The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-08-01
By J. F. ILANGNER (Written for Internal iOnaI News
 Seryice)

ocIhlOCl
 Cotton Plant, Ark, Aug. This last six months 80. 900 cotton growers in Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and Mississippi, producing nearly 1,50O,- 900 bales of cotton annually,have or ganized the worlds largest farmers Organization of these four states is, however, only the starting point of a great nationwide movement which is in process of development in per cent. of the American supply of cotton. Representative growers in the remaining four states of the Union producing cotton have already met with the states now organizing and have unanimously endorsed the plans of the cotton men.
 The idea, has spread like wildfire through every cotton growing state in the Union. By the leaders in az riculture and business alike it is uni- versauy admitted that the co-opera- tive plan now being adopted by the cotton growers should eventually South, take the women and children out of the cotton fields and vitally af- feet the prosperity not only of the cotton growers but bankers and mer- chants as well.
 These is an old adage among those who business brings them in close contact with the farmer, that .'co- operative marketing is born of ad- versity." The cotton growers of the South in general have always been held up as an example of a standard of living lower than the general av- craze throughout the United States. The farmers firmly believe that un- der the system of marketing cotton which has always prevailed they have never received their fair share of the consumers dollar: that the market price of cotton on the New York Cotton Exchange has never been the basis upon which the local cotton buyer bought from the far mers.
 The individual purchasing power of the farmers of the South has aI- ways been less than the purchasing g power of farmers of other localities. When a farmer sells a product at a very hazardous margin of profit he impairS his purchasing power. When he sells at loss he must take his losses out of his standard of living. The South has always been behind.
 Deflation Brought Awakening
 When the price of cotton was at its high water mark of last year most of the money received by the cotton growers was used to pay off long standing debts, which prices of other years had not been able to cover Then came the unexampled deflatiOn in the price of all agricultural pro- ducts last fall The price of cotton fell to approximately 65 per cent. of it's pre-war buying power, wfping out
 
 had given the grower and leaving g him in a worse sutiation than ever- Def1ation, however. proved the psy- chologica1 incentive for the imm ed- fate adoption of suggested remedies for a situation which had existed ever since cotton became the Southern crop.
 Early last year Aaron Sapiro, of California. recognized auth ority on cooperative marketing. had made suggestions for improving the system of selling cotton. The desire for a better system first found expression in Oklahoma. In Oklahoma City Carl Williams. editor of the Oklaho- ma Farmer -Stockma and one of the Scuth's most prominent agricultur- al leaders, called on Aaron Sapiro to present his plan to Aklahoma far ners. bankers and business men. The soundness of the plan was at once evident, and under the leadership of Williams organization of the cotton growers was commenced.
 Within six months 35,00O growers producing 400 ,000 bales of cotton an nually. worth under normal condi- tions S25, 100000. had organized the Oklahoma Cotton Growers Associa- tion as the first uni4 of what has since developed into the American Cotton Growers Exchange. The success of the movement in Oklaho- ma prompted similar associations in every cotton growing state in the Union. At Williams suggestion