The southern press., 1851-09-06
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE

UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE
and OFFICIAL .aDvERTTSER.
~ To show ohat is done, and what should be done
ia qttics.~kU
cnaals. M. %Issos' Wmssno' Editors and Preprissors
IEnas. -" The United States Postal Guide aud
oe'at ddoeriiser, noataiai,g about 81 svpsr-royal
oefaoo pages, Is Published monthly for ONE DoL-
LAR ONLY, per annttni, payable in adrnxcs-or fus
dollars for st1 copies ordered
| PREPARATORY NOTICE
| The enterprise In which we now embark, and
Of which this paper is at the commencement.
and sample OF the papers that are to follow \ az
| for it's aim no less a purpose, than to impartin-
struction, in the general and detail, to the officer
and 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-
| partments of their Government There has hith
erto teen no vehicle for the regular and proper
communication of information Of this kind The
publication Of the Laws and the issue Of Instrur
tions, more or less comprehensive, and intervals
more or less extended, have proved wholly nade-
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 ins
| structons Ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, are too voluminous
and printed in quantities too small for general
circulation; whilst the debates in Congress and
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, if they did,
do they furnish those rules, methods, and exam
Piles, for the despatch Of the public business which
can render the discharge of public duty either safs
xl,atl tlor.. et..sx
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, 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 sH
| 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 Audi
1 tor Of the Post-Office 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, frat 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 Aatters 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 asssiduounly
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 Itis with
this stock Of experience, and these advantages for
reaching the various sources of administrative ac
ton, and for impartins 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 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 a :
| Post Offices, and compilations Of the Laws ana
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 off
fees in the tables which are no longer in operations
and offices in operation which are not in the In beas
At this time there are perhaps 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 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 modih
cations, made In each month, and by being fled
and preserved, will afford to postmasters full and
exact information upon both subjects, up TO and
for time being. How much Of the prese1. 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 intei-
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, 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 ono,
to subscribe. The same considerations apply tr
the orders and notices, decisions, and instruction
OF the War, Navy, Treasury, State, and Interio
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 or national interest, will find place
in this papsr.
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
en,ion to the affairs of the nation and the progress
and development of the {, untry will embrace in a
condensed form the matters submitted to, or ars-
| 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 land 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 nouces 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-
,ives, which at once shows the impractcabty Of
| their dissemination. The ADvERrrsER will con-
tain short abridgments or analysis Of all these
documents and reports, and the mpend vii
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in itself, but will furnish easy inde
those interested, whenever it is found desirab.s
20 obtain and examine the documen at large
There is large field before us, the materials are
ample II will be our jealous care to collect and
arrange them in the prope = form. We have every
confidence ahat the SUBSCRIPTIONS will be ample to
enable us to accomplish it all. The Information
we propose to give, comprehending and confined
to the action Of the Government il solld, useful
and 1--WE might almost say) necessary to the Off