The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-13
WASHINGTON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 49, 1851

'~AASA ~, AOvi.
UNITED STATES POSTA l. q UIDE.
IND OFFICLaL ADVERTISER.
= 10 sAeU ,chat u done and ohai should be done,
in a6ce.~kU
cs.ss, NJ 1 W,, Editor, and Perpetrators
TEaMs. =" The United Ssstes Postal Guide and
Official 9drertssr," containing atous 80 srper-voyai
oet"ro pages, is published monthly for ONE pcL-
LAR ONLY, per annunt, payable in adrance---or fue
dollars for str copies ordered at any time.
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
The enterprise in which We now eInbark, and
Of which this paper ia at once the commencement,
and a sample of the papers that are TO follow, has
for its aim no less purpose, than to mpart in
sructon, in the general and detail, to the Officers
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
ixaton, decisions and action of the Executive de-
pnrtn,ents of their Government. There has hth-
eric Teen no vehicle for the reg ilar and proper
communication Of information of this kind. The
publication Of the Laws and the issue of lnstruc-
tons, more or less comprehensive, and al intervals
more or less extended, have proved wholly made
q,iate, in the absence Of the construction Of those
Laws, ms applied TO particular cases, and Of details
and Illustrations To make the regulations and in
annually reported to Congress, are too soluminous
and are printed in quantities too small for general
circulation; whilst the debates in Congress ard
the commentaries Of the press upon their proceed
ings, and the proceedings Of the Executive branch
Of the Government, besides turning mostiy upon
general principles, address themselves only 10
party ends, and TO matters of national policy.
These publications in their various f,rms are
highly useful N themselves far as they go, md
some Of them Indispensable; but there 10 much
that do reach the hands Of all nor 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 10 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. mcihodical, 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. 4a
! It IL 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 poslmasters and contractors, he has had
direct intercourse, in person or by letter. lie 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 cnrry il on Since his official connection with
the Government ceased, he natters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard Of most Of the
i present ihcumben,s Of the departments and IL on
becoming terms Of intercourse and civility with
\ Ia. ui,
engaged for several years, in studying, by per
sonal inquiry and examination, the practical and
daily routine aud details of the Post-Office and
other branches Of the public business. II il with
this stock o. experience, and thess advantages
reaching the various sources OF administrative ac-
ton, and for lmpartng minute and Illustrative IN.
I structon, and valuable periodical and statstica
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 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 and
Regulations, are issued by the Post Office Depart
nent only once in two or three years. IL is a
natter 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
| ices in the tables which no longer IN ope alton
| Vt this time there perhaps over three thousand
| 'tficea Of the two descriptions. In like manner
avs have been passed and regulations established
.ihce the issue of the last volume OF regulations
! # which many postmasters and others IRE wholly
! gnnrant. We propose TO prevent, for the present
| my increase Of the evil of either kind, and from
| he time another Issue shall be made, our paper
will furnish the additions, corrections, and mOdh
| cations, made IN each month, and by being filed
md preserved, will afford to postmasters full and
exact information upon both subjects, up to and
| for time being. How much Of the present 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-
| yent postmaster can estimate for himself.
' These advantages alone and independently or all
others, are worth many times the price we charge
| for the paper, and will, it in hoped, induce every
postmaster who feels just pride in his office, o,
"a patriotic regard for the credit, prosperity, and
I efficiency Of the whole Post Office sysem-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 ths
Supreme Court, in cases turning upon questions
Of official duty national interest, will Aud place
| in this TapSr
/ A department Of our paper addressing itself no,
4 merely to pos,mssters 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, will embrace IN a
cond ensed form the matters submitted TO, or arts
ing in Congress. At each sesson vast deal OF
| valuable information ia communicated TO Con
yress, by the several departments and their subor
dinnte bureaus. and profound and comprehensive
reports are made by cotnmittees of both Houses
| Bur the great mass Of the community know moth
ling Of the CT ntents Of these documents and re-
i ports, except the brief notices Of them, which
from time 10 time appear in the public paper
! The standing number printed Of each docun ~
and report, ~ only twelve hundred IN the SENATE
and fourteen hundred in the House Of Representa-
tiyex which at once shows the impractlcabiIlty OF
1 their dissemination. The ADVERTISER will con-
tain short abridsments or analysis Of all there
documents and reports, and the cnmpend will
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
i ns,rnctiye in itself, but will furnish easy index
To those interested, whenever It 10 found desirable
TO obtain and examine the document at large.
| Their, is large field before us, the materials are
ample. 1t will be our Jealous care 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
4 A1>o ,1,, nd II