The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-08-13
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE

- -Ns'' "'a' - done, and uhaf should be done
"a :, Wv IN office IL
CHARLES M. W VILLAIN Editors and I'roprislors
Terms. -"The United States Postal Guide and
'W'e'a' .'ape'er, containing abo, 80 sppsr-royaI
octavo pages, is published monthly AR aSr no.
LAR ONLY, per a'.'i'an payable IN adpancs-oy fire
dollars for sir copies ordered. ''2'
/ s PREPARATORY NOTICE
/ The enterprise in which now embark and
OF which this paper is at once the commencement.
and sample of the papers that TO follow, as
for its ann no less purpose, than to impart in
structon, 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
izaton, decisions and action of the Executive de-
partments of their Government There has hith
ert0 Eeen no vehicle for the regular and proper
communication of information Of this kind The
publication of the Laws and the issue of instrue
ions more or less comprehensive and n, intervals
more or less extended, have proved wholly made
quate, in the absence of the construction or those
Laws, 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 voluminol,s
and are 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 10
party ends, and to matters of national policy
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 they did,
do they furnish those rules, methods and exam
pies, 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, methodical and ex
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 ey
tent at least-apart from, and independently of
any party or personal interest or question what
ever. 4st Y.ais tt
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
iof 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
manyy 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 hatters himself he has
+ preserved the respect and regard OF most of the
A present incumbents of the departments, and is ON
. becoming terms Of intercourse and cvilitv with
. them all. The Junior Editor has been asssiduou,lv
n engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
sonal inquiry and examination, the practical and
,f daily routine and details of the Post-O Office and
other branches Of the public business 1t is with
this stock Of experience, and these advantages for
reaching the various sources Of administrative ac-
ton, and for imparting minute and illustrative IN
structon, 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 mad,
by them during the preceding month Tables NJ
Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws ana
Regulations, issued by the Post Office Depart~
ment only once in two or three years Ii il n
matter of inconvenience and complaint for which
hitherto there has been no remedy that i'm ono
month from the time of these issues there are ofs
fees in the tables which no longer in operaonf
and Offices in operation which not in the ablesa
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 mod,6
| cations, made IN each month"; and by being filed
and preserved, will afford to postmasters full and
exact information upon both subjects up TO and
for time being. How much Of the present nnisdi-
rection, 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 Independent tlv of all
others, worth many times the price we charge
for the paper, and wall At ~ hoped, induce every
postmaster who feels just pride in his Office or
patriotic regard for the credit, prosperity, and
efficiency Of the whole Post Office system-at once
| to subscribe. The considerations applv IN
the orders and notices, decisions and INSTRUCTIONS
| Of the War, Navy, Treasury, State, and Interior
| departments, and the same course liz intended i'm
| 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 paper addressing itself not
merely to postmasters and other officers Of the
| Government, but to all other citizens who give ar
tenton to the affairs Of the nation and the progress
and development of the {, unry, viii embrace in n
condensed form the matters submitted to- or sris-
| ing in Congress. At each session a vast deal OF
| valuable information is communicated to Con-
gress by the several departments aud their subor-
| dnate 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 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-
lives, which shows the impracticsbility Of
their dissemination. The ADVERTISER will con-
tain short abridgments or alysis of all these,
documents and reports, and the co mpend wi I
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful a, d
instructive in itself, but will furnish easy index
10 those interested whenever it 10 found desral le
10 obtain and examine the documen at larer
There is large field before us, the materials are
ample. II will be jealous care ~ collect and
arrange them in the prope : form. We have every
confidence that the subscriptions will toe ample 10
enable us to accomplish IL all. The information
we propose to give, comprehending and confne.
| to the action OF the Government, is solid. usefa
and 1--WE might almost say) necessary TO the on
cer--f not to the citizen. II is intended for ALI.