The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-01-21
washinston, Tuesday, january 81, 1851
The
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
ANN nFcYCIAT anRERTISFR

! UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
AND OFFICIAL ADVERTISER.
10 To show Uhst u done, and sChat should be done,
IN Office.
CHAaLxs M. W,IIAsp. Editors and Perpetrators
TEaxs. =" The Umitsd States Postal Guide and
Official advertiser" containing cbo,u 81 srper-royai
octave pages, Il published monthly for ONE DOL
Lar ONLY, per annum, paysbts in advancf-or five
dollars for str copies ordered al any one time.
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
i The enterprise in which We now em'Hrk, and
Of which this paper Is at once the commencement,
and a sample Of the papers that nre to follow, has
for its ann no less purpose, than TO impart in
struction. in the general aud detail, the Officers
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 hitih-
erto teen no vehicle for the reg liar and proper
Icommu ncation Of information Of this kind. The
publication Of the Laws and the issue OF instruc-
lions 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 us'ni's
and illustrations TO make the regulations and in
structions Ineligible The valuable docuynen's
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
ings, and the proceedings Of the Executive branch
: sf the Government, besides turning mostly upon
,, general principles, address themselves only 70
oarty ends and to matters Of national policy.
These publications in their various forms are
highly useful in themselves as far as they go, ana
,ome of them Indispensable; but there 10 much
that do not reach the hands Of all, ifthey did,
, 10 they furnish those rules, methods, and exam
,les for the despatch Of the public business which
an render the discharge of public duty either safe
,r easy, whether in respect to the incumbent him.
.ef, or the department or bureau under which ne
! ,cts We shall make an honest effort to supply
his vacuum, and to provide for these necessities.
If we succeed in rendering the functions Of the
primary offices more uniform. methodical, and ex-
,ct, we shall make the administrative duties OF the
departments more easy and effective, and thereby
promote the real and substantial interests OF the
ountry And this we expect TO do, to some ex-
ent at least--apart from, and independently OF
nv party or personal interest or question what
yer.
It is known to most Of those to whom this pa
YER will be sent, that the Senior Editor was AUDI
or of the Post-Offce Department until the month
f November last; with by far the larger portion
e both pos.masters and contractors, he has had
lirect intercourse, in person or by letter. lie en-
cred the department fourteen years since, and for
nany years previously, had been, frsti the War
Department, ard subsequently in the Treasury
understanding the arrangements OF business IN all
ne departments and being acquainted witt, those
Tho carry i, on. Since his official connection with
ne Government ceased, he hatters himself he has
reserved the respect and regard OF most OF the
| rsseft ncumbents Of the departments, and Is on
|. ecomine terms of intercourse and civility with
hem all. The Junior Editor has been assslduously
| ngnged for several years, IN studying, by per-
onal inquiry and examination, the practical and
, ally routine and details Of the Post-Oihce and
- L. 4. t,sl,
his stock Of experience, and these advantages for
eaching the various sources Of administrative ac-
ION, and for impartng minute and illustrative In
.truction, and valuable periodical and statistical
, Information, that we challenge your confidence
nd solicit your support and patronage
, We have fixed upon the 18th Of each month as
he day for the publication of our paper, so ms 70
ford time for obtaining from the departments,
n the ORDERS notices and changes issued, or made
, ! " them during the preceding month. Tables OF
'os, Offices, and compilations OF the Laws and
regulations, issued by the Post Office Depart
nent only once in TWO or three years IL ~ a
batter of inconvenience and complaint, for which
,itherto there has been no remedy, that IN one
nontb from the time of these issues, there Of
ices in the tables which longer in operation,
md offices in operation which are not IN the tables.
Vt this time there perhaps over thrse thousand
! ffices Of the two descriptions. In like manner
Tvs have been passed and regulations established
iuce the issue of the last volume or regulations,
r which many postmasters and others are wholly
gnorant. We propose TO prevent, Tor the present,
nv increase Of the evil of either kind, and from
he time another issue shall be made, our paper
yiIl furnish the additions, corrections, and modih-
atoms, made IN each month, and by being filed
nd preserved, will afford TO postmastcrs full and
xaci information upon both subjects, up TO and
,r time being. How much Of the present misdi-
ecton, remaiIing, doubt, confuson, error, and
npos,tiou, will be saved by the progressive state
4 full and exact knowledge, for which we have
provided, and for which We engage, every intel-
ept postmaster can estimate for himself.
These advantages alone and independently Of all
,thers are worth many times the price we charge
or the paper, and will, IL is hoped, induce every
postmaster who feels q Just pride IN his office, or
patriotic regard for the credit, prosperity, and
ficiency Of the whole Post Office system--at once
| q subscribe. The same considerations apply to
he orders and notices, decisions, and instructions
r the War, Navy, Treasury, State, and Interior
departments, and the same course rs ,n'encen IN
| .especf to them. Notices Of the decisions OF the
Supreme Court, in cases turning upon questions
of official duty or national interest, will ind place
! in this payer .
/ A department of our paper addressing itself not
merely to pvstmasters and other officers OF the
government but to all other citizens who give at
enon to the affairs Of the nation and the progress
md development Of the untry, will embrace IN a
condensed form the matters Submitted TO, or arts
NO in Congress. At each session vast deal OF
yaluabie information is communicated to Con-
,ress, by the several departments and their subor-
Innate bureaus, and profound and comprehensive
.eports are made by committees OF both Houses
But the great mass Of the community know moth
/, ng of the contents Of these documents and re-
: ports, except the brief notices of them, which
. rom time TO time appear in the public papers
= rhe standing number printed Of each docum-a'
. and report, is only twelve hundred IN The SENATE.
and fourteen hundred in the douse OF Representa-
: uves. which mt once shows the mpractIcabiity OF
} tbeir 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 and
instructive in ITSELF but will furnish an easy index
10 hose interested whenever it is found desirable
u 70 obtain and examine the document at large.
Their. is a large field before US, the materials are
; ample Il will be jealous care TO collect and
arrange them in the proper form. We have every
confidence that the subscriptions will be ample to