The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-26
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
AND OFFICIAL AUYERTISER

Ay 10 shoo what Is done, aud lchat should be done
80. IN 4ice.-sI
caAxIrs Nj. WmIanps Editors aud Preprielors
TERMs- =" The United States Postal Guide and
Official advertiser" containing about 80 sppeyrouak
octave pages, is published nlonthlu for oNr poI-
LAa ONLY, per a'!ntos, payable in adpance--o,- ipe
dollars for stI copies ordered at any one fine
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
The enterprise in which we now embark, and
Of which this paper is at once the commencement,
and sample of the papers that are to follow, has
for its aim no less a purpose, than to impart in
struction, 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 hith-
erto Eeen 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 dsiaila
and illustrations to make the regulations and in
structions ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported TO Congress, are too volumino,s
and are printed in quantities too small for general
circuation 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
party ends, and to matters of national policy.
These publications in their various forms are
highly useful in themselves 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
pies, 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 east-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 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
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 natters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard Of most Of the
presef incumbents Of the departments, and is on
becoming terms of intercourse and civty 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 imparting minute and Illustrative in
Ia ard
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 departments,
all the orders, notices and changes issued or made
by them during the preceding month. Tables o.
Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws and
Regulations, are issued by the Post Office Depart
| ment only once IN two or three years. Ii is q
matter Of inconvenience and complaint, for which
hitherto there has been remedy, chat in one
month from the time Of these issues, there 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 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 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 and
for time being. How much of the present misdi-
rectiOn, remaing, 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 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 il is hoped, induce every
postmaster who feels Just pride in his office, or
patriotic regard for the credit, prosperity, and
efficiency of the whole Post Office systen-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 turning upon questions
of official duty national interest, will find place
| i'll this paptr.
| A department Of our paper addressing itself not
merely to pUstmastcrs and other officers Of the
Government but to all other citizens who give at
cnton TO the affairs Of the nation and the progress
and development Of the u untry, will embrace IN
condensed form the matters submitted to, or aris-
| ing in Congress. At each session vast deal OF
valuable information is communicated to Con-
gress by the several departments and their suLor-
dnate bureaus, and profound and comprehensive
reports are made by committees Of both Houses
| but the great mAF6 OF the community KNOW
/ ing 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 docume
and report, is only twelve hundred IN the Senate,
and fourteen hundred in the House Of Representa-
tves, which at once shows the impractlcability Of
their dissemination. The ADvEKrIsER will con-
tain short abrdgments 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 il is found desirable
10 obtain and examine the document at large.
There is large field before us, the materials are
ample 1t will be our jealous care 10 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 Eve might almost say) necessary to the Off
cer-if not to the citizen. II is intended for all.
and put at price witches constitute no obstacle
with any. II at the end of the year. any subscriber