EDITORIAL. 
275 
from a time honored precedent to hold a meeting in the West, of an Association 
which by holding its meetings in the East, has remained essentially Eastern, and 
after deviating from that precedent as to location, you overlooked the advisa¬ 
bility of departing from custom in other matters as well, thus threatening the 
desired harmony between programme and place. 
Whatever may be said of its drawbacks, public agitation of the subject has 
brought forth such frank and candid expressions of fraternal feeling toward 
Western veterinarians that it is very evident that your actions and utterances of 
an earlier date failed to faithfully express the prevailing sentiments of the body 
of your society or of your own personal feelings, after more careful reflection 
and observation under the new conditions and from the new point of view, 
brought about by change of location. 
It now remains only for Western veterinarians to attend the Chicago meeting 
as largely as possible; to enter fully and heartily into the enjoyment of your very 
excellent programme, the worth of which is fully assured by the names of Drs. 
Salmon, Huidekoper and Liautard ; to mingle cautiously and courteously in the 
business and social life of the society, and above all to demonstrate beyond doubt 
our hearty fraternal feeling toward Eastern veterinarians, becoming thoroughly 
amalgamated with them in a truly grand national organization, and extending to 
them so cordial a welcome, that not only will they rejoice for having come 
among us, but will look gladly forward to an early return to the West. 
The meeting will prove one of unusual importance to the profession at large, 
offering as it does by far the best opportunity in its history for the United 
States Veterinary Medical Association to become, in the highest sense, the rep¬ 
resentative national veterinary society of the United States, and to this end all 
veterinarians from every section, who can possible do so, should attend the 
meeting, and laying wholly aside all sectional or personal feeling, unite in one 
whole, with no East, West, North or South, and with but one object in view— 
the elevation of the profession. 
With the sincere wish that the Chicago meeting may prove of very great 
value to the society and profession, and heartily assuring you that what has been 
said and done, however erratic or misguided, has been inspired only by a desire 
for that justice and respect of which we are now assured, to the large section of 
the profession of which I am a member, 
I remain yours truly, 
W. L. Williams. 
The Committee of Arrangements of the United States Veterinary Medical 
Association takes this opportunity of extending a cordial invitation to every 
graduate of veterinary science in good standing in the United States to attend 
the Annual Meeting, in the Recital Hall of the Auditorium Building in Chicago, 
September 16th and 17th, 1890. 
The special train from the East, leaving New York City about 8 a.m. on 
the morning of September 14th, offers great inducements in lower rates for a 
pleasant way of journeying to the convention. 
It is expected that one and one-third rates will be granted on all lines in the 
middle district (between the Alleghany and Rocky Mountains) converging in 
