivered Before the Convention of the 
National Association of Gardeners at Cleve¬ 
land, 0., August 28, 1919 
During the time that is at my disposal I wish to discuss some 
very practical questions which have an interesting and important 
bearing upon the profession which you represent. 
Let me first take up the matter pertaining to prohibition of 
plant importations, known as Quarantine Ruling No. 37. It is 
not my proper function to condemn this action of the Tederal 
Horticultural Board inasmuch as my office would make it im¬ 
proper for me to assume that position at this time. 
I can, however, make certain practical and helpful sugges¬ 
tions regarding the best method of procedure to get results 
and I may say that in my judgment the Federal Horticultural 
Board has gone too far. I believe that there are elements of 
good in this ruling and likewise I believe that it has gone so 
far beyond the actual necessities of the situation that certain 
injustices have been done. 
Now then, all you want is the elimination of the injustice and 
the benefits of fair consideration for the proper interests of 
your profession. You have a right to ask and demand an im¬ 
partial hearing on this important question. You do not want 
any action which is improper. You only want justice and fair 
play. These things can best be determined by an impartial 
hearing. Obviously the Federal Horticultural Board would not 
be in a position to give an impartial hearing, because it has al¬ 
ready reached a decision and it is most natural that its mem¬ 
bers should be prejudiced in favor of their own decision. They 
are human like the rest of us. 
My suggestion is that you proceed to get a full hearing of 
this matter before the Agricultural Committee of the House. 
You can get such a hearing if you will proceed in a practical 
way. The Federal Horticultural Board will certainly listen to 
the Agricultural Committee of the House because they get their 
appropriations through that committee. The Agricultural Com- 
mittee, in turn, will certainly listen to the urgent request either 
of its own members or a reasonable number of other members 
of the House. No one can deny you the opportunity of a hear¬ 
ing. 
You are not asking this committee to pre-judge your case. 
You are not asking it to take your side. You are asking it 
merely to arrange for a hearing at which all the facts from 
both sides may be fully and freely presented and from which 
it can draw a just conclusion as to the merits of the case. 
If you cannot make a good case, you naUtrally would not ex¬ 
pect favorable action. But if you can make a good case you 
will expect such action as will result in proper modification of 
this quarantine ruling. 
Those who are interested in this matter are sufficient in num¬ 
bers to secure such a hearing if they will proceed in a deter¬ 
mined manner. Let me tell you something about the attitude 
of members of Congress. Those whom I have met are prac¬ 
tically all fine fellows personally. They are trying to do right 
in the service they render to their constituents. They are hu¬ 
man, of course. Most men are in Congress because they want 
to be there; most of them want to stay there. They recognize 
the fact that the best way to stay there is to render satisfac¬ 
tory srvice to the people they represent. 
So if each of you will tell your Congressman that you think 
an injustice has been done the horticultural profession by this 
quarantine, that you insist upon an impartial hearing of the 
whole question before the Agricultural Committee of the House, 
and that you ask him to use his influence to secure such a hear¬ 
ing, I am sure he will gladly respond favorably. 
You are not asking him to commit himself as to the merits 
of the case. You are asking him merely to help you secure an 
impartial hearing, which is perfectly right and proper. 
Take my advice and don’t write a form letter. Take the facts 
and write them in your own way to your own Congressman. 
Don’t let him put you off with a formal acknowledgment. Tell 
him you want to know the results of his efforts. If he does 
not report to you within a reasonable length of time, go after 
him again. Let him know that you expect results. If he 
knows that you mean business, you can take my word for it 
that he will “step on the gas” and try to help you. 
Your Congressman wants your votes and the votes of your 
friends. As long as you do not ask him to do anything wrong 
or injure anyone else, or violate the rules of proper conduct, he 
will be glad to help you, if he knows you mean business. But 
you cannot expect him to do anything for you unless he knows 
what you want. 
You are not asking anything improper in making this request. 
Not only will he be glad to help you, but you have an absolutely 
perfect right to go to him for help. He is your representative 
and subject to your call on'anything that pertains to his office. 
Don’t feel that you are asking something to which you have no 
right. He knows that you have a right to go to him and that 
you have a right to insist upon his help, within the limits of 
propriety. 
If every man interested in the horticultural profession will 
make it his individual business to take this matter up with his 
own Congressman and insist upon positive help and definite ac¬ 
tion and keep after him until he gets a satisfactory reply, I can 
almost guarantee that a hearing will be granted. 
From that time on it is entirely a question of making your 
case before the committee. Also I can almost guarantee that 
any recommendations which the Agricultural Committee sees fit 
to make on the basis of the facts and merits of -the case as dis¬ 
closed at the hearing, will be cheerfully and promptly carried 
out by the Federal Horticultural Board. 
If I should talk to you indefinitely I could not give you any 
more practical method of procedure nor one more likely to be 
successful than this. I commend it to you for prompt and vigor¬ 
ous action. 
—Florists Exchange. 
The Anierican Association of Nurserymen is to be con¬ 
gratulated upon securing the services of so able and ef¬ 
ficient a man as Mr. John Watson to act in the capacity 
of executive secretary for the Association. There is no 
man in the business better or more favorably known or 
one who so thoroughly enjoys the confidence of the nur¬ 
sery trade. 
Mr. Watson’s sentiments and ideas belong to the new 
order of things. His ethics and standards of business 
conduct are well known, having been president of a Na¬ 
tional Association so very recently. 
The securing of the services of Mr. Watson will in¬ 
sure a progressive and up to date management of the As¬ 
sociation’s affairs. 
We might add, the job will be no sinecure and for the 
welfare of the trade every member should rally to his 
support in carrying out the work that is planned. 
John Watson, the newly appoinled 
Executive Secretary of the 
National Association of 
Nurserymen 
