The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-26
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.

UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
IND OFFICLaL ADVERTISER
IL To sholo ohai is done and ,rha, shoid H. do,
D.. ~ ~, IN office. @sU
PErER u WAsHrnGTon, -
CnHhLEs M. WILLARD, Huu"s ana froprietors-
o.a Ems :" The United States Postal Guide and
tnc'af s1dUertser, containing about ~ spn,yyo,I
oei"po pages, Is published monthly for onr nor
LAR ONLY, per annum payable in aduanee-or fps
dollars for sir copies ordered at ann one I'm, 80
PREPARATORY NOTICE
The enterprise IN which we now embark and
OF which this paper is at once the commencement
and sample OF the papers that TO follow, has
for It's ann no less II purpose, than TO impart in
struction, in the general and detail to the Officer
and Agents fthe 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 Leen no vehicle for the regular and proper
communication of information of this kind The
publication of the Laws and the issue of ,nstruc
tons, 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 volumnous
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
highly useful in themselves far as 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
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.
If we succeed in rendering the functions of the
primary offices more uniform, methodical, and ex-
act, 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.
| II is known to most Of those to whom this pa
per will be sent, that the Senior Editor was Audi
tor of the Post-Otice Department until the month
of November last; with by far the larger portion
of both poslmasters 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, ard 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 hatters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard Of most OF the
preset ncumbents of the departments, and is on
becoming terms Of intercourse and civility with
taem all. The Junior Editor has been asssiduously
~,gAEed for several years, in studying, by per-
lai inquiry and examination, the practical and
lily routine and details of the Post-Ofice and
her branches Of the public business. 1t is with
ais stock OF experience, and these advantages for
eachilg the various sources of administrative ac-
7 rssn, 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 to
afford time for obtaining from the departments.
all the orders, notices and changes issued or made
by them during the preceding month Tables q
Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws ana
Regulations, issued by the Post Office Depart
ment only once in two or three years. II 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 no longer in operation
and Offices in operation which not in the tables
| At this time there perhaps 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 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 modii-
cations, made In each month, and by being filed
and preserved, will afford to postmasters fun 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 intelli-
| gent postmaster can estimate for himself.
| These advantages alone and independently Of all
others, are worth many times the price 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, 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 or national interest," will find place
! IN this PAIR.
A department Of our paper addressing itself not
merely to postmasters and other officers of the
Government bat to all other citizens who give at
ention to the affairs Of the nation and the progress
and development of the {, uDtry, will embrace in
| condensed form the matters submitted to, aris-
| inc in Congress. At each session vast deal Of
valuable information is communicated to Con-
gress, by the several departments and their subor
dinate bureaus, and profound and comprehensive
reports made by committees of both Houses
But the great MAS of the community know MOTH
ing of the Contents of these documents and
ports except the brief notices of them, which
from time to time appear in the public papers.
The standing number printed Of each docume
and report is only twelve hundred in the Senate,
! and fourteen hundred in the douse of Representa-
tives, which at once shows the impracucabty OF
their dissemination. The ADVERTISER will con-
tain short abridgmen's 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 easy index
10 those interested, whenever it is found desirable
10 obtain and examine the document at large
There is large field before us, the materials are
annie IL will be our Jealous 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,