The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-10


ELLwOOD FISHER
washinston City.
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
AND OFFICIAL .aDVERTXSER.
III 40 s"o~ whaf y done, and schst should be done
tn office LII
cnAs.xs M. 1 W,lsaso Editor, and prou,ss0rs.
Jerks. -" The United States Postal Guide and
Official Advsrtissr' containing about 81 sppey-yoval
octspo pages, Is published monthly for ONE o.
Lar ONLY, pr annssa, payable in adpance-or.. fue
dollars for sir copies ordered al anN one time "
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
The enterprise in which we now embark, an
Of which this paper is at once the commencement
and a sample Of the papers that are to follow, ha
for its aim no less a purpose, than to impart in
structon, 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 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
quats in the absence Of the construction Of 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, too voluminous,
and are printed in quantities too small for genera!
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 to
party ends, and to matters of national policy.
These publications in their various forms are
highly useful in themselves as far as they 90, 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
Piles, 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 necessities.
If we succeed in rendering the functions of the
primary offices more uniform, 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 east-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-O Office 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
the departments, and being acquainted with those
who carry it on. Since his official connection with
the Government ceased, he fatters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard Of most OF the
present incumbents Of the departments, and is or
becoming terms of intercourse and civility wit
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssiduousl
engaged for several years, in studying, by per
sonal inquiry and examination, the practical and
daily routine and details of the Post-0fice an
other branches Of the public business. 1t is wit
this stock OF experience, and these advantages f.
reaching the various sources of administrative
ton, and for imparting minute and illustrative II
struction, and valuable periodical and statistic
information, that we challenge your confden
and solicit your support and patronage.
We have fixed upon the 18th Of each month
the day for the publication Of our paper, so as
afford time for obtaining from the department
all the orders, notices and changes issued, or ma
by them during the preceding month. Tables
Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws a
Regulations, are issued by the Post Office Depal
ment only once in two or three years 1t is
matter of inconvenience and complaint, for whio
hitherto there has been no remedy, that in OIL
month from the time of these issues, there are o
fees in the tables which no longer in operation
and Offices in operation which not in the tables
AT this time there are perhaps three thousanc
offices of the two descriptions. In like manner
laws have been passed and regulations establishc,
since the issue Of the last volume OF regulations
of which many postmasters and others are WHOLLY
ignorant. We propose to prevent, for the presen,
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 to and
for time being. How much of the present misdi-
rection, remaiIing, doubt, confusion, error, and
imposition, will be saved by the progressive
Of full and exact knowledge, for which we hav,
provided, and for which we engage, every INTEL
gent postmaster can estimate for himself.
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, or
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
Supreme Court, in cases turning Upon questions
of official duty or national interest, will find place
in this paper.
A department Of our paper addressing itself not
merely to postmasters and other officers of the
Government, but to all other citizens who give at
tenton to the affairs Of the nation and the progress
and development of the {. untry, will embrace in
condensed form the matters submitted to, or aris-
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.
But 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
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-
ives, which at once shows the impracticability OF
their dissemination. The Advertiser will con-
tain short abridgments or analysis of all these
documents and reports, and the compsnd will
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in ITSELF but will furnish easy index
to those interested, whenever it 10 found desirable
to obtain and examine the document at large
There is a 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 be ample to
Al; - ali ~