The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-08-18
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE

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UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE
and OFFICIAL ADVERTISER.
~ 40 'hoo ~hai is done, and uhat should be done
lp ~ u, IN eGce.~sU
CHAnlxs Nj. W VILLAS Editors and Pyop,ietoys,
FERNS -" The United States Postal f.,iJs mn
Wc'ae -daoeffiser,' containing about 20 syps,-ronaI
oetapo pages, Is published monthlvs s'r a,
LAR ONLY per anru'", payable Ia adpance-or fire
dollars for SIR copies ordered 80
PREPARATORY NOTICE
The enterprise in which we now emharL .n5
OF which this paper is at once the COMMENCEMENT
and sample Of the papers that are TO follow las
for its aim no less a purpose, than to lmpart in
struction, in the general and detail to the Of;cs
and Agents fthe American public, in respect both
TO their duties and their rights, and to make them.
and the people ut large acquainted with the organ
ization, decisions and action Of the Executive de-
apartments of their Government. There has hith
erto teen no vehicle for the regular and proper
communication of information Of this kind The
publication of the Laws and the issue of inst,1c
tons, more or less compreh cnsve 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,
structions Ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported TO Congress- are too voluminous
and printed in quantities too small for general
circulation; 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 70
party ends, and to matters Of national policy
These publications in their various forms are
highly useful in themselves as far as thew 90. 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 whicl
can render the discharge of public duty either SAT.
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 ey
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 had
direct intercourse, In person or by letter. He en-
tered the department fourteen years since and for
many years previously, had been, frstin.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 fatters 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 ciyility with
| them all. The Junior Editor has been asssiduou,lv
, engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
/ sonal inquiry and examination, the practical and
e daily routine and details of the Post Office and
other branches Of the public business. II is with
this stock ofexperence, 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 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. so as 10
afford time for obtaining from the departments.
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 il Il
matter of inconvenience and complaint for which
hitherto there has been remedy, that in one
month from the time of these issues, there are off
fees in the tables which no longer in operaton9
and offices in operation which not in the tablesf
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,
increase OF the evil OF either Kind and from
the time another issue shall be made, our paper
will furnish the additions, corrections and modi6-
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-
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 engage, every intelli-
gent postmaster can estimate for himself
These advantages alone and Independently of all
others, are worth many times the price we 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, apd 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 find place
r in this papsr.
A department of our paper addressing itself not
merely 10 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 c,untry, will embrace in a
| condensed form the matters submitted TO, or ars-
ing in Congress. At each session vast deal OF
valuable information is communicated to Com
| gress by the several departments and their subor-
dnate bureaus, and profound and comprehensive
reports are made by committees of both Houses
1 Rnt 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
and report is only twelve hundred IN the Senate,
ND fourteen hundred in the House of Representa-
tives which at once shows the impracticability of
their dissemination. The advertiser will con-
tam short abridgments or analysis of all these
documents and reports, and tbs co mpend wi
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in ITSELF but will furnish an easy index
10 those interested, whenever it is found desira lie
10 obtain and examine the documen at large.
There is a large field before us, the materials are
ample IL will be our jealous care IN collect and
arrange them in the prope = form. We have every
confidence that the subscriptions wall be ample to
enable us to accomplish it all. The information
we propose to give, comprehendinG and conhne,