ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 29 



and kindly quadruped witli which you have to do most famil- 

 iarly. 1 progressed far enough to learn that I needed two pails 

 — one to stand in the proper place for receiving the liquid and 

 one at the end of my left elbow to catch the stream that con- 

 tinually trickled down my left arm. You see I am thoroughly 

 qualified to look in the face and bid you welcome to this hos- 

 pitable city. I come also as the latest accession to the ranks, 

 and you will discover as quickly as I that I was a stranger 

 and have been taken in. But we welcome you, gentlemen, be- 

 cause of the fact that you are an important body, more so 

 than x>^rhaps usually we are led to believe. T have been 

 astounded to find out that the aggregate amount of money in- 

 vested in the dairying business is three times as much as the 

 aggregate capital of our banking institutions, our railroads 

 and the corporations of the State. This does not include the 

 rAde issues which all minister to and are fostered by your 

 work in the State. I have been somewhat surprised to hear 

 statements to the effect that the Legislature of the State ol 

 Illinois has so little regard, has been so feebly educated con- 

 cerning this important branch of our industries, as to make 

 it a doubt as to whether or not you should receive that treat- 

 ment which should be accorded all helpful institutions within 

 our borders. Certainly that industry which invests a capital 

 of 1336,000,000; certainly that industry which, if it gathered 

 together all the milk producing cattle in this State, setting 

 them together as one elongated cow^, could feed in Maine and 

 have the gently switching tail in California, is no small 

 thing. I would think it Avould become necessary, gentlemen, 

 for you more and more to educate the people, as well as the 

 legislators — to have a place in the columns of the weekly 

 papers; to touch the municipal print everywhere throughout 

 this State in order that the people may come to an under- 

 standing of the importance of the interests, even from the 

 financial side, which you represent. 



We welcome you, because, not only of the fact that in 

 this large investment of capital you are an important body, 

 but because of the large number of interests which we remem- 

 ber are related to your work. We think about the laborers 

 on the farm, and I am told that wherever the dairying inter- 

 ests are flourishing there the farm hands get the largest pay. 



