The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-09-10

~ "a q0ice.-zu
cn.alss M WH ms.so Editor, and Proprietor.
IERms.- =" The United States Postal Gvids and
Qctaf .ddrerfiser, containing about 80 svpsr-ycuol
octauo pages, Is Published nso,.s.iu sby or pol
LAh oHLr, per anaam, payable il advamcs---Or five
dollars for sir copies ordered.
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
The enterprise IN which we now embark. and
OF which this paper is ut once the commencement.
and sample of the papers that to follow, / aa
for it's aim no less purpose, than to impert 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 to make them,
and the people at large, acquainted with the organ
ization decisions and action Of the Executive de-
partments of their Government. Theirs has hith
erto teen no vehicle for the regular and proper
communication of information Of this kind. The
publication Of the Laws and the issue Of nstrue
tions or less comprehensive, and at intervals
more or less extended, have proved wholly made
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.
structions Ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, are too voluminous
and printed in quantities too small for general
circuIation; whilst the debates in Congress and
the commentaries of the press upon their proceed
ngs, and the proceedings of the Executive branch
of the Government, besides turning mostly upon
general principles, address themselves only 10
marty ends, and to matters Of national policy
These publications in their various forms,
highly useful in themselves 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
Piles, 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 necesstiea.
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 ex.
tent at least-apart from, and independently OF
any party or personal interest or question what
| ever.
| 1t is known to most Of those to whom this pa
per will be sent, that the Senior Editor Audi
tor of the Post-Ofhce 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
the departments, and being acquainted with those
who carry it Since his official connection with
the Government ceased, he natters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard Of most Of the
becoming terms of intercourse and civility with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssiduously
, engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
(, sonai inquiry and examination, the practical and
= daily routine and details of the Post-Office and
other branches Of the public business II is with
this stock of experience and these advantages for
reaching the various sources of administrative &C,
ton, and for imparting minute and illustrative I'M
structon, and valuable periodical and statistical
information, that we challenge your confidence
and solicit your support and patronage. s
We have fixed upon the 18th Of each month as
the day for the publication Of 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 az
Post Offices, and compilations Of the Laws ana
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 remedy, that in one
month from the time of these issues, there are of
fees in the tables which longer in operation4
and Offices in operation which not in the tabJes1
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 wholly
ignorant We propose to prevent, for the present,
anv 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 full and
exact information upon both subjects, up TO and
for time being. How much OF the present misd-
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 inte-
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
a patriotic regard for the credit, prosperity, and
efficiency Of the whole Post Office system--at ono
to subscribe. The same considerations apply &c
the orders and notices, decisions, and instruction
OF the War, Navy, Treasury, State, and Interio
departments and the same course intended in
respeet 10 them Notices Of the decisions Of the
. Supreme Court, in cases turning upon questions
of official duty national interest, will find place
in this pavsr
/, merely to postmasters and other officers Of the
Go yernment but to all other citizens who give at
tention TO the affairs Of the nation and the progress
and development of the {. untry, will embrace in
condensed form the matters submitted to, or srs-
inc in Congress- At each session a vast deal Of
valuable information is communicated to Con-
oress bv the several departments aud their subor-
dinate 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-
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 douse OF Representa-
i lives which at once shows the impractcabtlity of
y ,h;r dissemination The ADVERTISER will con-
t,,n short sbridgments analysis Of all thess
documents and reports, and the CO mpend vii
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in itself, but will furnish nm easy index
10 those interested whenever it is found desirable
IN obtain and examine the documen at large
There is large field before us, the materials are
ample Ii will be our jealous care collect and
| arrange them in the prope form. We have every
confidence that the subscriptions will be ample 10
enable us to accomplish it all. The information
we propose to give compromising and confined
to the action Of the Government, il solid. useful
| and 1--WE might almost say) necessary 70 the Off
cer--,f not to the citizen II is intended for alf,
and put at price which can constituts no obstacle
with any. Hat the end Of the year. any Subscriber
shall find that he has not rec the ir vnIue of