The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-16
UNITED STATES posTAI. cu,nr

UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
IND Official ADVERTISER
~ 10 sho'o 'oha is done, and ohat should be done,
~ ~ IN office. = IL
CHAnLEs nj. W mIaan Editors and Proprietoys.
Terms. -" The United States Postal Cuide and
CDic'df 1dcertiser, containing about 20 spneyrool
ocforo pages, Is published monthly t,r orr nor
LAR ONLY, per annu'a, payable in adrancs--oy fine
dollars Cor sir copies ordered at amy one time
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 aim no less u purpose, than to lmpart 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
izaton, decisions and action Of the Executive de-
partmeDts 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
tions more or less comprehensive and al 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 voluminous
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 10
party ends, and to matters of national policy.
These publications in their various forms
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 IN 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, methodlcal, 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 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, and subsequently in the Treasury.
He has therefore had the best opportunities for
the departments, and being acquainted with those
who carry it on. Since his official connection with
the Government ceased, he flatters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard of most Of the
present ncumbents of the departments, and is on
| becoming terms of intercourse and civility with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssduously
engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
sonal inquiry and examination, the practical and
daily routine and details of the Post-Offce and
other branches of the public business 1t is with
LIT. -
reaching the various sources of administrative
ton, and for imparting minute and Illustrative in
structon and valuable periodical and statistical
information, that we challenge your confidence
and solicit your support and patronage.
| We have fixed upon the 18th or each month as
the day for the pubIicatuo Ut sur p~per, ~ to
afford time for obtaining from the departments,
all the ORDERS notices and changes issued or made
| by them during the preceding month. Tables
Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws ana
Regulations, issued by the Post Office Depart
ment only once in two three years. IL is
matter of inconvenience and complaint, for which
hitherto there has been remedy, that in one
month from the time of these issues, there of
fees in the tables which are 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 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 modif-
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 misd-
rection, remang, 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 ntelli-
gent postmaster estimate for himself.
These advantages alone and independently OF all
others, are worth many times the price we charge
for the paper, and will, i, is hoped, induce every
postmaster who feels just pride IN his Office, or
a 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 pap~r.
A department of our paper addressing itself not
merely to postmasters and other officers of the
Government, but to all other citizens who give at
tenon TO the affairs Of the nation and the progress
and development Of the {, untry, will embrace in
condensed form the matters submitted to, aris-
ing in Congress- At each session vast deal OF
valuable information is communicated to Con-
gress by the several departments and their subor-
dnate bureaus, and profound and comprehensive
reports 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 docume
and report, is only twelve hundred in the Senate,
and fourteen hundred in the House Of Representa-
tives, which at shows the impractcability OF
their dissemination. The ADvERrisER will con
mr. pf ali fhoeo
documents and reports, and the compend will
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in itself, but will furnish an easy index
to those Interested whenever Il is found desirable
to obtain and examine the document at large
ample IL will be our jealous care to collect and
arrange them in the proper form We have every
confidence that the subscriptions will he ample 10
enable us to accomplish it all. The information
we propose to give, comprehendng and confined
L. Of 40 (tov