The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-08-21
UNITED STATES posrAL. GUIDE
IND OFFICL4L .ADVERTTSER.

"o'eeb "ttu fch0t NtOutu Oe done
lp.rv. a w IA qgiee.-su
cMsnLrs M. WILLARD, Editors and Perpetrators
sEhMs -" me United States Postal 6s,,ide ana
W'c'@f .1dperfiser containing about 20 s,n,-,o,T
ocfapo pages, Is pubiished nao,al A.. op,.
LAR ONLY, per annum, payable in adno,,s - -
dollars for sir copies ordered " J"'
/ PREPARATORY NoTIcp
The enterprise in which we now emho.,, "a
OF which this paper is once the comnepcen,e CIV
and sample OF the papers that are to follow M,
tor Its ann no less purpose, than to impari IN
structon, in the general and detail, to the Officer
aud Agents OF the American public, in respect both
TO their duties and their rights and to make then,
and the people at large, acquainted with the orgon
ization, decisions and action Of The Executive de-
partments of their Government. There has btb
erto teen no vehicle for the regular and proper
communication OF information of this kind The
publication Of the Laws and the issue of instr,,e
tons, more or less comprehensive and al 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
structons Ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported TO Congress, are too yo,mino,,s
and are printed in quantities too small for general
circulation; whilst the debates in Congress and
the commentaries of the press upon their proceed
ngs, 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 IL ,oucb
that do not reach the hands of all nor if thew 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 s,ipplv
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, 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. M M
1t is known to most OF those to whom this po s
per will be sent, that the Senior Editor was Audi
tor of the Post-Office 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, md for
many years previously had been, rst in the War
Department, and subsequently in the TREASURY !
He has therefore had the best opportunities ,or
understanding the arrangements OF business in ali
the departments, and being acquainted with those
who carry it on. Since his official connection with
the Government ceased, he fatters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard of most OF the
present incumbents of the departments and is ON
with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssdno,,slyr
engaged for several years, IN studying bv per-
sonnl inquiry and examination, the practical anS
daily routine and details of the Post-Offiee am
other branches Of the public business Ii is viii
this stock or experience, and these ADVANTAGES 70
reaching the various sources of administrative &c
ton, and for mpartng minute and illustrative in
struction, and valuable periodical and statistical
Information, that we challenge your confidence
| and solicit your support and patronage
| We have hYed the 18th Of oh
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 oc
Post Offices, and compilations of the Iaws ana
Regulations, are issued by the Post Office Depnrt
ment only once in two or three years H. is n
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 ofs
fees in the tables which are no longer in operatons
and offices in operation which are not in the ableas
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 modif-
cations made in each month, and by being filed
and preserved, will afford to postmasters full and
exact information upon both subjects, M TO and
for time being. How much of the present nlisdi-
rection remaiIing, doubt, confusion, error, and
imposition 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 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
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 papsr
merely to postmasters and other officers Of the
Government but to all other citizens who give at
tenton TO the affairs of the nation and the progress
and development Of the c,,untry, will embrace in
condensed form the matters submitted to, or aris-
inc in Congress At each session vast deal OF
valuable information is communicated TO Con-
press. by the several departments and their subor-
dinate bureaus, and profound and comprehensive
reports are made by committees of both Houses
RI, the great mass Of the community know noth-
inc If the contents of these documents and re-
norts except the brief notices of them, which
from time to time appenr IN the public papers.
The standing number printed of each document
and report is only tweiVe hunufeu ON the senate,
and fourteen hundred in the House Of Representa-
,;ves' which at once shows the impracucability of
their dissemination The ADvERrIsER viii con-
tain short nbridgments or aralyss of all these
doc,nents and reports, and the co mpend viii
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in itself, but will furnish easy index
M those interested, whenever is found desra lie
TO obtain and examine the documen at large.
There is a large field before us, the materials
ample. IL will be our Jealous care TO collect and
arrange them in the prope 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 conhnee
TO the action Of the Government, is solid, useft
and 1--WE might almost say) necessary to the OFF
cer-if not TO the citizen. II is intended for all,
and put at price which can constitute no obstacle
he npd IF II n,,lc