The southern press., 1851-06-28
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE

sls 40 so~ iohat Is done aud ohai should be done
PETER G W, ,,urneo.' " maIss;-sH
CHARLES M. WmIAnp' Editors and Propristors.
TERMS. -" The United States Postal Guide and
eD'c'0t .1dperfser containing about 80 spper-roual
ocfapo spnges ~ published monthly for ONE por-
LAR oNLY' per ana''"'' payable in adpance-or .fps
dollars for str copies ordered at anu one fine
PREPARATORY NOTICE
The enterprise in which we now embark. AMI
OF which this paper is at once the commencement,
and sample Of the papers that to follow, / as
for its ann no less 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 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 hith
erto Eeen 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
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
structona ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, are too voluminous
and are printed in quantities too small for general
circulation; 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 to
party ends, and to matters of national policy.
These publications in their various forms are
highly useful in themselves as 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
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, the department or bureau under which he
acts. We shall make 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, methodica, and ey-
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
| tent at least--apart from, and independently Of
any party or personal interest or question what
ever.
per will be sent, that the Senior Editor was Audi
| tor of the Post-Office 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 Of business in all
the departments, and being acquainted with those
who carry it on Since his official connection with
the Government ceased, he hatters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard Of most OF the
present incumbents of the departments and is on
} becoming terms of intercourse and civility with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssiduously
engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
sonal inquiry and examination, the practical and
{ daily routine and details of the Post-Of and
| other branches Of the public business. 1t in with
this stock Of 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 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, to
| afford time for obtaining from the Departmental
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, are issued by the Post Office Depart
ment only once in two or three years. 1t is
| matter of inconvenience and complaint, for which
hitherto there has been remedy, that in one
month from the time of these issues, there off
fees in the tables which no longer IN operatons
and Offices in operation which not in the tablesl
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 modf-
cations, made ip each month, and by being filed
and preserved, will afford to posmasters full 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 intelli-
| gent postmaster estimate for himself.
| These advantages alone and independently of all
| Others are worth many times the price we charge
for the paper, and will il is hoped, induce every
| ,t.f faDla ttiQt nrli M fca
a patriotic regard for the credit, prosperity, and
efbciency 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
departn ents, and the same course rs intended IN
resnect 10 them. Notices Of the decisions of the
Supreme Court, in cases turning upon questions
of Official duty or national interest," will find place
| in this papsr.
| department of our paper addressing itself not
| merely to postmasters and other officers of the
| C,overument but to all other citizens who give at
ention to the affairs of the nation and the progress
and development of the {, untry, will embrace IN a
condensed form the matters submitted TO, or aris-
| ing in Congress. At each session vast deal Of
/ valuable information is communicated TO Con-
eress by the several departments and their subor-
| dipate 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-
| ports. except the brief notices Of them, which
| from time 10 time appear IN the public papers,
The standing number printed of each documen
and report, is only twelve hundred IN the Senate
and fourteen hundred in the House of Representa-
| ives which at once shows the impractcablty o.
| tne;r dissemination The ADVERTISER will CON
tain short abridgments or analysis of all these
documents and reports, and the compend viii
| therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in itself, but will furnish an easy index
90 ,ho.e interested whenever it is found desirable
| 10 obtain and examine the document at large.
Ther, is large field before us, the materials are
,conle 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 it all. The Information
we propose to give, comprehending and con6ne
10 the action Of the Government, is solid, usefd
and 1--WE might almost say) necessary to the of
cerIf not to the citizen. 1t is intended for all,