The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-20
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
.iND OFFICLaL .4DYFPTISPp


w. IN qiice. AZ
fErEh T. WAsHrgGrog, 80,
CHARLEs M WILLARD, H""ors and Propriefors.
TERMS - The United States Postal Guide and
ODleias 1dperfiser, containing about 30 srDey-,oal
oetapo pages, Is published monthly for ONE Dor
LAR ONLY, per annum, payable in aduanes-or fve
dollars for sir copies ordered at amy one time.
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
The enterprise in which we now embark. and
Of which this paper is ut once the commencement,
and sample of the papers that to follow, has
for its ann no less purpose, than to impari IN
struction, IN the general aud detail, to the Officer
and 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
izaton, decisions aud action Of the Executive de-
partmens of their Government. There has hilh
erto Leen no vehicle for the regular and proper
communication Of information Of this kind. The
| publication Of the Laws and the issue of instruc
| tions more less comprehensive, and at intervals
more or less extended, have proved wholly made
quae, 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 soluminots
and printed in quantities too small for general
circulation; 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 10
These publications in their various forms
highly useful IN themselves far they go, and
some of them Indispensable; but there is much
that do not reach the hands of all, if they did.
do they furnish those rules, methods and exam
ples 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 hi-
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. metbodIcal, and ex-
act, 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, that the Senior Editor was Audi
! tor of the Post-Ofhce 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 it Since his official connection with
the Government ceased, he latters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard of most OF the
present incumbents of the departments, and is
becoming terms of intercourse and civlity with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssduousy
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
ton, and for impartng 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 TO
afford time for obtaining from the departmenlss
all the orders, notices and changes issued, or made
by them during the preceding month. Tables
Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws ana
Regulations, issued by the Post Office Depart
ment only once in two or three years Ii is
matter of inconvenience and complaint, for which
/ hitherto there has been remedy, that in one
month from the time Of these issues, there are Of
fees in the tables which are no longer in operation
and Offices in operation which not IN the tables
At this time there 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 postmasters and others ore 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 modf-
cations, made IN each month, and by being filed
and preserved, will afford to postmasters full and
exact information upon both subjects, up TO aud
for time being. How much of the present misdi-
recton, remaillng, doubt, confusion, error, and
imposition, will be saved by the progressive state
OF full and exact knowledge, for which we hive
provided, and for which we engage, every intelli-
| gent postmaster estimate for himself.
! These advantages alone and independently of all
! Others, are worth many times the price we charge
for the paper, and will, II is hoped, induce every
postmastev who feels just 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 to
the orders and notices, decisions, and Instructions
of the War, Navy, Treasury State, and Interior
depnrtments and the same course is intended ia
respect TO them Notices of the decisions of the
4 Supreme Court, in cases turning upon questions
of ofcial duty national interest, will find place
in this papar.
A department of our paper addressing itself not
merely to postmasters and other officers of the
| Government but to all other citizens who give at
ention to the affairs of the nation and the progress
and development of the [, untry, Will embrace IN
condensed form the matters submitted to, or aris-
/ ing in Congress. At each session u 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 the public papers,
The standing number printed OF each docume
and report is only twelve hundred In the Senate,
and fourteen hundred in the House of Representa-
lives. which at once shows the impractcabty 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
10 those interested, whenever it is found desirable
10 obtain and examine the document ut large.
There is 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, compromising and confined
TO tie action Of the Government, is solid, useful
and 1--WE might almost say necessary to the Off
and put at price which can constitute no obstacle
with any. Fiat the end of the year. any subscriber