The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-24
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
IND OFFTCLqI 3Dvrpy,rcpD

United STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
IND OFFICLaL ADVERTISER.
III sAo'o iohat Is DONE and ,ohat should be DONG
D. Wv IN qtics.~l-E
CHAmIEs M. W ms,,spns' Editors and Proprietors.
.skMs. -" The United States Postal Gide and
C0tesai .1dcertissr, eoalaiiag abo,i 40 a-~~ra.s,
oeiaoo Pages' IS published monthly for ONE poI-
LAX ONLY per aanum, payable in adranee-or fire
do"9Ts Jor ssr copies ordered at any Que time
| PREPARATORY NOTICE
! The enterprise in which we now embark and
Of which thin paper is at once the commencement
and sample OF the papers that TO follow, has
for It's aim no less Il purpose, than TO impart in
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 10 make them
and the people at large, acquainted with the organ
ixation, decisions and action of the Executive de-
partments of their Government. There has hith
erto Ieen no vehicle for the regular and proper
communication of information of this kind. The
/ publication of the Laws and the issue Of instruc
tons, more Or lesa comprehensive, and Al Intervals
more or less extended, have proved wholly made
quate, in the absence OF the construction Of those
Laws, 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 yoluminous
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
party ends, and to matters of national policy,
These publications in their various forms are
highly useful in themselves far they go, and
some of them Indispensable; but there IL much
that do not reach the hands Of all, 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 honest effort to supply
this vacuum, and to provide for these necessities.
I II we succeed ia rendering the functions of the
primary Offices more uniform. me,hodica 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. n e.. sa fs3f1 500 lt1
| 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-Otfce 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
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
\
who carry II on. Since his official connection with
the Government ceased, he ilatters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard Of most Of the
4 preset incumbens of the departments, and is on
becoming terms of intercourse and civllity with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssiduoualy
engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
Il sonai 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
l~o.
ton, and for importing 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 10
AFFORD time for obtaining from the departments.
all the orders, notices and changes issued, or made
| by them during the preceding month. Tables
! Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws and
Regulations, 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
fees in the tables which are no longer in operation
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 modif-
cations, made IN each month"; and by being filed
and preserved, will afford TO postmasters fun and
exact information upon both subjects, up to and
for time being. How much of the present misdi-
| 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 inteh-
| gent postmaster estimate for hlnself 1859
| These advantages alone and independently of all
| others, worth many times the price charge
for the paper, and win, it 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 syster--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 turning upon questions
Of official duty national interest, will find place
! in this PAGER. ff
! department of our paper addressing itself not
merely to postmasters and other officers of the
Government but TO all other citizens who give at
tenon the affairs Of the nation and the progress
and development of the uniry, will embrace IN a
condensed form the matters submitted to- or aris-
ing in Congress. At escI session vast deal Of
valuable information IN communicated to Con-
gress by the several departments and their subor-
dnate bureaus. and profound and comprehensive
reports are made by committees Of both Houses
But the great mars 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 10 the Senate,
and fourteen hundred in the House of Representa-
t,ves which at shows the iinpracticabiIIty OF
their dissemination. The ADVERTISER willYeon-
tain short abrdgments analysis Of all these
monuments and reports, and the compehd will
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful md
instructive in Itself but will furnish easy index
10 those interested, whenever 1t is found desirable
TO obtain and examine the document at large.
Their. is a large field before us, the natefinla are
ample II will be our jealous TO collect and
arrange them in the proper form. We have every
confidence that the subscriptions will be ample to
enable us to accomplish il all. The information
we propose TO give, compreheuding and confined
10 the action OF the Government, u SOLID. nsefnl