The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-07
UNITED STATES POSTAL GuInc-

UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
.a."D OFFICIAL ADVERTISER.
S@ 10 shoio That Is done, and ,ohai should be dime
IN Office. k-E
PETER e. WAsHrscToN,t ~,
CHARLES M WILLARD, ''''o'S ana froprletors.
TERMS. -" The United States Postal Guild, and
Official 4dperiiser," containing about 80 super-yovaI
ocfapo pages, IS published monthly for ONE pol-
LAR ONLY, per annurl, payable in aduanee-or fp,
dollars for sir copies ordered at any one time
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 to follow has
for lis aim no less purpose, than to impnrt III
strucoD in the general and detail, to the Officer,
and Agents Of the American public, in respec. 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-
pArmentS or Their Government There has hth-
erto teen vehicle for the regular and proper
communication of information Of this kind. The
publication Of the Laws and the issue Of lnstruc
lions, or less comprehensive, and at intervals
more or less extended, have proved wholly inade-
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
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
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 far as they 60 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
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, 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 or personal interest 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-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, first in the War
Department, ard subsequently in the Treasury.
He has therefore had the best opportunities for
understanding the arrangements OF business in all
who carry 1t on. Since his official connection with
| the Government ceased, he faters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard of most Of the
preset 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. 1t is with
this stock Of experience, and these advantages for
tko
tion, and for imparting 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 our paper, so as to
afford time for obtaining from the departments.
all the orders, notices and changes issued, mad.
by them during the preceding month. Tables
Post Offices, and compilations Of the Laws ana
Regulations, issued by the Post Office Depart
ment only IN two three years Ii is a
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
hces in the tables which longer in ope alton
and Offices in operation which not in the tables
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 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 mod6-
cations, made each month, and by being filed
and preserved, will afford to postmasers full and
exact information upon both subjects, up to and
for time being How much Of the prescnt m isdi-
feclion remalIng, 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 intel-
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, it is 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 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 or national interest, viii find place
in this par
A department Of our paper addressing itself not
merely to pos,masters and other officers of the
Government, but to all other citizens who give at
tenton the affairs Of the nation and the progress
and development of the [, untry, will embrace ina
condensed form the matters submitted to, or arts
ing in Congress. At each session vast deal OF
valuable information il communicated to Con-
gress, by the several departments and their subor-
dina,e bureaus, and profound and comprehensive
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 docume
and report is only twelve hundred in the Senate,
and fourteen hundred in the House of Representa-
tives, which at once shows the mpracticabhty OF
their dissemination. The ADVERTISER will con-
tain short abrdgments 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
to those interested whenever it is found desirable
to obtain and examine the document at large
There is a large field before us, the materials are
ample. 1t will be our zeolous care 10 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