The southern press., 1851-04-04
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.

" 10 sto1 'ohat IS done, and iohat should be done,
IN Ql'ice - Is
CnAnlrs M WmSsnu Editors and Proprieioyy.
TERMS =" The United States Postal Guide and
Qietai Adrertiser," containing about 80 spper-yoyaI
ociaro pages, IS published monthly for ONE or
LAR ONLY, per annun, payable IN adpancc--or.. fpe
dollars Jpr 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 sample of the papers that are to follow, has
for It's ann no less purpose, than to impart IN
structon, 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-
partmenls Of their Government. There has hlh-
erlo Leen 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 less extended, have proved wholly made
quate, in the absence of the construction OF those
Laws 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 voluminous
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
party ends, and to matters of national policy.
These publications. IN their various forms
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
pies, for the despatch of the public business which
car 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
| hi anIfo do Elrf fhaua
If we succeed in rendering the functions of the
primary Offices more uniform, mehodica 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 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-Oflice Department until the month
of November last; with by far the larger portion
of both postmasers and contractors, he has had
direct intercourse, IN person or by letter. lie
tered the department fourteen years since, and for
many years previously, had been, first in the War
| Department, aud 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 ilatters himself he has
|
presert Incumbents OF the departments, and Is
becoming terms of intercourse and cviity with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssiduousy
engaged for several years. in studying, by per-
sonal inquiry and examination, the practical and
daily routine and details Of the Post-Oifice and
other branches Of the public business II is with
this stock ofexperience, and these advantages for
reaching the various sources of administrative ac-
ton, and for impartng minute and Illustrative in
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 and changes issued, or made
! by them during the preceding month. Tables
Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws and
Regulations, are issued by the Pos, Office Depart
ment only once in two or three years. 1t is a
matter of inconvenience and complaint, for which
hitherto there has been no 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 are not in the tables
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 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
will furnish the additions, corrections, and modi-
cations, made In each month, and by being filed
and preserved, will afford to postmasers full and
exact information upon both subjects, up TO and
for time beHe. How much of the present msdi-
| rection, remailing, 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 inte-
| gent postmaster estimate for himself
These advantages alone and independently Of all
others, worth many times the price charge
for the paper, and will, II 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 systeul--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 national interest, will find place
IN this pap,r
! A department of our paper addressing itself not
! merely to pUstmasters and other officers Of the
Government, but to all other citizens who give at
enton the affairs of the nation and the progress
and development of the {, untry, viii embrace in a
condensed form the matters submitted to- or aris-
| ing in Congress. At each session vast deal OF
| valuable information rs communicated To- Con-
gress, by the several departments and their subor-
diDate bureaus, and profound and comprehensive
reports are made by committees of both Houses
But the great mass of the community know MOTH
ing of the contents Of these documents and
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 mpracticabIlity OF
their dissemination. The ADVERTISER will con-
tain short abridments 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 1t 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 to collect and
arrange them in the proper form. We have every
confidence that the subscriptions will be ample to
enable 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 off
and put at a price which constitute no obstacle
with any. fiat the end of the year, any subscriber