The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-06-03
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.

| : <
CHARLES M. 1 WlH.np Editors and Proprietoys.
Terms. -'' Tie United States Postal GIN, and
Official Adpertiser," containing about 80 appsyyoual
0ciauo pages, Is published monthly for ONE DoL-
LAR ONLY, per anatsa, payable il. adraaoeor Gye
dollars for sir copies ordered at any one fine
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
The enterprise IN which we embark AMI
Of which this paper is at once the commencement,
and a sample of the papers that to follow, las
for its ann 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 theorgan
izatlon, 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
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
sructions ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, are too voluminos
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
party ends, and to matters of national policy
| These publications in their various forms
highly useful in themselves as far as they go, and
some of them Indispensable; but there ID much
that do not reach the hands Of all if they did.
do they furnish those rules methods, and exnnl-
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 methodicaI, 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
tent at least---apart from, and independently Of
any party or personal interest or question what
ever L Nat
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 hat
direct Intercourse, in person or by letter. Ile
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
the Government ceased he fatters himself ne has
preserved the respect and regard of most OF the
PRESET incumbents of the departments, ana is OH
e becoming terms of intercourse and civllity with
: them all The Junior Editor has been asssiduousy
engaged for several years, IN studying, by per-
i sonai inquiry and examination, the practical and
If daily routine and details of the Post-Ot'ice and
other branches OF the public business. 1t is with
this stock Of experience, and these advantages for
reaching the various sources of administrative ac-
lion, and for importing 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 QUE paper, az to
I afford time for obtaining from the Departmental
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, are issued by the Post Office Depart
ment only once in two or three years.. ltis a
| matter of Inconvenience and complaint, for which
: hitherto there has Nen 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 are not IN the tables
AT this time there are perhaps over three thousand
offices Of the two descr ptiohs. 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 modif-
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 misd-
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 we charge
for the paper and will, it 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
g Supreme Court in cases turning upon questions
l. of official duty national interest, will hnd place
II in this pap'r.
2 merely to postniasters 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 {, untry, viii embrace in n
condensed form the matters submitted to, or nris-
ing in Congress- At each session n vast deal OF
valuable information is communicated to Con-
eress by the several departments aud their subor
s dinate bureaus, and profound and comprehensive
. reports are made by committees of both Houses.
: But the great mass of the community know moth
s iug of the contents of these documents and re
n ports, except the brief notices of them, whlc n
from, time TO time appear in the public papers
The standing number printed of each docume t
: and report, is only twelve hundred IN the Senate,
|, and fourteen hundred in the House OF Representa-
J, ives which Mt once shows the impracucablity OF
i their dissemination. The ADVERTISER will con-
! tam short abridgments 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 indie
to those interested whenever It is found desirable
To- obtain and examine the document At large.
There il n large field before us, the materials are
annie IL will be our jealous care to collect and
arrange them in the proper FORM we have every
confidence that the SUBSCRIPTIONS will be ample to
enable us to accomplish 1T ALL The information
we propose to give, compromising and confined
To the action OF the Government, ~ solid. useful
and 1--WE might almost say necessary to the Off
cer--if not to the citizen. II is intended for all,
and put at price which can constitute no obstacle
with any Fiat the end Of the year, any subscriber