HIRTY-FIFTH ANNUAL CONVENTION. 167 



THE ILLINOIS DAIRY COW. 



W. W. Marple, Muncie, Indiana. 



A lawyer once said he would rather defend a guilty man 

 than he would an innocent one because if he lost the case he didn't 

 feel so badly about it. This explains my situation exactly on this 

 occasion. The most eminent surgeon never presumes to per- 

 form an operation on his kin. His sympathy unnerves him and 

 his fear of a mistake unqualifies him for doing good work, so I 

 ask your indulgence today for any mistake I may make in pre- 

 senting the claims of "The Illinois Dairy Cow" on the grounds 

 of my close relationship to her and her keeper. A darkey was 

 asked once if he could have three wishes granted what they 

 would be and without hesitation he said : "He would take first 

 10 barrels of whiskey, then he would take 10 boxes of tobacco^ 

 and then he hesitated for sometime and said, I believe I would 

 take another barrel of whiskey." If I could have three wishes 

 granted, in the interest of Illinois, I would make my first choice 

 a dairy herd for each farm in the state, my second choice a silo 

 for each herd and my third choice a few more cows. I acknowl- 

 edge as an additional cause for embarrassment today the person- 

 nel of this audience who demand a reason for the faith that is 

 within them and I realize that the influence of your verdict will 

 be felt far beyond the confines of these walls and the ultimate 

 decision of a question more important to this state than we can 

 conceive will be materially affected by this verdict. If any fur- 

 ther evidence of my position on t he question of the dairy cow 

 for Illinois is needed, I would say that I believe a failure to en- 

 courage the most generous introduction of dairy cows into this 

 state is absolutely criminal and that any citizen of this great com- 

 monwealth to whom has been given a position of trust that in any 



