274 
EDITORIAL. 
toward Western veterinarians than had previously gained publicity through the 
press. The West desired such declaration of fraternity, and it was largely ex¬ 
ploratory, for the purpose of discovering if such feeling existed in the East, that 
my first letter was written. Hence its main object has been realized in a very sat¬ 
isfactory manner. 
Incorporated in your letter, however, are some statements which deserve 
comment. 
At the outset, in saying : “ It [the United States Veterinary Medical Asso¬ 
ciation] has always in the past confined its programme to members of its organi¬ 
zation, and only by special request, given by unanimous vote, allowed outside 
papers to be read at its meetings,” you would apparently have the readers of the 
Journal infer that my open letter was the result of wounded vanity at not being 
accorded a place on your programme. As this subject was not broached in my 
letter, it would appear incompetent in your reply, and since I have at no time 
and in no manner asked or desired the honor, nor authorized any friend to speak 
for me in the matter, it would appear that you were laboring under a misappre¬ 
hension. But were the suggestions as to my motive well placed, your statements 
as to usage seem at variance with the records of your society, since in your own 
city, Philadelphia, at your meeting of September 20th, 1886, a paper was read 
by an eminent gentleman who was not only not a member, but if your title V. 
S. means anything, be was not even eligible to membership and was not on your 
honorary roll. It is abundantly safe to say that he was invited , not suffered to 
read his paper after reverently begging the favor. 
You grow phenomenally and unnecessarily eloquent over the fact that the 
published criticism came not from a member, but from one “who but a few 
years since had his name dropped for non-payment of initiation fee and dues.” 
You failed to add the very material fact, that I did not apply for membership, 
as I was aware that all your meetings were held one thousand miles distant, out 
of financial reach of a young, struggling Western veterinarian, and it was for the 
purpose of breaking down this barrier between you and the mass of Western 
veterinarians that we urged you to hold a Western meeting. I can scarcely be¬ 
lieve that your society makes a practice of electing veterinarians to membership 
without their having applied, and then pays you a salary as its authorized mouth¬ 
piece to belittle those who find it impracticable to accept the proffered honor. 
To your claim that “No names of members from the West have been de¬ 
barred [from programme] nor have any requests from Western members of the 
Association been denied,” we would say that Western veterinarians, whether 
members or not, are not likely to beg for a place, nor is it plain why you should 
expect them to do so, when by your own admission and records, your procure 
Eastern papers from members and non-members by the active solicitation of your 
committee, while among the one thousand Western veterinarians you solicited no 
papers, with one exception, until after my open letter, and accorded them very 
scant attention, not even deigning to answer an urgent business letter from your 
fellow-officer, State Secretary Butler, who, galled and disheartened by your 
silence, was finally driven to withdraw his paper, partially promised to your 
President. 
It has become quite evident that the unpleasant tangle in which we are in¬ 
volved is due in the main, if not wholly, to a very natural error; you broke away 
