The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-13
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
AND OFFJCLgT .gDvEpp,opo

~ 40 S"oo 'ohat Is done, aud chai should be done
PrrrR G. wAsurseTgoS s'i-A
CHARLEs Nj. WnLAnp, Editors and Proprisioys.
IERms.-" The United States Postal Guide and
Official advertiser" containing about ~ spperoaL
octaro pages, rs published monthly for ONE pol
IAN oSLr' per a'."u"'' P"yaole Ia aduance--or five
dollars for siI copies ordered at any one time
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
| The enterprise In which we now embark and
Of which this pepper is at once the commencement,
and sample of the papers that to follow has
for it's ann no less purpose, than to impart in
slructon, 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 Leen 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 less 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
structions Ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported TO Congress, are too soluminous
and printed in quantities too small for general
circuation 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 10
party ends and to matters of national policy.
These publications in their various forms
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 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, 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 expect to do, to some ex
tent at least-apaTt from, and independently OF
any party or personal interest or question what
ever.
Ii is known to most Of those to whom this pa
per will be sent that the Senior Editor was Audi
tor Of the PostOfiice Department until the month
of November last; with by far the larger portion
of both pos,masters 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 Since his official connection with
| the Government ceased, he ilatters himself he has
|
present incumbents of the departments, and is on
| becoming terms of intercourse and civlty with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssduousy
engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
sonal inquiry and examination, the practical and
daily routine and details of the Pos-0ifce and
other branches of the public business 1t is with
this stock Of experience and these advantages for
reaching the various sources Of administrative ac-
ton, and for impartng minute and Illustrative IN
structon and valuable periodical and statistical
IL II.
and solicit your support and patronage
| We have fixed upon the 18th Of each month
the day for the publication of our paper, so as to
efIord time for obtaining from the departments
all the ORDERS notices and changes issued, made
! by them during the preceding month. Tables
Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws ana
Regulations, arc issued by the Post Office Depart
ment only once in two 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 Of
fees in the tables which no longer in operation
and offices in operation which 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 postmasters and others are wholly
| ignorant. We propose to prevent, for the present,
any increase of the evil of either kind sand from
the time another issue shall be made, our paper
will furnish the additions, corrections, and modih-
| cations made 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 presen, misdi-
rection remailing, doubt confusion, error, and
| iinpositon 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 OF all
others, are 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 to them Notices Of the decisions Of the
Supreme Court, in cases turning upon questions
of official duty or national interest, VIII ma place
| in this pa.pr.
| department of our paper addressing itself not
merely TO pustmasters and other officers of the
Government, 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 arls-
| ing in Congress. At each session vast deal OF
valuable information is communicated 10 Con-
gress, by the several departments and 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
! ine 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 me senate
and fourteen hundred in the House of Representa-
tiyes which at once shows the impracticability OF
their dissemination. The ADVERTISER will con-
tain short abridgments analysis of all these
documents and reports, and the compend will
/ therefore not only pSove exceedingly useful and
instructive in ITSELF but will furnish easy index
to those interested whenever it is found desirable
to obtain and examine the document at large
There is a large field before us, the materials are
ample. 1t will be our Jealous care 70 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 confined
to the action Of the Government, is solid useful ),
and 1--WE might almost say) necessary to the Off
cer-if not to the citizen. II is intended for all,
and put at price which can constitute no obstacle
with any. fiat the end of the year, any subscriber