“The societies that I have named as having
shut off competition as to breeds are run by
Shorthorn breeders and in the interest of Short-
horn cattle. Some of the officers of these socie-


238 HISTORY
ties say I cannot afford to keep my cattle off
their show grounds. Perhaps not. The future
will determine this. There is one thing about
this: these societies cannet afford to run them
in the interest of the Shorthorn breed of cattle.
The people are inquiring for the best breed and
they are looking for the proper tests of merit as
between the different breeds, and they would
look to the State and district societies for a
solution of this question. They have done so
in the past, supposing that societies taking the
names of our great commonwealths to designate
their special organization, conducted by men
selected from the different congressional se
tricts, and holding office under official seal,

the name of the people, for the purpose of se-
lecting the best kind, and the best of the best
kind: I say, it has been supposed that men
acting thus under the great seals of the dif-
ferent States, and ostensibly for the public


THOS. ASTON, ELYRIA, O.
benefit, were doing what they professed, and not
for their individual benefit ; and when they, the
people, shall recognize that all this machinery
has been used to advance the Shorthorn inter-
est, there will be as much use for them as there
is for the old ruined castles and monasteries of
the Old World.
