“As workingmen we cannot approve of the inconsistency shown by having a pressman produce a periodical in Canada and sending it through the mails at ¼ cent a pound, while his brother pressman in the United States would be forced to pay four cents a pound for the same service. And the “Canuck” can certainly do it at a profit. Here is where a little ‘reciprocity’ juice would taste nectar-like for the Uncle Sam pressman. For several years our big postoffice officials have been telling the American people it cost more than 9 cents a pound to haul second-class mail. In Canada there is a population of 8,000,000 served by 25,000 miles of railway, while in our country we have 90,000,000 people and 246,000 miles of railroads. In the United States we print 500 periodicals to one printed in the Dominion. The merits of the question are so obvious that there is no chance for a controversy; in fact there can be no dispute on a matter so plain.” Now, see here, I do not want to burden you--you, the reader--with quotations. I have not done so save when the quotations covered the point--our point--better than I could cover it myself. I write up to a point to the best of my ability, and then, if I have at hand some authority--some more _conclusive_ and better told statement than I can make myself, I hand it to you. So please do not skip the quotations in this book. The _meat_ of it is in the _quoted_ matter, not in what I have said or may say. That is why I desire to quote further just here. Under date of May 16, 1911, Mr. Hitchcock wrote over the signature of his Second Assistant, Joseph Stewart, the following letter, addressed “To Publishers.” Whether or not it was sent to publishers in general or only to “certain monthly and semi-monthly periodicals,” I do not know. I reprint it here as evidence for the reader in proof of the tendency, or policy, of Mr. Hitchcock to exercise bureaucratic powers in administering the official service of his office--_powers not given him by law_. I reprint also for the purpose of showing, by two or three following quotations, how closely Mr. Hitchcock’s official acts are being scanned by the printing trades and how clearly and how _justly_ they estimate the results and the trade and industrial effects of such action. The letter signed by Mr. Stewart follows: POSTOFFICE DEPARTMENT, SECOND ASSISTANT POSTMASTER GENERAL, WASHINGTON, D. C., May 16, 1911 Publisher, Practical Engineer, Chicago, Ill.: