Six years ago (1904-5), the substantial assets of the American Express Company had grown from $5,300,000, the amount fixed in the articles of association, to _six times that amount_. These assets, let me repeat, did not represent new capital put into the business, for _none whatever_ was put in, but were accumulations of earnings over and above funds required to carry on the business and pay dividends of 8% upon $18,000,000 of stock. Even the association’s own shareholders failed to see the need of such a treasure and in 1906 a committee representing them addressed the officers of the company thus: “_It is evident the management has faith in its ability to conserve the vast fund so accumulated beyond the needs of the business, without wasting the same or embarking it in new and dangerous ventures, and while we personally neither criticise them nor express any want of confidence in them, still it is our opinion, and that of many representative holders of long standing, experience and means, that this immense fund should not be further rapidly increased to become a source of temptation to the possible weakness or a snare to the possible inexperience of their successors._” I would like to quote further from both Mr. Benson and Mr. Atwood. The former writes two articles which appeared in Pearson’s Magazine in February and March, 1911, clearly showing not only why we have no parcels post, but, to some extent, the raid which the express companies have made and are making on postal service revenues that rightfully and _legally_ should accrue to the government. The latter, Mr. Atwood, speaks in three splendid articles in the American Magazine (February, March and April), under the caption, “The Great Express Monopoly.” Each of the gentlemen handles his subject masterfully. Each of them set forth facts which every American citizen should know and, knowing, should _go after_ every public official who has ignorantly permitted or knowingly condoned, aided or cloaked the criminal raiding into the legitimate field of the postal service and revenues. Every one who can should get hold of and read the five articles referred to. I shall probably quote further from them in the closing division of this volume, but to appreciate them fully one should read them entire and connectedly. Sufficient has here been said, however, to show any fair-minded reader that our express companies, or the railways which use the express companies merely as pinch-bars to pry into our postal revenues on the one hand and as cloaks for excessive rates to the general public for handling light or parcels freight on the other, are illegally taking _millions of dollars annually_ for a service which should be, and which was originally intended to be, rendered by the Postoffice Department.