130 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



The Chairman: The suggestion by Mr. Schofield is a timely one. How- 

 ever, my attention has been called to the fact that that subject has been 

 put on our program and will be discussed by Mr. E. J. Curtin of Decorah. 



Mr. A. R. Corey: I just received a telegram from Mr. Curtin saying 

 that he arrived home from Chicago very sick and it is doubtful if he would 

 be here at all. I am sure that he will not be here, for if he were to be here 

 today he would have come last night at seven o'clock. 



The Chairman: It is therefore possible that we will have to assign that 

 topic to someone else, in the absence of Mr. Curtin. However, I think 

 best to let the matter stand until the topic is brought up for discussion on 

 the regular program, which comes sometime this afternoon. In the mea.i- 

 time we will procure some one that will volunteer to take up the discus- 

 sion of that topic. 



The Chairman: Now, gentlemen there are many other subjects that 

 are to be brought up here at this meeting that will be of interest to all 

 of us. Let me hear from some one else on some other suggestion. 



Mr. Bacon (Clay) : Mr. Chairman, I think this subject should be brought 

 up at this time and discussed — what attitude the county fairs of Iowa 

 are going to take with reference to the Horsemen's Protective Associa- 

 tion that is going to be organized on Monday at the Chicago horse sale. 

 It is an organization consisting of race horse owners. They have 

 announced fourteen points covering objectionable features of the present 

 rules and regulations covering horse racing and conditions generally. 

 They propose that the entrance fee charged shall be added to the purse, 

 and many other things. If this organization is formed among the horse- 

 men, and it looks like the horsemen are going to form a union, it is 

 going to materially hurt some of the smaller county fairs, because they 

 cannot give as much money in their purses as the larger fairs, and there-. 

 fore some program ought to be arranged and carried out to protect us 

 against this organization. 



The Chairman: That is a timely topic. Mr. Cameron is with us today. 

 He was in Chicago last week and probably has got a fairly good idea of 

 what has been proposed. 



C. E. Cameron (Buena Vista) : I would like to know if any one present 

 has the circular containing the 14 points. I had one and carried it 

 around in my pocket for two or three weeks, but on my return home I 

 changed my clothes and must have left it at home. I think the most im- 

 portant thing is to read the fourteen points — I haven't committed them 

 to memory. Of course, there are a great many things among them that 

 are all right, and there are others that are dead wrong. 



Now, as the chairman has stated, I think the horsemen and managers 

 are going to hold a meeting in Chicago on the 18th. They have got some 

 pretty absurd propositions. For instance, there is one point which says 

 that no race may be declared off if there is one horse to start. Imagine 

 what that should do to the race-loving public! We all know that it is 

 simply outlandish to agree to allow a man to go out there and walk his 

 horse around the track, with no competition, and collect $400 for it. This 

 question has been brought up: Why should horsemen simply race for their 

 own money? My experience with county fairs has been — and it has ex- 



