The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-11-12
THE
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE

! ~ ..## 9 81 THE ..r
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE
| AND OFFICIAL .aDVER TISER.
III 10 Shoio tohat Is done, and iuhat should be done,
IN eJfce.=sR
PETER G, WAsHrNGToN,l a..
CHARLES M. WILLARD, Editors and Propr1ef0rs'
TERMS. =" The United States Postal Guide and
Official .Hdperttser," containing about 80 super-roual
octaro pages, Is published monthly for ONE DOL
LAR ONLY, per aanam, payable in adranee-or fire
dollars for sic copies ordered at amy one time.
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
The enterprise in which we now embark, and
or which this paper is at once the commencement,
and sample of the papers that are to follow, has
Tor It's ann no less purpose, than to impart in
strucuon, IN the general and detail, to the Officers
ana Agents OF the American public, in respect both
to their duties and their rights, and to make them
and the people at large acquainted with the organ
izatlon, decisions and action Of the Executive de-
partments of their Government. There has hith-
erto Eeen no vehicle for the regular and proper
communication of information of this kind. The
publication of the Laws and the issue of instruc-
tons, more or less comprehensive and at intervals
more or less extended, have proved wholly made
quate, in the absence of the construction of those
Laws, as applied to petricuer cases and of details
and illustrations to make the regulations and in
structons Ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, are too voumnous,
and are printed in quantities too small for general
! circulation; whilst the debates in Congress and
the commentaries Of the press upon their proceed
lngs, and the proceedings of the Executive branch
| of the Government, besides turning mostly upon
| general principles, address themselves only to
party ends, and to matters of national policy.
| These publications in their various forms are
highly useful In themselves far as they go, and
some of them Indispensable but there is much
that do not reach the hands Of ALL nor if they did,
do they furnish those rules, methods, and exam
pies, for the despatch of the public business which
can render the discharge of public duty either safe
or easy, whether IN respect to the incumbent HIM
self, or the department or bureau under which he
acts We shall make an honest effort to supply
this vacuum, and to provide for these necessities
If we succeed in rendering the functions of the
primary offices more uniform, methodcal, and eX-
act, we shall make the administrative duties of the
departments more easy and effective, and thereby
promote the real and substantial interests Of the
country. And this we expect to do, to some eX-
tent at least-apart from, and independently of
any party personal interest or question what
ever.
1t is known to most Of those to whom this pa
per will be sent, that the Senior Editor was Audi
tor of the Post-Ofice Department until the month
of November last; with by far the larger portion
of both postmasters and contractors, he has had
direct intercourse, IN person or by letter. He en-
tered the department fourteen years since, and for
many years previously, had been, first in the War
Department, and subsequently in the Treasury.
He has therefore had the best opportunities for
| UNDERSTANDING the arrangements or business In all
the departments, and being acquainted with those
who carry it on. Since his official connection with
the Government ceased, he llatters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard of most Of the
present lncumbents of the departments, and is
becoming terms of intercourse and civility with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssiduously
engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
sonal inquiry and examination, the practical and
daily routine and details Of the Post-O flee and
other branches Of the public business. 1t is with
this stock OF experience, and these advantages for
reaching the various sources of administrative &C
! tion and for imparting minute and illustrative in
struction, and valuable periodical and statistical
information, that we challenge your confidence
and solicit your support and patronage.
We have fixed upon the 18th OF each month as
the day for the publication of our paper, so as to
afford time for obtaining from the departments,
all the orders, notices and changes issued, or made
by them during the preceding month Tables of
| Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws and
Regulations, are issued by the Post Office Depart
ment only once in two or three years. 1t is
matter of inconvenience and complaint, for which
hitherto there has been no remedy, that in one
month from the time Of these issues, there are Of
fees IN the tables which are no longer IN ope alton,
and offices in operation which not in the tables.
At this time there are perhaps over three thousand
offices of the two descriptions. In like manner
laws have been passed and regulations established
since the issue of the last volume Of regulations,
of which many postmastera and others wholly
ignorant. We propose 10 prevent, for the present,
any increase Of The evil of either kind, and from
| the time another issue shall be made our paper
will furnish the additions, corrections and modif-
cations, made IN each month, and by being filed
and preserved, will afford to postmasters full and
exact information upon both subjects, up 70 and
for time being How much Of the present misGi-
recion remallng, doubt, confusion, error, and
imposition, will be saved by the progressive state
| Of full and exact knowledge, for which we have
| and
gent postmaster can estimate for himself.
| These advantages alone and independently Of all
others, are worth many times the price we charge
for the paper, and will, it is hoped induce every
postmaster who feels just pride in his office, or
patriotic regard for the cEedt, prosperity, and
efficiency of the whole Post Office system--at once
to subscribe The same considerations apply to
the orders and notices, decisions, and instructions
Of the War, Navy, Treasury, State, and Interior
departments, and the same course is intended in
reapect TO them, Notices Of the decisions of the
Supreme Court, in cases turning upon questions
oC official duty national interest, will find place
in this paper.
A department of our paper addressing itself not
merely TO postmasters and other officers Of the
Government, but &c all other citizens who give at
enton e the affairs Of the nation and the progress
: and development Of the country, will embrace IN
condensed form the matters submitted to, or ars-
ing in Congress. At each session vast deal of
| valuable information is communicated to Con-
gress by the several departments and their subor-
dinate bureaus, and profound and comprehensive
| REPORTS are made by committees of both Houses
! But the great mass of the community know Moth
inc of the contents of these documents and re-
ports, except the brief notices Of them, which
from time to time appear in the public papers
The standing number printed Of each document
and report, is only twelve hundred in the Senate,
and fourteen hundred in the House of Representa-
tives, which at once shows the iinpracticabity Of
| 4:
tain short abridgments or analysis of all these
documents and reports, and the compond will
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in itself, but will furnish an easy index
to those Interested whenever it iS found desirable
to obtain and examine tho document at large.
There is large field beiore US, the materials are
ample, 1t will be our jealous care to collect and
arrange them in the proper form. We have every
confidence that the subscriptions will be ample to
! enable us to accomplish it all. The information
we propose to give, comprehendng and confined
to the action of the Government is solid, useful
Al