The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-06-07
UNITED STATES POSTAL GIyIDn.
HsND OFFICIAL .gDyEPTYSrp

o. =, ,r IA q6tee.-sS a 80
CnaRLss M. Villas ps' Editors and propyieto,s.
Terms. -" The United States Postal o.,, III,
0Gicial -7drefiser," containing abo, a, ,nnas'l
oetaro pages, Is published monthlu A. o,',
LAR ONLY, per annu'n, payable IN adpanes'o, e..
dollars for str copies ordered at ann one t;,o 'sa
| PREPARATORY NOTiCE .
| The enterprise in which we now embark all
OF which this paper is at once the commencement
aud a sample of the papers that are to follow. VIZ
for It's ann no less a purpose, than to npart in
structon, IN the general and detail, to the Officer
and Agents of the American public, in respect borb
to their duties and their rights, and to make them
and the people at large, acquainted with the organ
izauon, decisions and action Of the Executive de-
partmens OF their Government There has hith
erto leen no vehicle for the regular and proper
communication Of information Of this kind 1fbe
| publication OF the Laws and the issue of instruc
tons, more or less compreh ensve and at intervals
more or less extended, have proved wholly made
quate, in the absence of the construction or those
Laws, as applied to particular cases, and Of details
ana iiiustraiiohs 10 make the regulations and in
structions Ineligible. The valuable Documents
annually reported to Congress, are too youminol,s
and are printed IN quantities small for general
circulation; whilst the debates in Congress- and
the commentaries of the press upon their proceed
ings, ana the proceedings OF the Executive branch
Of the Government, besides turning mostly unor,
general principles, address themselves ONLY, 10
party ends, and to matters of national pocv
These publications in their various forms are
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 thew did.
do they furnish those rules methods and ex,n,.
pies, Tor 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, the department or bureau under vb;ch he b
acts. We shall make an honest effort TO snnnlv
this vacuum, and to provide for these necessities
II we succeed IN rendering the functions Of the
primary offices more uniform, methodicaI 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 ieast--apart from, and independently OF
any party or personal interest or question what
ever. 4E3 - ~
1t is known to most Of those to whom this ma
per will be sent, that the Senior Editor was Audi-l
| tor of the Post-Offce Department until the month
OF November last; with by far the larger portiot
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 IL on. Since his official connection with
: the Government ceased, he latters himself he has
{ preserved the respect and regard of most Of the
} preseit incumbents of the departments and is on
e becoming terms Of intercourse aud civllity with
: them all The Junior Editor has been asssduousy
7 engaged icr several years, IN studying, by per-
j sonai inquiry and examination, the practical and
II daily routine and details of the Post Office and
other branches Of the public business Ii is with
tins stock OF experience, 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
ana Solicit your support and patronage
we have hxed upon the 18th OF each month as
The day for the publication of our paper, so as to
anora tine Tor obtaining from the departments
all the ORDERS notices and changes issued or m,d
by them during the preceding month Tables a
, Post Oihces, and compilations of the Laws ana
Regulations are issued by the Post Office Depart
, ment only once IN two three wears Ii is n
matter of inconvenience and complaint for Which
, hitherto there has been remedy that in one
month from the time of these Issues there are of
hoes IN the tables which no longer IN operafions
ana o1ces IN operation which not in the tabesA
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 regulatons
OF which many posmasters and others nre 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 modi6
cations, made IN each month, and by being filed
and preserved, will afford postlnasters full and
exact information upon both subjects up to and
for time being How much of the presen, nisdi
recuon, remailing, doubt, connision 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 intelIi-
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, 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---,t 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 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 pIac,
IN this papr.
A department of our paper addressing itself not
merely to postmasters 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 development of the {, untry, will embrace ina
condensed form the matters submitted to- or aris-
ing in Congress. At each session vast deal OF
| valuable information is communicated 10 Com
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
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 impractcability 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 an easy index
20 those interested, whenever II is found desirable
| 10 obtain and examine the document at large.
There is large field before us, the materials are
| ample 1t will be jealous care TO collect and
arrange them in the proper form. We have every
confidence that the subscriptions will be ample to
enable us to accomplish 1t all 3'he information
we propose to give, comprehending and confined
to the action Of the Government, is solid, useful
and 1--WE might almost sny) necessary to the Off