274 
EDITORIAL. 
toughest, most straining part of the terrific fight and we have 
the worst part of the work yet to do. 
The facts are these: The bill “ to consolidate the veterinary 
service, United States Army, and increase its.efficiency,” H. R. 
16843, as a result of frequent conferences between the War 
Department, the House Committee on Military Affairs and our 
professional representatives, in recast, modified form, was favor¬ 
ably reported out of the committee of the Lower House April 26. 
That Committee says, in its transmittal. “ Your committee, after 
giving the bill very careful consideration, is of the opinion that 
it should pass in the interest of the efficiency of the service.” In 
closing the printed document transmitting the recast bill to the 
floor of the House of Representatives, the Military Committee 
said: “ It is thought that it will greatly improve the service to 
give the rank provided for in this bill, and in that way much 
money will be saved by virtue of increased efficiency in this serv¬ 
ice. The veterinary surgeons of this country are a body of highly 
trained, intelligent men who have made and are making great 
strides towards progress in their profession, and it is not reason¬ 
able to expect that the Government can secure the best talent of 
the profession unless some fitting and substantial recognition is 
given it ” That is just what we are fighting for—recognition 
in the army as a profession. The final statement of the Committee 
is a frank admission of our contention that, in the War Depart¬ 
ment, our brothers have no recognition at present as professional 
men. 
In this issue of the Review, under the “ Army Veterinary 
Department,” we print H. R. 16,843, as recast by the Military 
Committee, together with cogent remarks on the main changes 
made in the bill as introduced in January by Mr. Difenderfer, of 
Pennsylvania. No repetition of that matter is needed here. How¬ 
ever, the members of the profession throughout the country 
should know: (1) That if the bill should pass, even in its modi¬ 
fied form approved by the Military Committee of the House, we 
will at last have won, after nearly half a century of warfare, 
recognition as a profession in the army; (2) our men will be 
