536 
W. L. WILLIAMS. 
thirty-two. His withdrawal from our Association was in¬ 
tended to be temporary only, and had he retained his health, 
would doubtless have been with us now. He was an earnest 
and skillful veterinarian, a pleasant, genial, upright Christian 
gentleman, whom it was only necessary to know to admire. 
He leaves a wife and three children, and I would suggest 
that you pass suitable resolutions of condolence and sympa¬ 
thy with them in their bereavement. 
Our profession in Illinois has lost one member, Mr. Wal¬ 
ton, V.S., of Warren, who was accidentally killed last March. 
He was a graduate, I believe, of the Chicago Veterinary Col¬ 
lege. Legally, our profession in Illinois remains the same as 
at our last annual meeting, unrecognized and unknown to the 
laws of our State. We made an unsuccessful effort last 
spring, as you are aware, to secure the passage of an act to 
regulate veterinary practice. You are all presumably ac¬ 
quainted with the leading features of the bill, which, if passed, 
would, we believe, materially benefit the profession. The 
failure was due partly to the lateness of introduction, largely 
to the fatal hostility existing in the last Legislature to State 
boards, and largely to defections in our own ranks, even in 
our own Association. 
It seems quite strange that members, when specially asked 
to attend our meetings and discuss legislative matters, should 
fail to do so, and then without having intimated their wishes 
to the Association, set up their individual opinion against that 
of our entire body and bitterly oppose our work, which they 
might have modified to suit their views had they expressed 
them at the proper time. Most of the opposition to the pro¬ 
posed bill seems to be due to a misunderstanding of the fun¬ 
damental design of such laws, and confuse their own selfish 
motives with the public good. The primary object of veteri¬ 
nary medical legislation should not be the personal benefit of 
the veterinarians and the hanging of charlatans, but should 
be designed for the good of the general public, and the up¬ 
building of a useful learned profession, and then, should the 
members prove themselves worthy of their trust, indirect 
benefits would come in due season and measure, We cannot 
