The southern press., 1851-09-09
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE

UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE
! AND Official ADVERTISER.
Ia 10 holo ,ohat Is doas aud ,ohai should be done
IN q0ice.=kU
rErER q WAsnNeroN, ~.
CnAaLEs M. WmLARp. Editors and Proprieto,s
Terms. =" The United States Postal Guide and
Oc'as ADVERTISER" containing abort 30 spDer-rouaL
oer0o pages ts Published monthly for ONE DOL
LAR ONLY, per a,.'l,sa, payable ii, aapaaee-or 6us
dollars for sir copies ordered
PREPARATORY NOTICE
Inc ehtet etprlse !" winch we now embark and
or which this paper rs at once the commencement
and sample of the papers that are TO follow haa
for lis aim no less purpose, than TO import in
strucuon, IN the general and 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
ization, decisions and action of the Executive de-
partments of their Government There has hlth
erto Teen no vehicle for the regular and proper
i communication of Information of this kind The
1 publication of the Laws and the issue of lnsrur
uons, 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 particular cases. and of details
and illustrations to make the regulations and ins
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 TO
party ends, and to matters of national policy
| These publications in their various forms are
| highly useful in themselves as 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
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 ey-
| tent at least--apart from, and independently of
any party or personal interest 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-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 and for
many years previously, had been, first in the War
Department, and subsequently in the Treasury.
lie 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 flatters himself he has
| preserved the respect and regard OF most OF the
present ncumbents of the departments, and is ON
becoming terms Of intercourse and ciyility with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssduouslv
engaged for several years. in studying, by per-
sonni inquiry and examination, the practical and
daily routine and details of the Post-Office and
other branches Of the public business Ii is with
this stock OF experience, and these advantages for
reaching the various sources of administrative ac
ron and for mparting minute and illustrative i'm !
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 ndchanges issued, or made
by them during the preceding month. Tables al
| Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws ana
Regulations, are issued by the Post Office Depart
ment only once in two or three years. lt'is a
| matter of Inconvenience and complaint, for which
hitherto there has been remedy, that i'm one
month from the time of these issues, there are off
fees in the tables which longe in operatonf
and Offices in operation which not in the tablest
At this time there are perhaps 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 wholv
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 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 nisdi-
rection, remailing, doubt, confusion, error and
imposition, will be saved by the progressive state
of full and exact knowledge, for which we have
pro yided and for which 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 patriotc regard for the credit, prosperity and
efficiency Of the whole Post Office system-at once
To subscribe. The same considerations apply te
the orders and notices, decisions, and instruction
OF the War, Navy, Treasury, State, and Interioi
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 paper.
| department of our paper addressing itself not
merely to postmasters and other officers Of the
IGovernment but TO all other citizens who give at
tention TO the affairs OF the nation and the progress
and development of the e,untry, will embrace in
condensed form the matters submitted TO, or aris-
ing in Congress. AT each session a deal Of
valuable information Is communicated to Con-
gress bv the several departments and their subor-
dina,e bureaus and profound and comprehensive
reports are made by committees Of both Houses
But the great mass Of the community know moth
ine 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 reoort. is only twelve hundred in the Senate,
and fourteen hundred in the House of Representa-
lives. which at once shows the imPracticabiity of
their dissemination. The ADvERrIsER will con-
tain short abridgments or analysis of all these
coc,,nents and reports, and the mpend vii
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
Instructive in ITSELF but will furnish an easy index
10 those interested whenever it is found desirable
IN obtain and examine the documen at large
There is a large field before us, the materials are
ample II will be our Jealous care 10 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, comprehending and confined
TO Tie action OF the Government, is solid, useful
and 1--WE might almost say) necessary TO the Off