The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-06-24
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.

PETER g WAsnrseros' ) -
Terms. The United States Postal C,,id, a,J
eDe'at ddperftser, containing about 40 srreyyo,,I
oetapo pages, IS published n.onthlu 6r az 49,
Lar ONLY, per annum, payable Ia adpanee-or 6ps
dollars for SIR copies ordered at ana one no. '''
PREPARATORY NOTICE
The enterprise IN which we now embark nnl
Of which this paper is at once the comInencemsrs
and sample of the papers that are to follow Iss
for its aim no less purpose, than to impart in
struciion, 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
ization, decisions and action of the Executive de-
partments of their Government. There has hith
erto heen no vehicle for the regular and proper
communication of information Of this kind The
publication Of the Laws and the issue of instrue
tons, more or less comprehensive and ut intervals
more or less extended, have proved wholly made
quate in the absence of the construction or those
Laws, applied to particular cases, land of details
and illustrations TO make the regulations and in
sructions Ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, are too voluminous
and printed in quantities too small for general
circulation; whilst the debates in Congress and
the commentaries of the press upon their proceed
ngs, 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 as far as they go, and
some of them Indispensable; but there is much
that do not 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
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 necessites
| If we succeed in rendering the functions of the
primary Offices more uniform, methodcal, and ey-
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-Ofhce 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
4 the departments, and being acquainted with those
who carry 1t on. Since his official connection with
the Government ceased, he ha'ters himself he has
4 preserved the respect and regard of most OF the
present incumbents 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
f daily routine and details of the Post-Oifice and
other branches of the public business. IL is with
this stock Of experience, and these advantages cr
reaching the various sources of administrative ac-
ton, and for imparting minute and Illustrative in
struciion. and valuable periodical and statistical
information, that challenge your confidence
4 nd soil cIfv RI n IA
| We have fixed upon the 18th Of each month as
the day for the publication Of paper, to
afford time for obtaining from the departments
all the orders, notices and changes issued, or made
| by them during the preceding month. Tables az
| Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws ana
Regulations, are issued by the Post Office Depart
| ment only once in two or three years. Ii 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 of
fees in the tables which no longer in operatons
and offices IN operation which are not in the tables.
AT this time iere are 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 are wholly
IGNORANT We propose TO prevent, for the present,
anv increase of the evil of either kind, and from
| the time another issue shall be made, our paper
will furnish the additional. corrections, and modlh-
cations, made in each month. and by being filed
and preserved, will afford to poetmasters full and
| eyact information upon both subjects up to and
\ for time being How much of the present misdi-
| rection. remang, doubt, couflson.i error, and
imnostion. will be saved by the. progressive state
| ~ full and exact knowledge, for which we have
provided and for which we engage, every lntelli-
/ cent postmaster can estimate Tor himself. al
These advantages alone and independently Of all
others. are worth many times the price we charge
for the paper, and will 1t 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
10 subscribe The same considerations apply to
the orders and notices, decisions, and Instructions
~ the War, Navy, Treasury, State, and Interior
denartments 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 apiace
ia this papsr. rr 80. ~ ~ ID.
merely to postmasters and other officers of the
Government, but TO all other citizens who give at
,enon 20 the affairs Of the nation and the progress
and development of the {, untry, will embrace ina
condensed form the matters submitted to, or eris-
\ inc 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 are made by committees OF both Houses.
| Rnt tbs ereat mass Of the community know moth
limo of the contents of these documents and re-
| nop,sy except the brief notices of them, which
from time to time appear in the public papers,
Tbe standing number printed OF each doeument
land report, is only twelve hundred ~ the Senate
and fourteen hundred IN the House OF representa-,
800 mich at once shows the impracticability OF
\ a. sseminaiion The ADvrRTIsER will con-
tam short abridgments or analysis Of all these
anc,msn,s and reports, and the compend wilt
I,nersrore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in ITSELF but will furnish an easy INDEX
30 ,hose interested whenever II is found desirable
-. aL,ain and examine the document at large
Their. Is a large field before us, the materials are
annie IL will be our jealous care 70 collect and
arrange them in the proper form. We have every
| Son6dence that the subscriptions will be ample ,c
.oabie MS to accomplish il alt. The information
,ys o,onose to give comprehending and con6ne'
20 ,he action Of the Government, is solid. usefu
and I'VE might almost say) necessary 10 the Of
cerrf not to the citizen II IS intended for al (,
and put a, price whichsan constitute no obstacle
with any. Fiat the end Of the year. any subscriber