The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-01-03
THE
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.

al
5- To shOo what is DONE and lphai should be done,
- IN qttee.esT
PETER u. WASHINGTON, ! ~, IN
CHARLES M WILLARD, Ha"0'sa "" r'op''e0's'
TERMS =" The United States Postal Guide and
Official .4dpertiser, containing about 80 spper-royai
oetduo pages, is published monthly for ONE DOL
LAR ONLY, per annlsm payable in adranes-or five
dollars for sic copies ordered at any one 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 It's ann no less purpose, than to impart IN
structon, in the general and detail, to the Officers
and Agents of the American public, in respect both
TO their duties and their rights, and to make Them
and the people at large, acquaintedwith 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 Instruc-
tions more or less comprehensive, and AZ 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
structions ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, are too voluminous
and are printed IN quantities too small for general
crculaton whilst the debates in Congress and
the commentaries of the press upon their proceed
ings, and the proceedings of the Executive branch
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 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
plies, for the despatch Of the public business which
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
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 this we expect TO do, to some eX
tent at least-apart from, and independently OF
any party 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 PostOtfice 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. lie 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 Since his official connection with
the 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 civility 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 Post-Office and
other branches of the public business. IL is with
this stock Of experience, and these advantages foi
, reaching the various sources of administrative &C.
ton, and for mparting 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 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
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 is a
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
Il fees in the tables which longer in ope alton
and Offices in operation which not in the tables
At this time there perhaps over three Thousand
4 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 wholly
ignorant. We propose to prevent, for the present
the time another issue shall be made, our pape
will furnish the additions, corrections, and modif
cations, made IN each month, and by being fet
and preserved, will afford to posmasters full ant
exact information upon both subjects, up to anC
for time being. How much of the present nisdi
rection, remailing, doubt, confusion, error, anc
imposition, will be saved by the progressive STATE
OF full and exact knowledge, for which we hav,
provided, and for which we engage, every intelli
gent postmaster can estimate for himself
These advantages alone and independently of al
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 OF
patriotic regard for the credit, prosperity, ant
} efficiency of the whole Post Office system-at onc
to subscribe. The same considerations apply t,
the orders and notices, decisions, and instruction.
of the War, Navy, Treasury, State, and Interio
departments, and the same course is intended il
respect to them. Notices Of the decisions of thu
Supreme Court, in cases turning upon questions
of official duty national interest, will fnd plac,
in this paper.
department Of our paper addressing itself no
} merely TO pustmasters and other officers of tn,
J Government, but to all other citizens who give at
tention to the affairs Of the nation and the progress
and development of the i, untry, will embrace in
condensed form the matters submitted to, or arts
ing in Congress- At each session vast deal o.
valuable information is communicated to Con
gress, by the several departments and their subor
reports 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 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 easy index
to those interested, whenever it is found desirable
TO obtain and examine the document at large
There Is large field before us, the materials are
ample 1t will be our 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 it all. The information
we propose to give, compromising and confined
TO the action Of the Government, is solid, useful,
and 1--WE might almost aayl necessary to the Off
cer-lf not to the citizen. IL is intended for all !,
and put at price which can constitute obstacle
with any. fiat the end of the year, any subscriber
shall find that he has not received the full value of
his money, in Intellectual enjoyment and in the