The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-04-17

subscriptions at our rsk. Address, postpaid)
ELLwoOD FISHER
Washnxtpn City,
- --------------.-- -7z.---E24s---e
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
AND OFFICIAL .aDYERTHSER.
H. 10 saor ,chat is done, ssd ohaf should h done,
IN 46ics.-sU
cmAnlx. M. 1WsI msssa' Editors and Prepisss,.
TrRns.--"1 xs United States Postsi Guide and
V0'csaf .ddUerfissr, containing about 81 spysr-royst
octsoo Pages, - published m0,sthiy Hv ONE DOL
Lar ONLY, per an'un, payable IN adps~es--oy Jips
do"srs Jor az copies ordered a aay one Hm<
| PREPARATORY NOTICE.
| The enterprise in which we now embark, and
OF which this paper il at once the commencement,
and sample of the papers that are to follow, has
for it's ann no less a purpose. than to impart In
sructon, IN the general and detail, to the Officer,
aud 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-
pariments Of their Government There has hi,h-
erto Eeen no vehicle for the regular and proper
communication of information of this kind. The
publication Of the Laws and the issue Of instruc
tons, or less comprehensive, and MT 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
struciions Ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, are too voIuminoun
and 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
highly useful in themselves 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
can render the discharge of public duty either safe
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, methodcal, 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 tins 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-O 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
the Government ceased, he llatters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard Of most of the
presert incumbents of the departments, and is on
becoming terms of intercourse and civty with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssiduously
! engaged for several years. in studying, by per-
sonal inquiry and examination, the practical and
+ daily routine and details of the PostOfFce and
other branches Of the public business. Ii is with
this stock Of experience, and these advantages for
reaching the vurious sources Of administrative
ton, and for imparting 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 paper, so to
afford time for obtaining from the departments,
all the orders, notices and changes issued or made
by them during the preceding month. Tables o.
Post Offices, and compilations Of the Laws and
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 no remedy, that
month from the time Of these issues, there are of
fees in the tables which are 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
will furnish the additions, corrections and modlh-
cations, made IN each month, and by being filed
and preserved, will afford to postmasiers full and
exact information upon both subjects, up TO and
J for time being. How much Of the presen, misdi-
recton, 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, worth many times the price charge
for the paper, and will, 1t 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 same course is intended in
respect to them. Notices Of the decisions Of the
q Supreme Court, in turning upon questions
of official duty national interest," will find place
r III this pay,r.
A department of our paper addressing itself not
2 merely 10 pustnasters and other officers Of the
: Government but to all other citizens who give
tenon the affairs of the nation and the progress
{ and development of the untry, will embrace IN
condensed form the matters submitted to, aris-'
ing in Congress. At each session vast deal of
valuable information is communicated to Con-
gress, by the several departments aud their subor-
! dinate bureaus, and profound and comprehensive
reports made by committees Of both Houses.
But the great mass Of the community know noih-
! ing of the contents Of these documents and REL
ports, except the brief notices of them, whic'
from time to time appear in the public papers.
The standing number printed of each docume
and report, is only twelve hundred in the SenAts,
and fourteen hundred in the House of Representa-
tives, which at shows the impracticability 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
instructive in itself, but will furnish easy index
to those interested, whenever it is found desirable
to obtain and examine the document at large
There is n large field before u.s. the materials are