The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-10-03
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE


IA TO shOo ,chai ia dons and whai should be done
"a Office 50
| PETER u WAsnraeros } -.
CHARLES M. WILLARD, Editors and Proprisfors'
Terms. =" The United States Postal Guide and
Vye'"' 'ape'"se'' containing about 80 spper-royai
LAR ONLY, per annt"i, payable in adrance-or fvs
dollars for str copies ordered.
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 as
for its aim no less 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 orsans
Izatlon, decisions and action of the Executive de-
/ partments Of their Government. There has him
erto Leen vehicle for the regular and proper
communication Of Information Of this kind The
publication of the Laws and the issue of nstruc
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 applied to particular cases, and of details
and Illustrations to make the regulations and ins
structons Ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, are too voluminous
and 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 10
party ends, and to matters of national nof;cvs
These publications in their various forms are
| highly useful In themselves far as thew 20 and
some of them indispensable; but there is much
that do not reach the hands Of all, nor if thew did
do they furnish those rules, methods, and exam.
ples 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 hims
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
! Ii we succeed in rendering the functions of the
primary offices more uniform, m etbodicaI and ev
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 least-apart nom, and Independently Of
any party or personal interest or question what
| ever.
| 1t is known TO most OF those to whom this mn
per will be sent, that the Senior Editor was Audi
| tor of the Post-Ofice Department until the month
of November last; with by far the larger norton
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 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
becoming terms of intercourse and ciylIitv with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssiduou,lv
J engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
sonnl inquiry and examination, the practical and
daily routine and details Of the Post Office and
other branches Of the public business tits with
this stock OF experience, and these advantages for
reaching the various sources of administrative acs
ton, and for imparting minute and illustrative ins
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 n q
the day for the publication of our paper 30 as 10
afford time for obtaining from the Departments.
all the ORDERS notices and changes issued or mads
by them during the preceding month. Tables an
Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws ans
Regulations are issued by the Post Office Denart~
ment only once in two or three years liz il
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 of.
fees in the tables which longer in operations
and Offices in operation which are not in the tableat
At this time there are 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 naner
will furnish the additions, corrections, and nlodif
cations made In each month, and by being filed
and preserved, will afford to pos,masters 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 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, it is hoped, induce every
postmaster who feels Just pride in his Office O r
patriotic regard for the credit, prosperity. AMI
efficiency of the whole Post Office system--ai ones
To subscribe. The same considerations annlv ~
the orders and notices, decisions, and instruction
OF the War, Navy, Treasury, State, and Interio.
ldepartrnents, and the same course is intended If,
respect 10 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.
A department of our paper addressing itself mo-,
merely to postnnasters and other officers of the
Government, but to all other citizens who give at
tenon to the affairs OF the nation and the progress
and devooprnent OF the G. untry, will embrace in a
cond ensed form the matters submitted to- or aris-
ling in Congress At each session a vast deal OF
valuable information is communicated to- Com
gress by the several departments and their subor-
| dnate bureaus, and profound and compreh ensive
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 re-
ports, except the brief notices of them which
from time to time appear in the public papers,
The standing number printed of each documel
and report, is only twelve hundred IN the Senate,
and fourteen hundred in the House of Representa-
tives which at shows the imprscticability of
| their dissemination. The ADVERTISER will con-
tain short abridgments or analysis of all these
documents and reports, and the mpend will
therefore not only prove exceedingly. useful and
instructive in itself but will furnish easy index
IL VIII a
TO Obtain and examine the documen at large
There is large field before us, the materials are
ample. 1t will be onr 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, conaprshendns ard confined
to tie action Of the Government, Is solid, usefuf,
and 1--WE might almost say necessary to the Off
cer-If not to the citizen. IL is intanted E,x AID
and put at price which can constitute no obstacle
with any. Fiat the end Of the year. any subscriber
shall find that he has not received the full value Of
u nj al =