FIFTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART IV. 203 



ADDRESS OF WELCOME. 



Hon. F. M. Norris, Mayor Mason City. 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen— A good many years ago, I think 

 perhaps twelve or fifteen, it was my pleasure and my privilege to attend a 

 meeting of the Iowa State Dairy Association held in Waverly. Another 

 honored citizen of Mason City, Mr. O. T. Denison, if memory does not 

 serve me wrong, was president of the association at that time, giving to his 

 work faithful and highly successful efforts. Prof. W. A. Henry, of 

 Madison, Wis., just entering his great fame as student and teacher, and 

 investigator; Governor Hoard, of Wisconsin, whose memorable address 

 ■upon that occasion will never be forgotton by those privileged to hear it; 

 James Wilson, whose marvelous work as secretary of agriculture has never 

 been equalled in the history of this country, and others of more than state- 

 wide reputation contributed to the success of a meeting of men, whose meet- 

 ing meant then as now a great deal to the State and to the Nation. 



There was another man there; he was young but that misfortune was 

 mitigated, so far as may be with a modesty and sincerity which have never 

 departed, by the pride and satisfaction which we feel in the work which has 

 been done for agriculture in its allied interests and for Iowa by Prof. 

 Charles F. Curtis, of Ames, for the work done in those intervening years 

 has resulted in the record of success made by our State; it has had to do with 

 the production, the manufacture, the sale, the distribution of one of the 

 most valuable of the products of the Iowa farm; and has had to do with the 

 development, the enactment and the enforcement of legislation for the pro- 

 tection of this product. It has had to do with the financial welfare and 

 success of literally hundreds of thousands of men and women who have found 

 in the milky way the road to financial independence, and in fine, to tha^ 

 way that has contributed so much to the material welfare of the State. 



So now it only remains for me to bid you welcome. I can wish you no 

 greater success than to express the wish for the association that this meeting 

 of the association may be as successful as the meetings which have pre- 

 ceded it. I can wish you no greater success than that the association may 

 continue -to improve up to the full standard of its responsibilities and oppor- 

 tunities. 



Mr. President, I thank you. 



The President: We are unfortunate in the fact that the 

 weather is against us and, consequently, Mr. E. M. Wentworth, 

 of State Center, the man who was to respond to the address of 

 welcome, is not here; he is delayed at Marshaljtown and will 

 probably be here inside the next thirty minutes; but he dictated 

 a response to the address of welcome, over the telephone, which 

 was taken by the stenographer, and his right-hand man, Mr. 

 Scott, will read it. 



I have the pleasure of introducing to you Mr. Scott. 



