424 
TWENTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING 
the meeting, and none from the West beyond those doing business 
in Cincinnati. So this meeting in Chicago is really the first effort 
that we have made to hold a general meeting in the West. It is 
only within a short time that we have appreciated the growth of 
the profession in the West. We were, some years ago, in attend¬ 
ance upon the Cattle Convention here in Chicago, where we met 
a number of prominent Western veterinarians. Many of the best 
veterinarians in the East have come here, so that to-day, in meet¬ 
ing in the West, we may say that we have finished the ground¬ 
work, the foundation which we have been building for the last 
twenty-five years, of the U. S. Veterinary Medical Association. 
We are an organized body to-day, having taken in some forty 
members, and this meeting makes it, not only in name, but abso¬ 
lutely in practice, the United States Veterinary Medical Associa¬ 
tion. I am sure from the correspondence I have seen in the hands 
of the Secretary that he has done an immense amount of work,' 
and has more before him in the future than he has so well per¬ 
formed in the past. I think if you could realize the amount of 
work that has been done in arranging for this meeting, you would 
agree with me that we owe him our gratitude. Every man who 
comes into this Association is a practical man, and cannot but be 
a benefit to the Association. The young men who have come 
with us to-day will stimulate the older members to more active 
work, and in this way the Association should be very successful. 
I think there are several things which every member can do to 
further the general interests of the Association, one of which is to 
aid in the strengthening of the local organization. In every State, 
an effort should be made to support the local Association and keep 
an active society as auxiliary to this Association. A few days 
ago I attended our State Association meeting at Lancaster, Pa. 
I made a proposition there that the State Association undertake 
the formation of local societies throughout the State wherever 
they have four or more veterinarians in a county, and with these 
organize a county society. We then made a stipulation to be 
voted on six months from now, that wherever four veterinarians 
form a local society, that no one is eligible to the State Associa¬ 
tion unless a member of the county society. If a man is not fit, 
