APPENDIX 



559 



.the formation of a good Hereford, so that all 

 readers of Mr. Miller's History may reap full 

 benefit of its teachings, and be enabled to take 

 fullest advantage of the merits of Hereford 

 blood. 



It is believed the illustrations comparing 

 prime beef with that found in the ordinary 

 markets will serve a particularly useful pur- 

 pose. 



Few people realize that it is impossible to 

 have a real prime beefsteak on their tables 

 unless the animal from which it was taken 

 possessed some of the blood of our improved 

 beef breeds. 



CHANGE IN ADMINISTRATION OF 

 THE AMERICAN HEREFORD CAT- 

 TLE BREEDERS' ASSOCIA- 

 TION. 



In Chapter XLIII of this history, on "The 

 Present and Future of the Hereford," Mr. 

 Miller criticizes the old administration of the 

 Hereford Association affairs by an Executive 

 Committee of three, that was provided for in 

 the Association's by-laws. Members of this 

 committee were elected for terms of three 

 years, one member being elected each year, 

 their terms thus interlapping and forming an 

 endless chain. 



Since Mr. Miller's death, a private investiga- 

 tion by prominent members of the Association 

 showed that this committee and the by-laws 

 creating it were unauthorized by law, and a 

 subsequent appeal to the courts of Illinois (un- 

 der whose laws the Association was chartered), 

 brought about an official investigation which 

 declared the committee illegal, resulting in the 

 resignation of the entire Executive Commit- 

 tee and its officers in January, 1902, and the 

 assumption of the administrative duties of the 

 Association by its legally authorized Board of 

 Directors. 



Adhering to the charter of the Association, 

 the law vests all administrative authority in a 

 Hoard of five directors, who shall be elected 

 annually For terms of one year, and the laws 

 of -Illinois compel this Board to assume and 

 discharge these duties, making them responsi- 

 ble for the conduct of the Association. 



Coming into this responsibility unexpectedly 

 and without desire or effort on their part, the 

 Hoard of Directors reluctantly assumed con- 



trol, and at this time (July, 1902) have cor- 

 rected much of the error Mr. Miller essayed to 

 point out. 



The unfortunate dissensions which brought 

 about the aforesaid investigation, and the re- 

 sultant shifting of authority, naturally engen- 

 dered considerable feeling in the Association, 

 so that the Board of Directors was obliged to 

 assume its rightful, but unsought and unex- 

 pected power, under very unpleasant circum- 

 stances. It is due them to say that they took 

 up their duties, inspired by that loyalty to 

 Hereford interests that is common to the Here- 

 ford fraternity in general, and which has ever 

 been the great source of the Association's 

 strength. There is a reasonable hope enter- 

 tained generally by the members of the Asso- 

 ciation, that a wise administration by the di- 

 rectors will result in a fair and lasting reunion 

 into one intelligent and aggressive association 

 of the factions caused by the temporary breach. 



Mr. Miller pointed out the evils of the proxy 

 system., which unfortunately without new laws 

 cannot legally be entirely abolished. The 

 proxy system has been the root of most Asso- 

 ciation evils, not only in the Hereford society, 

 but in countless others, and the tendency on 

 the part of many members of the Hereford As- 

 sociation is to refuse to give proxies. The 

 trouble about proxies is that they are too often 

 given for one purpose and voted for another. 

 Proxies are largely used by the holder to pro- 

 mote his own selfish interests. It is safe to say 

 that hundreds of proxies have been voted di- 

 rectly opposite from the way the members giv- 

 ing them would have voted, had they been per- 

 sonally present. As a general proposition, 

 those members , who do not care to go to the 

 expense or trouble of attending the annual 

 meeting, ought to be satisfied with the will of 

 the majority of those who do attend, and not 

 put a weapon in the hands of the minority to 

 defeat the will of those members who do pay 

 their money and expend their time to attend. 

 If every member of the Association who cannot 

 attend the annual meetings in person will re- 

 fuse to be represented by proxy, Hereford dis- 

 sensions will be annihilated for all time, for, as 

 Mr. Miller truly said: "No loyal Hereford 

 man need fear to present his case and abide by 

 the decision of a true Hereford majority." 

 And, "No man is worthy of a Hereford office 

 who is afraid of such majority and resorts to 

 proxies." 



