The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-09-15

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UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE
AND OFFICIAL .aDvERTTSER
III 10 show what Is DONE, aud ,ohat should be done
ia e6ee. ~SI
cnanlrs M S Wms.s' Editors axa p,epyssors
Terms. - The United States Postal Guide and
tWc'ai .adrerser, containing abowi - spper-rouaI
ocfapo pages, "a published ,ao,.hiy 1br ONE poi
Lar ONLY per onn'", payable ia. aupancs---or FIVE
r dollars for str copies ordered.
PREPARATORY NOTICE
The enterprise in which we now emhark and
OF which this paper is ut the commencement
) and sample of the papers that are to follow taa
4 for its ann no less purpose, than to impart in
struction, in the general and detail 10 the Oy;csr
and Agents of the American public, in respect botb
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 nstruc
tions, 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, as applied to particular cases. and of details
anu illustrations to make the regulations and in
structions Ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, are too v0Iumnous
and are 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 TO
party ends, and to matters of national policy
These publications in their various forms are
highly useful IN themselves as far as they co. 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
pes for the despatch Of the public business wbich
can render the discharge of public duty either SAT.
: 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 ey
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 exs
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-Ofice 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 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
tine Government ceased, he natters 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 civIiity with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssiduously
, engaged for several years, IN studying, by per-
sonul inquiry and examination, the practical and
E daily routine and details of the Post-O Office and
other branches Of the public business Ills with
this stock Of experience, aud these advantages for
reaching the various sources Of administrative &C,
ton and for impartinS minute and illustrative in
struction, and valuable periodical and statistical
information, that 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 80 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 az
/ Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws ana
Regulations, are issued by the Post Office Depart
ment only once in two or three years. 1t is
matter of inconvenience and complaint, for which
hitherto there has been remedy, that in one
month from the time of these issues, there are ofs
fees in the tables which no longer in operationS
and offices in operation which in the tablest
At this time there perhaps over three thousand
Offices of the two descrptons.r 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 mod6
| cations made IN each month, and by being filed
and preserved will afford to postnasters fun and
exact information upon both subjects, up to and
for time being. How much Of the present nsdi-
rection remang, doubt, confusion, error, and
| impositon 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, II is hoped, induce every
/ postmaster who feels just pride in his Office 0 r
a pstriotic regard for the credit, prosperity an
i efficiency of The whole Post Office sysiem--st on,y
| to subscribe. The same considerations apply +
the orders and notices, decisions, and instructor
of the War, Navy, Treasury, State, and Interio
dep.rtments and the same course IL intended i'm
respect TO them. Notices Of the decisions of the
SUPREME Court, in cases turning upon questions
of Official duty national interest, will find aplace
/ in this paSr
A department of our paper addressing itself not
merely TO postmssters and other officers of the
Government but to all other citizens who give at
tenton to the affairs of the nation and the progress
and development of the {, untry wall embrace in a
condensed form the matters submitted to, or ars-
ing in Congress. At each session vast deal OF
valuable information communicates to Com
gress by the several departments and their subor-
d,nate 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
from time to 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-
tives which at once shows the 'mpracticab,ty of
their dissemination. The Apvz8 nsss will con-
tam short abridgments or anal ys,s of all these
documents and reports, and the co mpend viii
therefore not only prove exceedingly. useful and
instructive in itself, but will furnish easy index
to those interested whenever il liz found desirabls
TO obtain and examine the documen at large
There is large field before us, the materials are
ample II viii be our jealous care 10 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, comprehen and confined