The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-04-30
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
IND OEEICI1I anxrp.rrcrp

|
III TO shoe ,ohat is done aud ,cdat should BE- DONE
,, Tn eafce.=ssI
PETER G. WAsBrNGToN,
CHARLES M WILLARD, Eaiors and FroPrlelors.
Terms. -" The United States Postal Guide and
Official advertiser, containing about 20 spneyyoyaE
octave pages, is published monthly for ONE DOL
LAR ONLY, per annun, payable in adrance-or five
dollars for sag copies ordered at anu one Time
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 purpose, than to impart in
sruction, 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 ut large, acquainted with the organ
ization, decisions and action Of the Executive de-
partments Of their Government There has hith-
erto Teen vehicle for the regular and proper
communication Of information Of this kind. The
publication of the Laws and the issue of iDstruc
tons, 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 in
structions Ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, are too golumnous
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 they 60, and
some of them Indispensable; bnt 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 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.
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-Ofic 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 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
present incumbents Of the departments, and is on
becoming terms of intercourse and civilty with
them all, The Junior Editor has been asssduousy
| engaged for several years, IN studying, by per-
sonsl inquiry and examination, the practical and
daily routine and details of the Pos-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-
ton and for imparting minute and Illustrative In
| vail nd sta
| informaton that challenge your confidence
| and solicit your support and patronage
| We have fixed upon the 18th OF each month
| the day for the publication of paper, to
| afford time for obtaining from the departments
all the orders, notices and changes issued, mad
by them during ihs preceding month. Tables
| Post Offices and compilations of the Laws ana
Regulations, are 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
month from the time of these issues there are Of
fees in the tables which 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 10 prevent, for the present,
any increase Of the evil of either kind, and from
| the time another issue shall be made, our paper
|
| 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, remailing, doubt, confusion, error, and
| imposition will be saved by the progressive state
OF full and exact knowledge, for which have
proyided, and for which we engage, every inteli-
| 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 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 course is intended in
respect 20 them. Notices OF the decisions of the
| Supreme Court, in cases turning upon questions
of official duty national interest, will find place
! IN this pap,r.
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
tention to the affairs Of the nation and the progress
and development of the {, untry. will embrace in
condensed form the matters submitted to, aris-
inc in Congress. AT each session vast deal OF
valuable information is communicated 70 Con-
oress. by the several departments and their subor-
dinate bureaus, and profound and comprehensive
reports are made by committees of both Houses
But the great Of the community know moth
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-
tives which at once shows the impractIcubility 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
;nsructve in itself but will furnish an 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 he 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--rf not to the citizen. Ii is intended for ALL
and put at price which constitute no obstacle
with any. fiat the end of the year, any subscriber
81, find Mt he hau MT thnf g.,