The South Carolina Division of the American Cotton Association will hold a State-wide meeting in Columbia, at Craven Hall, 10:00 A.M., Wednesday, August 25th. This will certainly be one of the most largely attended meetings ever held in the State. The farmers, merchants, bankers, business and professional men, from every section of every county in this State, and from a number of adjoining States, will attend. In addition to this, the meeting will be largely attended by our ladies.

We have just completed a campaign covering the entire State and as a result of the systematic work we have been conducting in our State, under the American Cotton Association, we have secured sufficient warehouses in each and every county in the State to handle the cotton produced therein. Also, in each county we have formed co-operative marketing associations, secured Government graders and expert market men so that the cotton will move from the gin house to the warehouse and will be sold upon the classification of the Government grader, the sale of same to be stretched over a full twelve months period and under no conditions will be sold at all until the manufacturer will pay a profitable price for same.

We expect to couple these county Associations up with one great State Association. This marks a complete change in the handling and marketing of our cotton crop.

Many matters of tremendous importance to the agricultural and commercial life of the South will be discussed at this meeting. We are extremely anxious to have you deliver an address on this occasion and certainly hope that you will favor us to this extent. A regular invitation will go to you through the South Carolina Headquarters and it is upon the earnest solicitation of friends that I am writing you personally. Please kindly advise us immediately if we can expect you to be with us so that we can make the necessary reservations for you. Your headquarters will be at the Jefferson Hotel.

We prefer that you use your own judgment in selecting your subject. However, after a canvas of the entire State in which the citizens were addressed in the various sections of every county of the State, it is the concensus of opinion that it is not only the duty of our citizens to co-operate for the purpose of promoting, protecting and up-building agriculture and placing the handling and marketing of same upon a strictly efficient and economic business basis, but that it is also the duty of the Government, both State and National, to assist, not only by legislation, but financially as well, in promoting scientific increased production and in promoting efficienty and economy in the handling and marketing of our agricultural crops.

The fact that in 1820, 87% of the people of America were engaged in agricultural pursuits, while, one hundred years later, in 1920, only 32% of the people are so engaged, plainly indicates the necessity for co-operation in every line of our commercial life and for financial aid from the Government for the purpose of scientifically increasing our agricultural products and placing the handling and marketing of same upon methods of strict efficiency and economy, thereby placing the producer and the consumer as near as possible in touch with each other.

In Holland the farmer receives, as a result of such action on the part of the Government and the people of that country, 97 1/2% of the amount paid by the consumer. Throughout all Europe he receives 90% of the amount paid by the consumer.

It is pointed out by the Agricultural Department of America that the American farmer, for all agricultural products, only receives an average of 50% of the amount paid by the consumer and that on cotton alone, he receives far less than 50%.

Please do not disappoint us. We are looking forward with great pleasure to having you with us.