The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-02
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
AND OFFICIAL ADVERTISER

~ 40 shoo 'ohat is done, and ,chai should be DONE
IN qlfcs.=sU
CHARLES M. WmIAaps Editors and PROPRIETOR.
Terms. -" The United States Postal Guide and
Official advertiser, containing about 40 s,sr~rai
ocf6po pages, IS published monihly for ONE Dol
LAR ONLY, per annuni, payable in aduaace-or 6vs
dollars for sic copies ordered al any one time.
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
The enterprise in which we now embark. and
Of which this paper 10 at the comm encement.
and sample Of the papers that are to follow, has
for its aim no less purpose, than to impsrt ir-
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 nuke them,
and the people at large acquainted with the organ
xation, decisions and action Of the Executive de-
partments Of their Government There has hith-
erto Eeen no vehicle for the regular and proper
communication or Information Of this kind. The
publication of the Laws and the issue of instruc
tons, more or less comprehensive, and atintervas
more or less extended, have proved wholly inade-
quate, in The absence Of the construction Of those
Laws, Ia ed 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 volumnols
and are printed in quantities too small for general
circulation; whilst the debates in Congress and
the commentaries of the press upon their proceed
hgs, 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 go, and
some of them Indispensable; but there is much
that do reach the hands of all. nor 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 safe
or easy, whether in respect TO the incumbent him.
self, 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
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 or question what
ever.
II 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
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, and subsequently in the Treasury.
He has therefore had the best opportunities for
understanding the arrangements or business in all
the departments, and being acquainted with those
who carry it on. Since his official conhecton with
preserved the respect and regard Of most Of the
preset incumbents of the departments, and is on
becoming terms of intercourse and civIty with
| them all. The Junior Editor has been asssiduouay
engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
/ sona inquiry and examinations the practical and
daily routine and details of the Post-Ofhce and
other branches Of the public business. 1t is with
this stock Of experience, and these advantages for
reaching the various sources of administrative
| ton, and for imparting 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
the day for the publication of our paper, 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 IL 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 Of
fees in the tables which no longer IN ppe alton
and Offices in operation which are 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 modih-
| cations, made IN each month, and by being filed
and preserved, will afford to postmasiers full and
exact information upon both subjects, up to and
for time being. How much Of the presen, m isd-
rection, remaing, doubt, confusion, error, and
imposition, will be saved by the progressive state
OF full and exact knowledge, for which have
provided and for which we engage, every inteli.
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 a Just pride in his Office, or
a 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 same course IL intended in
| respect to them. Notices of the decisions OF the
| Supreme Court, in cases turning upon questions
of official duty national interest," will hnd place
| in this papr.
/ A department Of our paper addressing itself not
merely TO postmasters and other officers of the
Govern hot to all other citizens who give at
tenon to the affairs Of the nation and the progress
and development Of the e untry, will embrace in
condensed form the matters submitted to, aris-
ing in Congress. At each session vast deal Of
valuable information is communicated to Con-
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 NOM
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-
tiyes which at once shows the lmpracticabllity OF
their dissemination The ADVERTISER viii corr
tain short abridgments or analysis OF all these
documents and reports, and the compend win
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in itself, but will furnish an easy index
to those interested whenever II is found desirable
to obtain and examine the document at large
There is a large field before us, the materials are
ample II 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
10 tie action Of the Government, il solid, useful
and 1--WE might almost say necessary to the Off
cer-,f not to the citizen. II is intended for all,
and put AT price which constitute no obstacle
with any Hat the end Of the year. any subscriber