The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-04
WASHINGTON CITY TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1851

- x, ACOAs
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
IND OFFICIAL ADVERTISERS
~ r To shor srhot is done, and what should be dons
l ~ office IS II
cn .Es - w1 Nh Editors amd Proprielo,s
TERMS. -" The United Stasss Postal Guide and
eial .sdvertscr," containing about - scper-royaI
octapo pages, is published mlo,.thty fbr ONE DOL
Lar ONLY, per annu,n, payable IN adrasce-or fire
dollars for sir copies ordered al any 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 are to follow, has
for its atm no less purpose, than 10 impart IN
struction, in the general and detail, to the Officers
and Agents ofthe Anerican public, in respect both
to their duties and their rights, and 70 sHaae them,
ization, decisions and action Of the Kxecntive de-
partments of their Government. TAefo has hlth-
erto Keen no vehicle for the regular and proper
communication Of information of this kind The
publication Of the Laws and the issue Of lnstruc-
tons. more less comprehensive, and at intervals
moro or less extended, have proved wholly made
quate, in the absence Of the construction Of those
Laws as applied to particular cases, and of details
and illustrations to make the regulations and in
structions ineligible. The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, too yoluminous,
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 are
highly useful in themselves MS far as they 60, 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
! ples 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.
II we succeed in rendering the functions of the
primary Offices more uniforms methodical, 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
lever.
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-Oics Department until the month
of November last with by far the larger portion
Of both posimasters and contractors, he has had
direct intercourse, in person 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
3 understanding the arrangements OF business IN all
I the departments, and being acquainted with those
who carry it on. Since his official connection with
the Government ceased, he ilatters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard of most Of thu
present incumbents Of the departments, and is OF
$ becoming terms of intercourse and clvillty witt
n them ALL The Junior Editor has been asssiduousl,
.lo,r IL e.. in ettt dutOU NV nqr
= sonal inquiry and examination, the practical ant
t. daily routine and details of the Pos-Office ant
other branches Of the public business 1t is will
this stock Of experience, and these advantages TO
reaching the various sources OF administrative ac
tion, and for mparting minute and illustrative III
n information, that we challenge your conhdcnc
and solicit your support and patronage.
y We have fixed upon the 18th Of each month al
the day for the publication of our paper SO as L
afford time for obtaining from the departments
all the orders, notices and changes issued, or made
n by them during the preceding month. Tables Of
n Post Offices, and compilations Of the Laws and
n Regulations, are issued by the Post Office Depart
n ment only once in two or three years. 1t is .
/ matter Of inconvenience and complaint, for which
n hitherto there has been no remedy, that IN one
n 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
n At this time there perhaps over three Thousand
,Hices Of the two descriptions. In like manner
n avs have been passed and regulations established
! since the issue Of the last volume Of regulations
# which many postmasters and others nre wholly
D. gnorant. We propose to prevent, TOR 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
md preserved, will afford to posmasters full ant
, exact information upon both subjects, up to and
4 for time being. How much of the presen. misd
| rectioD remailing, doubt, confusion, error, and
imposition, will be saved by the progressive state
n II full and exact knowledge, for which we have
n provided, and for which we engage, every intei
n GENT postmaster estimate for himself
y These advantages alone and independently Of al
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, OF
a patriotic regard for the credit, prosperity, ant
81 efficiency of the whole Post Office systemat onc
= 10 aubscribe The same considerations apply Il
the orders and notices, decisions, and instruction.
: OF the War, Navy, Treasury, State. and interior
: departments, and the same course is intended il
respect to them. Notices Of the decisions OF thu
Supreme Court, in cases turning upon questions
of official duty or national interest, will find place
in this Tapsr
A department Of our paper addressing itself moi
y merely to pustmasters and other officers of ths
' Government, but to all other citizens who give at
and development of the J. untry, will embrace in @
condensed form the matters submitted to, or arts
ing 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 are made by committees Of both Houses
BIT 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
2 from time to time appear in the public papers
The standing number printed of each document
!, and report is only twelve hundred in the Senate
and fourteen hundred in the House Of Representa-
tves. which at once shows the impracticabllity OF
J their dissemination. The Advertiser will con-
tain short abridgments 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
to those interested, whenever il is found desirable
:, TO obtain and examine the document at iarge.
There is a large field before us, the materials are
annie IL vii! be our jealous care TO collect and
arrange them in the proper form. We have every
confidence that the subscriptions will be ample to
. Oh, all Ntn inf, tt,,,