302 
SOCIETY MEETINGS. 
cided to hold the next meeting at Des Moines, and each mem¬ 
ber went to work to do what he could to add to the interest and 
promotion of the venture. We found many discouraging con¬ 
ditions to contend with. The quacks on every hand were 
ready to knife us, and the stockmen in general did not seem to 
realize the difference between the ‘cross roads hoss doctor,’ and 
the veterinary surgeon, and gave us but little encouragement; 
however, we have kept pounding away until the veterinary 
science has forced the quack from the middle of the road, and 
the stockmen have come to recognize us as their best friends. 
Our association has grown from year to year in membership, in 
interest and influence, until to-day it is second to none. Per¬ 
haps some of our older members have not been taking the in¬ 
terest in association work that they should during the last few 
years, but there have been many younger members added to 
our list who are well qualified to care for its interests. Veter¬ 
inary legislation has been a prolific source of discussion at our 
meetings. In this line little has been accomplished. The op¬ 
position we have had to contend with seemed to outweigh us 
by just a little, and some who were appointed by this body to 
guard its interests may have found it more convenient to secure 
their own personal ends than the general and substantial inter¬ 
ests of the association, and the dignity of the profession, and 
the measures proposed or suggested by this association for the 
benefit of the profession, became trading stock. Do not mis¬ 
understand me ; I do not say that all these committees have 
had other measures in which they became more interested, nor 
that all the members of any one committee has ; but I do say 
that with the amount of work laid out, if properly done, more 
should have been accomplished. Let us start the year 1900 
with renewed energy. Many people have changed their minds 
with respect to our profession ; they find we are not as bad as 
the quacks have represented us to be, and, in fact, all the in¬ 
telligent stockmen are now our friends. Few men are so per¬ 
verse or so dull that they cannot grasp and appreciate the dif¬ 
ference between a scientific demonstration in the treatment of 
domestic animals and the methods generally adopted by the 
quacks. Where an opportunity has been given, I have found 
very little trouble in convincing them that some changes or 
amendments should be made to present laws for their own pro¬ 
tection. The regulation of and protection from contagious 
diseases quite as much as the regulation of the practice of vet¬ 
erinary medicine and surgery. Who is better qualified to ad- 
