ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 125 



connection with and pertaining to the dairy interests of our 

 state. It is only through and by organization that any great 

 cause can succeed. As State Food Commissioner, it is my duty 

 to look after all the food products of the state and as our legis- 

 lature is now in session, and the State Food Department is 

 asking for two inspectors whose duty it shall be to look after 

 the dairy interests of the state, and who shall be experts in dairy 

 products, I though it proper that through and by the assistance 

 of the State Dairy Association we could so impress the legisla- 

 ture with the importance of these additional inspectors that we 

 might have no difficulty in securing the same to protect and look 

 after the dairy interests of the state. 



As State Food Commissioner, I have also prepared a bill to 

 revise and modify the state food laws as we have never had a 

 revision of the state food laws and the different acts as passed 

 by the legislature extend back to 1845. In 1899 was passed 

 the law known as the State Food Commission and since the 

 passage of the law there has been a contention that all the laws 

 passed prior to that time were repealed by implication, then, if 

 this contention is true, all the laws, or substantially all the 

 laws pertaining to the dairy were repealed by that act, as the 

 act embraced nothing but foods proper. As the dairy laws 

 had been passed prior to that time, what our department is try- 

 ing to do is to secure a revision of this law so that these objec- 

 tions may be obviated and Illinois may have the best dairy law, 

 as well as food law generally, of any state in the union. Illi- 

 nois is one of the best states in the union for the dairy business. 

 Our soil and climate are the best; our agricultural and dairy 

 school in connection with the State University of Illinois at 

 Champaign, is doing the best work of any similar institution 

 in the Union and is turning out students who are experts in the 

 line of farming and dairy interests. 



As was stated, our state is the fountain head of agriculture 

 and foremost of all the states in the union in the products of 

 the dairy, and according to the last census, Illinois already has 

 over one million cows and with her 700 creameries and 10,000 



