Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-07-15
Agricultural.
OmciaI AmicfiOns Of the vermont Dai-
rymen'a Association.


rymen'a AssOciatiOn.
The officers Of the Vermont Dairymen's As
ISOLATION having established, as they claim,
the reputation Of the state at the great inter
national dairy fair held in New York in 1879,
are now engaged in an effort to establish the
reputation of each other, which promises to
be eminently successful. It appears that
subscriptions were solicited ito promote the
dairying interests Of Vermont" ut tho inter
national exhibition, and the division of the
funds thus raised, amongthe officers of the Yer
mont Dairymen's Association, for services,
expenses, etc., leads TO a disagreement be-
tween them that results in an exposure which
illustrates the true nwardness of some things
for which the people are asked to contribute
to promote great public ~ interest.
o. S. Bliss, secretary and treasurer of the
association, charges the vice president Col
N. T. Sprague, with subscribing $25 which
was never paid, and that he and President
Il. d. Mason had, as he believed, entered in
to an understanding by which they were to
pocket the money raised for the purpose and
defraud him of his claim against the society
for expenses incurred on its account, and the
association of the residue after paying the
expenses, which should have been devoted
to the printing of unpublished reports.
To this Col Sprague replies, asking;
''Who had clothes bought for them to appear
at the fair p and charging the secretary with
receiving SG4 of the funds subscribed, for ex-
penses and time, when the actual expense
should not exceed one-hslf that amount.
Mr.. Bliss also charges L. d. Mason, presi-
dent of the association, with crooked ways in
buying butter and cheese for exhibition with
the funds subscribed, and managing to be
first on the butter committee himself, and Sc
curing the appointment of Mr. G. P. Rhoads
as one Of the judges on cheese, the cheese ex-
hibited having been bought of Rhoads and
entered in the name OF Mason, contrary to
the rules of the fair, which required that all
goods should be entered in the name of the
maker. A premium of $50 was thus obtain
ed, $50 on the butter and $25 on the cheese,
which Mr.. Bliss says has not been accounted
for, which should be paid into the treasury,
rs it was obtained on products bought with
the public funds.
We have not yet seen any public statement
by President Mason in reply TO the charges
of the secretary, and it is perhaps unfair to
judge of him unheard in his own defence
but it certainly looks as if the Vermont Dali
rymen's Association had very little to boast
of in making the reputation of the state, to
say nothing of their own. o. NJ. Tinkham,
of the Freeman, says
1--WE were an exhibitor of butter in the
Vermont section of that fair, the section of
which Mr.. Mason was first on the committee.
II would seem to be getting the chances
down to pretty fair certainty, to buy butter
with the fund money, and TO be Judge on the
committee by which ones own butter was
judged Mr.. Bliss may have been in error
some of his statements 1t is true Mr. Ma.
son was one of the judges on butter, for we
were there and saw whereof we affirm We
should think Mr. Mason could hardly afford
to lot these charges made by Mr.. Bliss pass
unnoticed, notwithstanding Mr.. Bliss we'll
known aptitude for extremity of statement.
They involve something beyond matter of
taste, a point of honor the question of hon
est, square dealing is involved"