The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-14
THE
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.

Y To shoo what u done, and ,ehat should be dot
IN q6ice.-SU
s.,s ~ NJ 1Wsn ".s"' Editor. end propyie
TxRMs. =" The United States Postal Guide
Official Adpeytiscr containing abosst ~ spper-r
,ctapo pages, is published monthiy for ONE
LAR ONLY, per amman, payable in adpancs--or.
Iollars for sir copies ordered a a~y one time.
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
The enterprise in which we now embark,
Of which this paper is at once the aommencems
and sample Of the papers that ara 70 follow,
for its aim no less purpose, than to impart
struction, in the general and detail, to the Ofic
and Agents of the American public, in respect be
to their duties and their rights, and 70 make thei
and the people at large, acquainted with the orga'
izaton, decisions and action of the Executive d
partments of their Government. There has hill
erto Teen no vehicle for the regular and prope
communieatioa q iafsxusnsian ~ slsis xHds IT,
publication Of the Laws and the issue Of instruc
lions, more or less comprehensive, and tntervs
more or less extended, have proved wholly made
quate in the absence Of the construction Of those
Laws, az applied to particular cases. and of details
and Illustrations to make the regulations and il
structions Ineligible The valuable documen
annually reported to Congress, are too voluminouA
and are printed in quantities too small for genera
circulation; whilst the debates in Congress anc
the commentaries of the press upon their proceed
ings, and the proceedings Of the Executive branc
of the Government, besides turning mostly upc
general principles, address themselves only
party ends and to matters Of national policy
These publications in their various forms ar
highly useful in themselves far az they go, anC
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
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 hc
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 tha
primary Offices more uniform, methodca, 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 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 was Audi
tor of the Post-Offce Department until the month
of November last; with by far the larger portion
of both postmasters and contractors, he has hat
direct intercourse, in person or by letter. he en-
tered the department fourteen years since, and fo-
many years previously, had been, first in the War
Department, and subsequently IN the treasury
| He has therefore had the best opportunities 70.
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 fatters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard Of most Of the
| present incumbents Of the departments, and is
becoming terms Of intercourse and civility wit
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-Ofice and
other branches Of the public business. 1t is with
this stock Of experience, and these advantages for
reaching the various sources of administrative &C
ton, and for imparting minute and illustrative in
struction, and valuable periodical and statistical
information, that we 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 departments,
all the orders, notices and changes issued, made
by them during the preceding month Tables o.
Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws and
Regulations, are issued by the Post Office Depart
ment only once in two or three years. IL is a
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 tables which longer in operation
and offices in operation which not in the tables
At this time there are perhaps over three thousan
offices of the two descriptions. In like mann
l laws have been passed and regulations establish,
since the issue of the last volume of regulations
/, of which many postmasters and others are who'll
a ignorant. We propose to prevent, for the presen
6 any increase Of the evil Of either kind, and fro
i the time another issue shall be made, our pap
will furnish the additions, corrections, and modi
: cations, made in each month, and by being fl
and preserved, will afford to postmasters full
s exact information upon both subjects, up to
for time being. How much of the present mis-
rection, remailing, doubt, confusion, error,
imposition, will be saved by the progressive st
OF full and exact knowledge, for which we hi
provided, and for which we engage, every int,
gent postmaster can estimate for himself.
These advantages alone and independentlyof
others, are worth many times the price we char
for the paper, and will, it is hoped, induce eve
postmaster who feels just pride in his office,
a patriotic regard for the credit, prosperity, al
efficiency of the whole Post Office system--at on,
to subscribe. The same considerations apply
the orders and notices, decisions, and instruction
Of the War, Navy, Treasury, State, and Interio
departments, and the same course is intended
, respect 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 paper.
, A department Of our paper addressing itself not
, merely to pustmasers and other officers of the
Government but to all other citizens who give at
tenton the affairs Of the nation and the progres
and development of the untry, will embrace in
condensed form the matters submitted to, or arts
ing in Congress. At ench session vast deal OF
valuable information is communicated to Con
gress by the several departments and their subor-
dinate bureaus, and profound and comprehenslv
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 to time appear in the public papers.
The standing number printed of each document
4 and report is only twelve hundred In the Senate,
and fourteen hundred in the House Of Representa-
(, ,ves which at once shows the impractcability OF
their dissemination. The ADVERTISER will con-
tain short abridgments or analysis OF all these
| do nd
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in itself, but will furnish easy index
to those interested, whenever il is found desirable
to obtain and examine the document at large
There is large field before us, the materials are
ample 1t will be Jealous care 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 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. 1t is intended for al
- - 4.