The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-09
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
IND OFFICIAL .4DYERTISER


+, IN e1ice.~sE
rErER " WAsnrSGros, p,.
OHnhLEs M WILLARD, A"""'S" ana rropHefors.
Terms. =" The United States Postal Guide and
oelapo pages, Is published monthly for ONE Dol
LAR ONLY, per annIm, PAYABLE in adranes-o, 6y~
dollars for SIR copies ordered at any one time
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
| The enterprise In which we now embark and
Of which this paper is at once the commencement.
and a sample of the papers that are to follow, has
for lis ann no less purpose, than to impart in
struction, in the general and detail, 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
lzation, decisions and action of the Executive de-
partments Of their Government. There has hlh
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
lions, 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 particular cases, and of details
and illustrations TO make the regulations and in
structions ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, are too vouminous
and are 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
party ends, and to matters of national policy.
These publications in their various forms are
highly useful in themselves as far 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
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. methOdcaI, and ex-
act, we shall make the administrative duterof 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 Posl-Otice Department until the month
of November last; with by far the larger portion
of both postmasters and contractors, lie 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 on. Since his official connection with
| the Government ceased he llatters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard of most OF the
| preseft incumbents of the departments and is on
| becoming terms of intercourse and civllity 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 ac-
ton, and for imparting minute and illustrative in
structon, and valuable periodical and statistical
l,nf,r that CIla
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 mad
| by them during the preceding month. Tables
Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws on6
Regulations, issued by the Post Office Depart
ment only once IN two or three years. Ii is a
| 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
ices IN the tables which are no longer in ope alton
md 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 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 modifi-
| cations made IN each month, and by being flied
| md preserved, will afford To postmasers full and
-xact information upon both subjects, up to and
or time being. How much of the present msdi-
rection, remailing, doubt confusion, error, and
| imposIton will be saved by The progressive state
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 indie pendeny of all
| others, worth many times the price charge
for the paper, and will, it is hoped, induce every
| postmaster 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
| departments, and the same course is intended in
respect to them. Notices Of the decisions of the
| Supreme Court, IN cases turning upon questions
of official duty or national interest, will find place
! in this paptr.
| department of our paper addressing itself not
merely to postmasters and other officers of the
Government, but to all other citizens who give at
tentiou to the affairs Of the nation and the progress
and development Of the Z, untry, will embrace in a
condensed form the matters submitted to, or aris-
ing in Con-. SIS. At each session deal OF
valuable information is communicated to Con-
gress, by the several departments and their subor-
dinate bureaus, and profound and comprehensive
reports made by committees of both Houses
But the great mass Of the community know moth.
ports, except the brief notices of them, which
from time to time appear in 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 mpracticabiity of
their dissemination. The ADVERTISER will con-
tain short abridgments analysis of all these
documents and reports, and the compend will
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in ITSELF but will furnish arr easy index
to those interested, whenever it is found desirable
to obtain and examine the document at large.
There is large field before us, the materials are
ample Ii will be 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
and 1--WE might almost say necessary to the oili-
cer-if not to the citizen. II is intended for all
and put at price which can constitute no obstacle
with any. II at the end Of the year. any subscriber