The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-01-20


THE
4 UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
AND OFfICLaL .1DyERTIsER.
- 10 shoc schat Is done, and rhai should be done,
in qDiee.~sQ
lcnAaIss M. Wnlanp, Editors and f'opr'''ors.
TEams. -~' The United STATES Postal Guide and
hclat .1dreriiser' containing about 81 ssPerroyal
oetapo pages, IS published monthly ttr ONE DOL
LAR oSLY, per annum, payable in adusnes--or five
dollars for air copies ordered at any 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 ann no less purpose, than to impart in
slruction, in the general and detail to the Officers
and Agents ofthe American public, in respect both
TO their duties and their rights and 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 hith-
erio Teen no vehicle for the regular and proper
communication Of information of this kind The
publication of the Laws and the issue of instruc-
lions, more or less comprehensive, and atinervals
more or less extended, have proved wholly made
lqtste, in the absence of the construction those
Laws, us applied to particular cases. and of details
and illustrations to make the regnatinns and I'M
structions ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported TO Congress, are too solumlnous,
and printed in quantities too small for general
bcirculation; whilst the debates in Congress and
the commentaries of the press upon their proceed
lings, and the proceedings Of the Executive branch
Sof the Government, besides turning mostly upon
general principles, address themselves only 10
party ends, and TO matters OF national policy
These publications. in their various forms are
highly useful in themselves as far as they go, ana
4 some of them Indispensable; but there 10 much
that do mol reach the hands Of all, nor If they did,
do they furnish those rules, methods, and exam
pes 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
4 If we succeed in rendering the functions of the
urinary offices more uniform, methodica, 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 least--apart from, and independently OF
: any party or personal interest or question what
ever
II is known to most OF those to whom this pa
n per will be sent that the Senior Editor was AUDI
Tor of the Posl-Ofice Department until the month
of November last; with by far the larger portion
of both poslmasters and contractors, he has had
direct intercourse, IN person or by letter. lie en-
tered the department fourteen years SINCE, and Tor
many years previously, had been, first IN the War
Il Department, ard 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 curry IL Since his official connection with
the Government ceased, he ilatters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard of most OF the
present ncumbents of the departments, and is
3 becoming terms OF intercourse and civillty with
Al them ALL The Junior Editor has been asssduously
engaged for several years, in studying, by. per-
: sona inquiry and examination, the practical and
/, daily routine and details of the Post-Ofice and
cl,o Of he HI, In "a wit
this stock of experience, and these advantages for
reaching the various sources Of administrative
ton and for mparting minute and Illustrative IN
! struction, and valuable periodical and statistical
D 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 Of
II 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 rs
q 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 are no longer IN ope alton,
and Offices in operation which not IN the tables.
At this time there are perhaps over three thousand
offices Of abe two descriptions, In like manner
laws have been passed and regulations established
since the issue Of the last volume of regulations,
i Of which many postmasters and others are wholly
ignorant We propose TO prevent, Tor the present,
any increase Of the evil Of either kind, and from
i the time another issue shall be mnde, our paper
will furnish The additions, corrections, md modih-
4 cations, made ia each month and by being filed
and preserved, will afford TO postmasters full and
exact Information upon both subjects, up TO and
4 for time being. How much of the present misdi-
rection, remailing, doubt, confusion, error, and
Imposition will be saved by the progressive state
Il OF full and exact knowledge, for which we have
provided and for which we engage, every intelli-
gent postmaster can estimate for himself
Il These advantages alone and Independently Of all
others, are worth many times the price we charge
for the paper and viii, il 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
20 subscribe. The same considerations apply 10
4 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, wall find place
/ in this pnper.
| A department Of our paper addressing itself not
merely 10 pustmasters and other officers of the
I Government bot to al other citizens who give at
tention 10 the affairs of the nation and the progress
and development of the Z, uDtry, viii embrace IN
condensed form the matters submitted 70, or ars-
| ing In Congress- Az each session vast deal OF
1
gress by the several departments and their subor-
| dinate 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 re-
ports, except the brief notices Of them, which
nom time 20 time appear in the public papers.
The standing number printed of each document
and report, is only twelve hundred in the Senate.
and fourteen hundred in the House Of Representa-
tiyes, which at once shows the impracticabllty OF
their dissemination, The ADVERTISER will con-
tain short abrldgments or analysis OF all these
documents and reports, and the compend will |
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
Instructive in ITSELF but will furnish an easy index
To those interested whenever Il is found desirable
TO obtain and examine the document at large
There is lurge field before us, the materials are
annle. I, viii be our jealous care 10 collect and \
arrange them in the proper form, We have every
condolences that the subscriptions will be ample 70
ennl,Ie ~ 70 accomplish II all The information