The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-12-06
THE
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE

THE
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE
AND OFFICIAL ADVERTISER.
~ TO shoio uhat is done, and ,cha should be done
IN 9tice.sST
PETER G. WAsHrNGrON,} D,,
Terms. -" The United States Postal Guide ana
Official .fdrerfiser," containing about 30
octapo pages, is published monthly for ONE DOL.
LAR ONLY, per amman, payable in adrance-or fire
dollars for sir copies ordered at amy one time.
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
The enterprise in which 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 aim no less purpose, than to impart in
structon, in the general and detail to the Officers
and Agents Of the American public, in respect both
to their duties and their rights and to make them.
ana the people at large, acquainted with the organ
lzation, decisions and action of the Executive de.
partments OF their Government. There has hith-
erto Teen 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, applied to particular cases, and Of details
and illustrations to make the regulations and in.
structIons Ineligible The valuable documents
| annually reported to Congress, are too voluminous
and are printed in quantities too small for general
| crcuaton; whilst the debates in Congress and
the commentaries of the press upon their proceed
ings, 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 as far as they 60 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
Piles, 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, methodical 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 or personal interest or question what
ever.
1t is known TO most Of those TO whom this pa
per will be sent, TINT the Senior Editor was Audi
tor Of the Posl-Otlice 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 Of business in all
the departments, and being acquainted with those
who carry 1t on. Since his official connection with
the Government ceased he naters himself he has
| preserved the respect and regard of most Of the
present incumbents of the departments, and is on
becoming terms Of intercourse and civiIity 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 Office 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
| ton, and for lmparting 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 al
the day for the publication of our paper, so as t.
afford time for obtaining from the departments
all the orders, notices and changes issued, 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 a
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 are not in the tables
At this time there are perhaps over three thousand
offices of the two descriptions In like manne,
laws have been passed and regulations established
since the issue Of the last volume Of regulations
of which many postmasters and others are wholly
ignorant We propose to 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 modi
cations, made IN each month, and by being filed
and preserved will afford to postmasters full and
exact information upon both subjects, up to and
for time being. How much Of the present misGi
recti0n, remailing, doubt, confuson error, and
| ~ will he vnd hv iLa
Of full and exact knowledge, for which we have
provided, and for which we engage, every intelli
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 ust pride in his office, or
"a patriotic regard for the credit, prosperity, and
efficiency of the whole Post Office system-at once
! to subscribe. The same considerations apply tc
the orders and notices, decisions, and instructions
Of the War, Navy, Treasury, State, and interior
departments, and the same course is intended ir
| respect to them. Notices Of the decisions Of tn,
| Supreme Court, IN cases turning upon questions
of official duty or national interest, will find place
| in this paper.
| A department Of our paper addressing itself no
merely TO pustmasters and other officers Of The
Government, but to all other citizens who give at
tenon to the affairs Of the nation and the progress
and development Of the country, will embrace in q
condensed form the matters submitted to, or arts
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
ing Of the Ger tents 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 documen
and report, is only twelve hundred in the Senate
and fourteen hundred in the House Of Representa-
tives, which at once shows the impracticabty Of
their dissemination. The ADVERTISER will con
tain short abridgments or analysis of all these
documents and reports, and the compend will
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in itself, but will furnish easy index
to those Interested whenever it is found desirable
to obtain and examine the document at large
There is a large field before 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, comprehending and confined
to the action Of the Government, is solid, useful
a..