The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-07-15
UNITED STATES POSTAL q UlDE.
AND OFFICIAL ADVERTISER.

IL 10 shoso what is done, and wisai should he do,s
prrxn G w.,ur. ~ s1Nsei -sI
CuAnlss Nd. WmlAaDs' Editors and Prepristors
IERhs. =" The United States Postal Guide and
Official .4duertiser, containing about 80 sppsr-rouak
oc'avo pagss, is published monthly rbr onE pol
LAR ONLY, pr amman, payable in advancs---er five
dollars for SIC copies ordered at a,su one lime
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
I The enterprise in which we now embark, AMI
Of which this paper ia at once the commencement /,
and sample Of the papers that areto follow, las
for its aim no less 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
ixation, decisions and action Of the Executive de-
par,nents of their Government. There has hith
erto teen no vehicle for The regular and proper
! communication AZ 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
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 yoluminoits
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
narty ends, and to matters of national policy.
These publications in their various forms are
highly useful in themselves far they go, and
some Of them Indispensable; but there is much
that do not reach the hands Of all, if they did,
| do they furnish those rules, methods, and exam
pes 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, mehodical. and ev
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 east-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-Office 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, 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 on. Since his official connection with
l the Government ceased, he Aatters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard OF most or the
present incumbents of the departments, and is on
becoming terms Of intercourse and civility with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssduousy
engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
sonaT inquiry and examination, the practical and
dailv routine and details of the Post-Ofice and
other branches Of the public business. IL is with
this stock Of experience, and these advantages for
reaching the various sources of administrative
ton and for imparting minute and illustrative in
struction. and valuable periodical and statistical
information, that 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 ana
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 no remedy, that IN one
month from the time of these issues, there are of
fees in the tables which are no longer IN operntions
and Offices in operation which are 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 nre 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 modih-
cations. made in each month, and by being filed
and preserved, will afford to postmasters full and
exact information upon both subjects, up 10 and
| for time being How much of the present misdi-
rection. remaiIing, doubt, confusion, error, and
impos,tion, 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 we charge
for the paper, and will, it is hoped, induce every
postmaster who feels a just pride in his Office, or
a pa,riotic regard for the credit, prosperity, and
eff iency of the whole Post Office system--at once
TO subscribe. The same considerations apply to
Of the War, Navy, Treasury, State, and Interior
departme n,s, and the same course Is intended in
| resncct 10 them Notices Of the decisions OF the
| Supreme Court, in cases turning upon questions
of official duty national interest, will find place
! IN this paD.r~ 80,
merely 10 puatmasters and other officers of the
Government, but TO all other citizens who give at
ten,iop to the affairs Of the nation and the progress
and development Of the q untry, will embrace IN a
condemned form the matters submitted to- or aris-
| inc in Congress. At each session a vast deal OF
v,7,,h,e information is communicated to Con-
gress by the several departments and their subor-
dinate bureaus, and profound and comprehensive
reports are made by committees OF ooth Houses
! Rut the great mas of the community Know noth-
| ing Of the contents Of these documents ana re-
nor,a. except the brief notices Of them, which
frn,r time 10 time appear in the public p,pers.
The standing number printed Of each document
and report, is only twelve hundred IN the Senate,
and fourteen hundred in the touse or representa-
,,m.. which at once shows the impracticability Of
,n.;r dissemination. The ADVERTISER will con-
IAN short abridgments analysis of all these
cnc,menta and reports, and the compend will
,o.refore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in itself, but will furnish an easy index
=. those interested whenever it is found desirable
=, nh,,,n and examine the document q large.
Tber. is large field before US. the snatesias are
.mnJe II will be our Jealous care 70 collect and
.rr.nge them in the proper form. We have every
CONFIDENCE that the subscriptions will be ample to
enable us to accomplish il all. The Information
to tbe action Of the Government, u solid, usef e
and 1--WE might almost say) necessary TO the of