The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-30
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.

UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
.a.ND OFFICIAL ADVERTISER.
- 10 "o" phaf Is done, and chat should be done,
In - M office .sT
CHARLES M. VILLAIN Editors and Proprietoys.
Terms. -" The United States Postal Guide o1x
D'ei" .adoeri'ser' containing about 81 super-royaE
oaa'V pases' F" published monthly for ONE DOL
LAR ONLY, per dnni,m, payable in aduancs-or fire
dollars for sac copies ordered at ana one fine
| 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 its aim no less purpose, than to impart in
strucuon IN the general and detail, to the Officer
and Agents ofthe 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 hiih
erto Eeen vehicle for the regular and proper
communication of information of this kind The
publication of the Laws and the issue Of instr,lr
tons, or less comprehensive, and at 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
structions ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress are too voluminous
and are printed in quantities too small for general
| crcuation whilst the debates in Congress and
ings, and the proceedings of the Executive branch
| of the Government, besides turning mostly Upon
| general principles, address themselves only to
party ends, and to matters of national policy.
| These publications. in their various forms are
highly useful in themselves far as they 20, and
some of them Indispensable; but there is much
that do not reach the hands Of all nor n they did
do they furnish those rules, methods, and exanl-
pies, for the despatch of the public business which
can render the discharge Of public duty either safe
nr nhath arI -
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, methodlcal, 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 Ieast-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 was Audi
tor of the Pos-Otlice Department until the month
of November last; with by far the larger portion
of both poatmasters 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 Of business in all
the departments and being acquainted with those
who carry 1t on Since his official connection with
the Government ceased, he aatters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard Of most Of the
preses ncumbents Of the departments, and is on
becoming terms of intercourse and cvIlity with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssiduounIy
, engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
] sonai inquiry and examinations the practical and
4 daily routine and details Of the Post-Offce 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 mpartng minute and illustrative In
struclion, and valuable periodical and statistical
information, that we challenge your confidence
and solicit your support and patronage. fi
We have fixed upon the 18th of each month as
the day for the publication Of our paper, to
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 ana
Regulations, issued by the Post Off Depart
ment only once in two or three years. 1t is
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 tab!eA which no longer in operation
and offices in operation which are not in the tables
AT this time there 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 postmasers 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 full and
exact information upon both subjects, up to and
for time being How much of the present misdi-
recton, remaiIing, doubt, confusion, error, and
imposition, will be saved by the progressive
| of full and exact knowledge, for which have
provided, and for which we engage, every inte-
J cent postmaster estimate for himself.
These advantages alone and independently of all
others, worth many times the price 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 same course is intended in
respect 10 them Notices of the decisions of the
s Supreme Court, in turning upon questions
of official duty national interest, will find place
in this pavsr.
A department of our paper addressing itself not
2 merely TO postmasters and other officers of the
Government, but to all other citizens who give
tention to the affairs of the nation and the progress
and development Of the Z. untry, will embrace in
condensed form the matters submitted to, or ars-
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 made by committees of both Houses
But the great mass of the community know moth.
iny 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-
, lives which mt once shows the impractcabty OF
their dissemination. The ADVERTISER will con-
tam short abridgments 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
10 those interested, whenever IT is found desirable
10 obtain and examine the document at large
Their. 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 tina, the subscriptions will be ample to
enable us to accomplish it ALL The Information
we propose to give, comprehending and confined
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