The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-28
UNITED STATES POSTAL g UIDE-
AND OFFICIAL ADVERTISER

UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE
AND OFFICIAL ADVERTISER.
Il J. 10 shoo ,chai is dome, apd Dhai should be done
IN office IS II
PETER G. WAsHrNGToN, py,
CHARLES M WILLARD Eouors ana froPF'e'"'s'
TEAMS. 50 The United States Postal Guide and
Official .4reriiser, containing about 80 srperroyat
octsro pages, Is published monthly for ONE Dor
Lar ONLY, per ann,nm, payable Ia adpance-oy jiue
dollars for sir copies ordered at any one time.
PREPARATORY NOTICE
The enterprise in which we now embark, and
OF which this paper is at once the commencement,
and sample of the papers that are to follow, has
for it's aim no less purpose, than to nmpart iC-
atruction, 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 hllh
erto Keen no vehicle for the regular and proper
| communication of information of this kind. The
publication of the Laws and the issue of nstruc
TONS more or less comprehensive, and at intervals
more or less extended, have proved wholly made
ouate in the absence of the construction OF thos
Laws as applied to particular cases, and OF detail
and illustrations to make the regulations and m
structions Ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, are too voumInous
and are printed in quantities too small tor 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
,eral principles, address themselves only to
gel ends. and to matters of national policy.
party 'blications in their various forms are
These p. in themselves as far as they go, and
highly usefu. >dispensable; but there lis much
some of them l. hands OF all, nor if they did,
that do not reach tn -ues, methods, and exam
do they furnish those -uublic business which
pies, for the despatch of tn, ic duty either safe
can render the discharge of pu. incumbent him
or easy, whether IN respect to the. OF which he
self self or W me dep. department s or bureau I'm" supply
this vacuum, and to provide for these necess
If we succeed in rendering the functions of me
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 lenst-apart from, and independently OF
any party or personal interest or question what
ever.
Ii is known to most Of those to whom this pn-
per will be sent, that the Senior Editor was Audi
tor of the Post-Oifce 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 Tor
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 latters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard of most of the
prese6t incumbents Of the departments, and is on
becoming terms of intercourse and civity with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssduously
engaged for several years, IN studying, by per-
sonal inquiry and examination, the practical and
daily routine and details of the Post-O Office and
other branches of the public business. 1t is with
this stock or experience, and these advantages for
reaching the various sources of administrative ac-
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 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 o.
Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws and
Regulations, are issued by the Post Office Depart
ment only once in two or three years. 1t 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 three thousand
Offices of the two descriptions. In like manner
laws have been passed and regulations establishod
since the issue of the last volume Of regulation
Of which many postmasters and others who.y
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 fled
and preserved, will afford to postmnsters full and
exact information upon both subjects, up to and
for time being. How much of the present misdi-
rection, remaiIing, 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 independently 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
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
d 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 national interest," will find place
in this paper.
department of our paper addressing itself not
merely to postmasters and other officers of the
Government but to all other citizens who give a.
ention to the affairs Of the nation and the progre
and development of the {, untry, will embrace N
condensed form the matters submitted to, or ars-
valuable Information is communicated to Con-
gress, by the several departments aud their sutof
dinate 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 imprnctcabilty 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 md
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 large field before us, the materials are
ample. 1t will be our jealous to collect and
arrange them in the proper form. We have every
confidence that the subscriptions will be ample 10
enable us to accomplish it all. The information
we propose to give, comprehending and confined