The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-09-13
UNITED STATES Postal GUIDE
AND OFFICIAL ADVERTISER


-, IN office. -kU
rErER q, WAsHrsoron,
caAHlEs M. wnIAaD, Editors and PropraetOrs !
rERms--" The United States Postal Guide and
octapo pages, Is published nonihlv sr az po,-
LAR ONLY, per annun, payable Ia advanes-or 6ps
dollars for sir copies ordered
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
The enterprise in which we now emhsrk and
Of which this paper is once the commeneemsrl
and sample of the papers that are to follow fas
for its aim no Less purpose, than to impart in
struction, in the general and detail, to the Oficer
and Agents ofthe American public, in respect both
to their duties and their rights, and to make them
and the people at large, acquainted with the organ
lzation, 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 instrue
tons, 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, and of details
and illustrations to make the regulations and in.
structions Ineligible The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, are too voum nous
and are printed in Quantities too small for general
circulation; whilst the dehates 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 to
party ends, and to matters of national policy
These publications in their various forms are
highly useful in themselves far as they CO. and
some of them Indispensable; but there is much
that do not reach the hands OF all nor f thev did,
do they furnish those rules, methods, and exam
pes for the despatch OF the public business which,
can render the discharge Of public duty either safe
or easy, whether in respect to the incumbenthim
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
| IL we succeed in rendering the functions of the
| primary Offices more uniform, methodica, 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 eys
tent ut 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-Ofice 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 wears 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 hatters himself he has
/ preserved the respect and regard Of most OF the
presrnt incumbents of the departments, and is on
becoming terms of intercourse and civity with
them ALL The Junior Editor has been asssiduously
engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
sonni inquiry and examination, the practical and
daily routine and details of the Post-Ofiice and
other branches Of the public business Ii is with
this stock Of experience, and these advantages for
reaching the various sources of administrative &C,
ton, and for imparting 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 paper, SO as TO
afford time for obtaining from the departments,
all the orders, notices and changes issued or made
| by them during the preceding month. Tables Oh
/ Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws anu
| Regulations, are issued by the Post Office Depart
ment only once in two or three years. 1t is a
| matter of inconvenience and complaint, for which
| hitherto there has been no remedy, that in one
month from the time of these issues, there are off
fees in the tables which are no longer in operations
and Offices in operation which not in the tables6
AT this time there 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,
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
i cations, made IN each month, and by being filed
and preserved, will afford TO posmasters full and
exact information upon both subjects, up to and
| for time being. How much of the presen, 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-
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, IL is hoped, induce every
postmaster who feels just pride in his Office, or
patriotic regard for the credit, prosperity, and
efficiency Of the whole Post Office system-at once
10 subscribe The same considerations apply te
the orders and notices, decisions, and instruction.
| Of the War, Navy, Treasury, State, and Interioi
denartments, and the same course is intended in
resnect no 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. -,
| merely 10 postrnasters and other officers of the
Covernment, but to all other citizens who give at
tentiou TO the affairs of the nation and the progress
and development of the q untry, will embrace in a
condensed form the matters submitted TO, or aris-
inc in Congress. AT each session deal OF
| valuable information is communicated to Con-
press by the several departments and their subor-
dipate bureaus, and profound and comprehensive
reports are made by committees of both Houses
! But the great mass of the community know moth
| inc Of the contents Of these documents and re-
| no,,s excent the brief notices of them, which
| rom 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 Rouse OF Representa-
,,yss which at once sho the impracticability of
their dissemination. The ADVERTISER will con-
tam short abridgments or analysis of all these
documents and reports, and The co mpend will
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in itself, but will furnish an easy index
To those interested, whenever it is found desirable
TO obtain and examine the documen at large
There is a large field before as the materials are
ample II will be our jealous 10 collect and
arrange them In the prope form. We have every
confidence that the subscriptions will be ample TO
enable us to accomplish it ALL The information
we propose to give, comprehending and confined
to the action OF the Government, ia sohd, useful,
and Eve might almost say) necessary TO the Off
cer-if not to the citizen. II is intended for all,
and put at price which constitute no obstacle
with any. fat the end of the year, any subscriber
shall find that he has not received tho full value Of
his money, in intellectual enjoyment and in the
;,.ro.aad I,Cht and aid aNordnd him f~r the dis