The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-06-20
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
AND OFFICIAL .aDyERTrSPp


p,rvp a w IN 4tee. E
cn.RLrs M. W mI.nn Editors and Pyepristoys.
TERMs.--" The United State, po.,u, 90,
l01c'nt ddperfiser,' containing abo,i 40 ' a'''
ocfoo0 pages, Is published rnoataIu Ar nxv 80
Lar ONLY, per annum, payable in aavanes--o, a..
PREPARATORY NOTIcEN's
The enterprise in which we now emhuy, an,
or which this paperis at once the commencement.
and a sample OF the papers that are to follow Az
Tor It's ann no less q 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 Teen 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 or less comprehensive, and at intervals
more or less extended, have proved wholly made
quae, 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 yoluminous
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
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
nigh'y useful IN themselves far as thew eo and
some OF them Indispensable; but there is much
that do not reach the hands Of all, nor if they did,
40 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
II we succeed in rendering the functions of the
primary offices more uniform, methodical and en-
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 ey
tent at least-apart from, and independently Of
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-Ofice 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 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.
lie has therefore had the best opportunities for
understanding the arrangements Of business in all
the departments, and being acquainted with those
who carry ii Since his official connection with
the Government ceased, he fatters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard of most OF the
becoming terms Of intercourse and civility with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssiduously
, engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
] sonai inquiry and examination, the practical and
4 daily routine and details Of the Post-Office 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 Importing minute and illustrative in
struction, and valuable periodical and statistical
information, that we challenge your confidence
aud ~sf ...l., A
We have fixed upon the 18th of each month as
the day for the publication Of paper, so us to
afford time for obtaining from the departments.
all the orders, notices and changes issued or made
by them during the preceding month"; Tables OF
Post Offices, and compilations Of the Laws anu
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 are of
fees in the tables which no longer in operations
and Offices in operation which not in the tables
Al 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 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 presen. 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 inteli-
| 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 sys,em--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 national interest, will find place
in this paptr.
| department Of our paper addressing itself not
| merely to postmasters and other officers of the
Government, but to all other citizens who give at
tention 10 the affairs of the nation and the progress
and development Of the !. untry, will embrace in
condensed form the matters submitted to, or aris-
| ing in Congress. AT each session vast deal Of
| valuable information In communicated TO Con-
grcss, by the several departments and their subor-
dinate bureaus, and profound and comprehensive
reports are mnde 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 papsrst
The standing number printed Of each documsr,
and report, is only twelve hundred IN The Senate
and fourteen hundred in the House of Representa-
tives. which at once shows the impractcabIlItyo
their dissemination. The ApvsRrIsER will con-
tain short abridgmenis or analysis Of all these
documents and reports and the compend will
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in itself, bat will furnish easy index
TO those interested, whenever il Is found desirable
To obtain and examine the document nj large.
There in large field before as, the materials are
ample Il will be our zenious to collect and
arrange them in the proper form. We have every
confidence that the subscriptions will he ample TO
enable us TO accomplish it all. The information
we propose to give, comprehending and confined
20 Tie action Of the Government, is solid, useful
and 1--WE might almost say) necessary to the Off
cer--rf not to the citizen. II ia intended for all.